Citation

McCubbin HI, Lavee Y. Eval. Program Plann. 1986; 9(3): 221-231.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1986, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/0149-7189(86)90019-4

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The Armed Forces have made a commitment to strengthening families in an effort to reduce the risk for families and to facilitate family adaptation to the strains and hardships of military life. However, research on enlisted families needed to guide the development of family programs is limited. Assuming critical family strengths may be observed in the context of family transitions, this study of 1,000 Army families faced with the crisis of family relocation to West Germany revealed the importance of Stressors and strains, family and personal strengths, and community supports -- which varied across stages of the family life cycle. The findings highlight the importance of developing family programs tailored to meet the needs of families at the couple, preschool and schoolage, adolescent and launching, and empty nest stages of the family life cycle. Specific family strengths and community supports relative to family life cycle stages are identified.