Announcing Family Transitions: A Dedicated Outlet Examining the Complexity of Contemporary Family Structures and Changes

Objective: The patriarchal family structure has been a dominant societal framework, influencing gender roles and family dynamics across cultures. However, contemporary societal shifts, including changes in economic conditions, cultural norms, and gender expectations, have begun to challenge and reshape these traditional structures. This study aims to explore the evolution of patriarchal structures in contemporary families, focusing on how these changes impact authority dynamics, economic influences, and cultural and social norms within family units. Methods and Materials: A qualitative research design was employed, utilizing semi-structured interviews with 25 participants from diverse backgrounds to gather in-depth insights into the shifting patriarchal dynamics within families. Theoretical saturation was achieved, ensuring a comprehensive exploration of the themes. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify key themes and subthemes related to the evolution of patriarchal structures. Findings: The analysis revealed three main themes: Changing Dynamics of Authority, Economic Influences on Patriarchy, and Cultural and Social Norms. Under the Changing Dynamics of Authority, findings highlighted a trend towards joint decision-making, redistribution of gender roles, and new conflict resolution strategies. Economic Influences on Patriarchy underscored the role of financial independence in challenging traditional norms, with significant changes observed in household economy management and the impact of economic crises on family roles. Cultural and Social Norms revealed shifts in perceptions of masculinity and femininity, the influence of marriage and family traditions, the role of religion, education, and the impact of media and technology on family structures. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that patriarchal structures in contemporary families are undergoing significant evolution. Economic autonomy, cultural shifts, and changing gender roles play pivotal roles in this transformation. The findings suggest a move towards more egalitarian family structures, where traditional patriarchal authority is being renegotiated in response to contemporary societal changes.

Predicting species distributions is increasingly important in conservation biology and, in the context of contemporary climate change, can be particularly informative for populations at the periphery of the range. Peripheral populations can exhibit unique patterns of habitat use in response to marginal conditions and can provide colonists adapted to novel or extreme environments. We conducted surveys for American pikas (Ochotona princeps) during 2007–2009 in 144 sites in Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, Idaho. This species appears vulnerable to global climate change, and Craters of the Moon is an extensive area of low-elevation lava habitat situated on an interior edge of the species' range. We found pikas to be readily detectable when both direct and indirect sign were used. An estimate of detection probability from a subset of 72 sites that were visited twice was 0.92. We detected pikas in 31% of survey sites overall but only.at sites above 1,605 m. We used logistic regression to model the distribution of pikas as a function of elevation, substrate, and vegetation cover. Pikas were most likely to occur on structurally complex pahoehoe lava flows above 1,600 m. The odds of pika occurrence on pahoehoe lava was >10 times that of aa lava flows and increased by 2 times for each SD increase in elevation. Pikas were also more likely to occur on lava flow sites with higher structural complexity and forb cover. An area of pahoehoe lava encompassing >250 km2 in the northern portion of Craters of the Moon contained 91% of pika detections and all predicted site-occurrence probabilities >0.38, an optimal cutoff value determined by examining model receiver operating characteristic curves. Craters of the Moon may provide long-term refugia for the species, given the extent of lava habitat there. However, the importance of elevation in our models suggests that accelerated climate change could erode suitable pika habitat in the park. Most research on pikas has relied on censuses or nonrandom convenience surveys, but we demonstrate an efficient probabilistic sampling approach that has broad application for pika monitoring and research.

The Complexity and Endogeneity of Family Structure in Explaining Children's Misbehavior

Although children's family lives are diverse, the measurement of children's living arrangements has lagged, focusing on the relationships of children to parents while largely ignoring sibling composition. Using data from the 2008 Survey of Income and Program Participation (N = 23,985) the authors documented patterns of family complexity among a nationally representative sample of children ages 0-17 living in a range of family structures. They also examined the independent and joint associations of family structure and family complexity on child economic well-being. Family complexity was independently related to economic disadvantage, namely, a lower income-to-needs ratio and a higher likelihood of public assistance receipt. The role of family complexity was partially contingent on family structure, with the positive association between family complexity and receipt of public assistance more pronounced for children in families with 2 married biological parents. This study demonstrates the utility of integrating family structure and family complexity in studies of children's well-being.

The impact of cultural changes on the internal experience of the adolescent

Fatherhood is a concept that combines biological processes with socially constructed expectations and gender roles. Tofatherrefers to the biological process of impregnating a woman. However,fatherhoodis a set of social practices that have become institutionalized throughout society in families, labor markets, and state policies. Contemporary changes in both family and labor market structure have increased awareness of the expectations men face especially once they become fathers. At the same time, existing social expectations of fatherhood have created barriers for fathers interested in equality in caring for and nurturing their families and building intimate relationships with their children. While many policies are in fact gender neutral and applicable to both mothers and fathers, the social construction of the father as the breadwinner makes men less able to partake in the benefits that would allow them to combine work and family obligations.

