An authoritative reference that helps general readers understand the varieties of crises impacting modern-day families and the intervention techniques designed to resolve them.

An urgent, authoritative resource, American Families in Crisis spans the full spectrum of events and conditions that endanger families, offering the latest research and insights while evaluating current strategies and techniques for dealing with challenging family behaviors.



The handbook begins by analyzing the history of family crises in the United States, then looks at how to identify, prevent, and respond to specific problems—everything from marital strife, teen runaways, and unemployment to school shootings, natural disasters, problems created by the Internet, and extended military deployment. The coverage is backed by hundreds of current key reference sources, plus chapters on notable contributors to the field, important data and documents, and resources for further information.









The chronology highlights important moments in the study of family crises over the past 100 years, including statistics related to the topics presented in earlier chapters, notable achievements in family studies research, the formation of professional associations and organizations, births and deaths of notable scholars, and much more



The Data and Documents chapter uses clear graphics to provide accurate and meaningful information, helping the reader to better understand the complexities of family stress and crisis