Family Systems, Parenting Styles, and Child Development Theories

Family Systems Theory

A view of the family as a dynamic interconnected system where each member influences the others.

Dyadic subsystem

A relationship involving two people such as parent-child or spouses.

Polyadic subsystem

A relationship involving more than two family members.

Coparenting

How parents coordinate and support each other in raising a child.

Extended family household

Parents and children living with other kin such as grandparents or aunts/uncles.

Indirect parental effects

One parent influences the child indirectly through the other parent.

Authoritative parenting

High demandingness + high responsiveness; best developmental outcomes.

Authoritarian parenting

High demandingness + low responsiveness; strict, low warmth.

Permissive parenting

Low demandingness + high responsiveness; few rules, warm.

Neglectful parenting

Low demandingness + low responsiveness; uninvolved; worst outcomes.

Family Stress Model

Economic hardship → parental stress → disrupted parenting → negative child outcomes.

Parent effects model

Influence flows from parent to child.

Child effects model

Influence flows from child to parent.

Interactional model

Child outcomes depend on parent and child traits interacting at one moment in time.

Transactional model

Parents and children mutually influence each other over time.

Parent-adolescent conflict

Peaks in early adolescence; usually over minor issues.

Middle-generation squeeze

Adults caring for both aging parents and dependent children.

Remote grandparenting

Grandparents who are distant and see grandchildren infrequently.

Companionate grandparenting

Grandparents involved in enjoyable, frequent contact with little authority.

Involved grandparenting

Grandparents who take on caregiving responsibilities, sometimes living with grandchildren.

Reasons for cohabitation

Testing relationship, alternative to marriage, or convenience.

Children of same-sex parents

Show no developmental differences compared to children of heterosexual parents.

High divorce risk factors

Young age at marriage, short marriage length, low SES, previous divorce.

Statistical deviance

Behavior that is rare or uncommon.

Maladaptiveness

Behavior that interferes with functioning or safety.

Personal distress

Behavior that causes subjective suffering.

DSM

Diagnostic classification system for psychological disorders in the U.S.

Diathesis-Stress Model

Disorders arise from predisposition plus environmental stress.

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Social communication deficits + restricted/repetitive behaviors.

ASD rising rates

Due to broader definitions, improved diagnostics, increased awareness.

ASD brain differences

Abnormal brain growth and connectivity in social/emotional areas.

ASD best treatment

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA).

Externalizing problems

Outward behaviors such as aggression; more common in boys.

Internalizing problems

Inward behaviors such as anxiety or depression; more common in girls.

ADHD inattention

Difficulty sustaining attention, organizing, and following instructions.

ADHD hyperactivity/impulsivity

Excess movement, interrupting, difficulty inhibiting behavior.

ADHD brain region

Prefrontal cortex dysfunction.

ADHD best treatment

Stimulant medication + behavioral therapy for child and parents.

Anorexia Nervosa

Restricted intake, low body weight, fear of weight gain, distorted body image.

Bulimia Nervosa

Binge eating followed by compensatory behaviors; weight usually normal.

Binge Eating Disorder

Binge episodes without compensatory behaviors.

Alzheimer's disease

Progressive dementia caused by plaques and tangles; memory loss.

Depression across lifespan

Presents differently by age; highest risk in adolescence for girls.

Best depression treatment

CBT + antidepressants (SSRIs).

Advance directive

Legal document describing end-of-life care wishes.

Active euthanasia

Deliberately ending a life (e.g., lethal injection).

Passive euthanasia

Withholding treatment and allowing natural death.

Physician-assisted suicide

Physician provides lethal medication for patient to self-administer.

Hospice

Palliative, comfort-focused care for terminal illness.

Infant causes of death

Congenital abnormalities, SIDS, accidental suffocation.

Child causes of death

Unintentional injuries and illnesses such as cancer.

Adolescent causes of death

Accidents, homicide, suicide.

Young/middle adult causes

Accidents, suicide, chronic disease.

Older adult causes

Heart disease, cancer, stroke, Alzheimer's.

Finality of death

Understanding that all life functions stop.

Irreversibility of death

Understanding that death cannot be undone.

Universality of death

Understanding that all living things die.

Causality of death

Understanding biological causes of death.

Death understanding age 2-3

See death as separation or sleep.

Death understanding age 4-5

View death as reversible; may personify death.

Death understanding age 7-10

Full mature understanding of death concepts.

Middle-aged adult death anxiety

Highest compared to young and older adults.

Kubler-Ross stages

Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance.

Criticisms of grief stages

Not universal, not linear, influenced by context.

Prolonged Grief Disorder

Disabling grief lasting 1+ year with significant impairment.

An indirect effect example

A mother being more patient after her interaction with her partner

NOT a defining feature of ASD

Hyperactivity