Objective: The study investigates the association between family structures and general attitudes toward adult children’s responsibilities to care for older parents. Background: Despite remarkable changes in family structures in recent decades (e.g., the increasing share of stepfamilies), only a few studies have explored the association between family structures and perceived filial obligations. This study seeks to fill this gap. Method: Using data from the German Family Panel (pairfam) (N = 8,709) collected from younger and middle-aged Germans, the study examined general attitudes toward adult children’s responsibilities to support parents in need. Linear regression models were used to investigate the association between family structure (i.e., respondents without parents and with biological and/or stepparents) and perceived filial obligation. Results: Respondents with stepparents were less likely to support the idea of filial obligations compared to those without stepparents. In contrast, respondents without living biological parents were more inclined to agree with filial obligations than individuals with living biological parents. Moreover, filial obligations found stronger agreement among males than females and among the younger age cohort compared to older cohorts, regardless of family structure. Conclusion: The findings highlight how the complexity of the family structures in contemporary society shapes perceived filial obligations.

BackgroundTrends of increased complexity in family structure have developed alongside increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity. This study examines cross-national variations in the likelihood of living with overweight and obesity among adolescents living with one parent versus two parents, as well as the influence of living with stepparents, grandparents and siblings. Furthermore, the study explores how these associations relate to age, gender and individual-level socioeconomic status (SES) and country-level SES. We hypothesised that adolescents living in one-parent versus two-parents families, were more likely to live with overweight and obesity. MethodsThe study is based on nationally representative data from 41 countries participating in the 2013/14 Health Behaviors in School-Aged Children study (n = 211.798). Multilevel logistic regression analysis was used to examine the associations between family structure and overweight and obesity by age, gender, SES, and geographic region, among adolescents aged 11, 13 and 15 years. ResultsLiving with one versus two parent(s) was associated with a higher likelihood of overweight and obesity (ORadj.1.13, 95%CI 1.08,1.17). Age, gender, individual-level SES, and living with grandparents were also associated with a higher likelihood of overweight and obesity, whereas living with siblings was associated with a lower likelihood of overweight and obesity. The effect of family structure varied also by age and gender with no significant associations found between living with one parent and overweight and obesity in the 15-year-old age group. Some cross-national variation was observed, and this was partly explained by country-level SES. The effect of family structure increased by a factor 1.08 per one-unit change in country-level SES (OR 1.08, 95%CI1.03, 1.12). ConclusionThe study indicates that living in a one-parent family, as well as living together with grandparents, are associated with overweight and obesity among adolescents, particularly in the Nordic European region. Existing welfare policies may be insufficient to eliminate inequalities related to family structure differences.

ObjectivesTo investigate associations between family structure, family complexity, and sleep in adolescence.BackgroundFamily structure may be associated with sleep patterns and sleep problems among adolescents. Yet, research documenting this association has not captured the complexity of modern families and used crude measures of sleep.MethodThe youth@hordaland study (N = 8833) of adolescents aged 16–19 conducted in 2012 in Norway provided a detailed assessment of family structure, family complexity (i.e., living with half‐/stepsiblings), and multiple sleep parameters. Insomnia and delayed sleep–wake phase disorder (DSWPD) were defined in alignment with diagnostic criteria. Ordinary least squares and Poisson regression analyses were used to assess associations between family structure, family complexity, and sleep outcomes.ResultsAdolescents in joint physical custody (JPC) had more similar sleep parameters as peers in nuclear families than in single‐and stepparent families. Adolescents in single‐ and stepparent families had a higher risk of short sleep duration on weekdays, long sleep onset latency, long wake after sleep onset, oversleeping, insomnia, and DSWPD than peers in nuclear families. Family complexity was also associated with a higher risk of sleep problems, but the risk attenuated when considered jointly with family structure. Socioeconomic status and depressive symptoms partly attenuated the differences between the groups.ConclusionInequalities in sleep exist by family structure and, in part, family complexity. Despite alternating between two homes and often experiencing family complexity, sleep among adolescents in JPC was more similar to peers in nuclear families than in single‐ and stepparent families.

This paper explores the variation between 1st marriages and remarriages in the incidence of spouse abuse an important aspect of marital relationships. 2 explanations are proposed for the higher rates of spouse abuse in remarried families. The 1st relies on characteristics individual spouses acquire prior to their remarriage; the 2nd focuses on remarried family characteristics in particular the complexity of family structure. Using data from the National Survey of Family Violence no support is found for the hypothesis that the experiences of individuals prior to remarriage account for higher rates of spouse abuse in remarried families regardless of complexity than intact never-divorced families. The Family Violence Survey utilized data obtained from interviews conducted with a national area probability sample of 2143 adults in January and February of 1976. To be eligible respondents had to be married or cohabiting with a member of the opposite sex. Interviews were conducted with wives in a randomly selected 1/2 of the families and with husbands in the other 1/2. Log-linear analysis was used to assess whether family structure is related to spouse abuse. The results support the hypothesis that divorced adults carry behavioral patterns from previous marriages into remarriage. The apparent incorporation of violence into a repertoire of marital behavior is consistent with remarried couples expectations that spouses replicate the mistakes of their 1st marriages in remarriage. The extent to which individuals consciously decide to repeat or renegotiate marital behavior upon remarriage is unknown. Data from 1 study indicate that adults entering remarriage carefully distinguish between their 1st and 2nd marriages on a variety of dimensions. In particular the data show that adults act consciously to avoid repeating behavior they found to be harmful in their 1st marriages. A key dimension upon which remarried couples distinguish their behavior in 1st and 2nd marriages is patterns of conflict of resolution. It is possible that the observed relationship between family structure and spouse abuse is a function of the relationship between family structure and childhood family violence. The data do not however support this hypothesis. The effect of family structure on spouse abuse persists when exposure to childhood family violence is controlled. Characteristics of predivorce marriages especially high levels of strain and conflict are likely sources of violent marital behavior that is then carried into remarriage. The findings in this paper expand the issues policy makers raise about the transmission of family violence. The chain of violence from marriage to remarriage is as important a problem as the chain of violence from parents to children in the US.

