Combining empirical evidence with indices to measure mattering, Family Matters: The Importance of Mattering to Family in Adolescence explores the inverse relationship between mattering and dysfunctional behavior in adolescence.

Defines mattering and distinguishes among the three ways that people can matter to others: awareness, importance, and reliance
Utilizes empirical evidence from a quantitative analyses of data from a nationwide survey 2,004 adolescents to support author’s assertions
Explores the impact of structural and demographic factors such as family structure in developing of a sense of mattering in adolescents.
Includes helpful indices, including his Mattering Index and Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Index
Suggests how parents, teachers, and other significant people in the lives of adolescents can work to instill a sense of mattering in those under their care