Abstract. Ever since Becker's 1960 article on fertility, the economic approach has posited that the wife's wage rate and household income play predominant roles in fertility decisions. This study attempts to relate some social and cultural factors, including traditional value concepts and complexity of the family structure to the demand for children. Empirical findings with family survey data taken from Taiwan, the Republic of China, tend to support the view that fertility is better explained by a framework with a family structure and a sector dummy than one without. For public decision makers, findings of this kind suggest that preference heterogeneity, family structure complexity as well as the rural urban development trends should be explicitly taken into account in demographic policies aimed at family planning and overall quality of life enrichment.

This article analyses the transnational parenting phenomenon in Poland and the moral panics — reaction to it as shown in both public discourses and actions of public institutions. Such features can be found while analysing discourses about “euro-orphans” (such a label is given to migrants’ children) that have occupied public discourses since mid-2007 in Poland. Based on discourse analysis of about 500 press articles from 2007–2008, I argue that in spite of the growing influence of global mobility in contemporary family life, and economic migration as a family strategy of survival, various “moral entrepreneurs” such as leaders of NGOs, social workers, educational workers, therapists, scientists, etc. construe the features of transmigrant parents as deviants, and label the strategy of migration as an individual act of family abandonment and serious threat to the well-being of the nation, etc. This deviancy discourse pertains particularly to the trans-national strategy adopted by mothers whose gendered role is in the Polish culture strictly connected with the role of child-rearing and with nurturing the nation the “Mother Pole” icon). I argue that moral panics in reaction to contemporary family change and actions of public institutions serve the function of the re-traditionalisation of the family to the traditional functionalist model.

Introduction: The study of the interaction between humans and companion animals has become more relevant due to changes in current social dynamics. Objective: To conduct a documentary review of the evolution of research on anthropomorphizationin animals and its impact on the human-animal bond characteristic of contemporary family dynamics. Methodology: This is a documentary review study supported by the Tree of Science (ToS) web tool for literature selection. The search was conducted inScopus and Web of Science. Thirty-one studies were included in the review. Results: The results were categorized into classical, structural and recent studies. It was found that the anthropomorphization of the animal and its inclusion in the family makes it possible to modify behaviors and establish habits in family life. The role of animals in the family scenario is directly influenced by the degree to which they are anthropomorphized, which generates both advantages and disadvantages for the family, the pets and their direct caregivers. Conclusions: Anthropomorphizing practices respond to contemporary changes in human relationships and perceived loneliness and may promote bonds in human-animal and human-human interactions.

The structures of RNA-aptamer-ligand complexes solved in the last two decades were instrumental in realizing the amazing potential of RNA for forming complex tertiary structures and for molecular recognition of small molecules. For GTP as ligand the sequences and secondary structures for multiple families of aptamers were reported which differ widely in their structural complexity, ligand affinity and ligand functional groups involved in RNA-binding. However, for only one of these families the structure of the GTP-RNA complex was solved. In order to gain further insights into the variability of ligand recognition modes we are currently determining the structure of another GTP-aptamer--the so-called class II aptamer--bound to GTP using NMR-spectroscopy in solution. As a prerequisite for a full structure determination, we report here (1)H, (13)C, (15)N and partial (31)P-NMR resonance assignments for the class II GTP-aptamer bound to GTP.

This article represents the information about family and family therapy in the context of culture, traditions and contemporary changes of social situations in Russia. The legislation of family rights are mentioned within items about marriage and family in the Constitution, Civil Code and Family Code of the Russian Federation which has changed during recent years. The definition of family and description of family structure are given through the prism of the current demographic situation, dynamics of statistics of marriage and divorce rates, mental disorders, disabilities and such phenomena as social abandonment. The actual curriculum, teaching of family therapy and its disadvantages, system of continuous education, supervision and initiatives of the Institute of Integrative Family Therapy in improvement of preparing of specialists who can provide qualified psychosocial assistance for the family according to the actual needs of society are noted. The directions of state and private practice of family counselling and therapy both for psychiatric patients and medical patients, for adults and children in a family systemic approach are highlighted with an indication of the spectrum of techniques and methods used by Russian professionals. The main obstacles and perspectives of development of family therapy in Russia are summarized.