Marriage is on the decline, and a growing proportion of children are born to unmarried parents, many of them in unstable cohabiting unions. Research increasingly shows that family instability affects children’s cognitive and social-emotional development in ways that constrain their life chances. With an eye on these trends, the Future of Children first examined marriage […]
Developed and researched by Mark Feinberg, Ph.D., Family Foundations is the result of years of his work as a clinical psychologist, family therapist, and prevention scientist at Penn State University. Many colleagues, professionals, and families contributed to the development and testing of Family Foundations. We appreciate all of their support. NIH provided funding for the […]
This is a book about taking a fact-based and spirit-guided integrated approach to responding as a patient and as a caregiver to a diagnosis of a serious disease such as cancer. Includes character and marriage-strengthening encouragement. Susanne M. Alexander facilitates workshops on the topic of Empowered Healing for patients, caregivers, and medical personnel. For more […]
Becoming parents is one of the biggest changes and challenges a couple can experience. Satisfaction typically declines in couple relationships over time, whether there is a new baby or not. But first time parents experience a greater and more sudden decline in marital satisfaction than married couples who are not parents. Approximately half of new […]
This Collection focuses on three policy areas in which there has been extensive examination of their effects on family formation: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (welfare) programs; federal tax policies; and child support enforcement/responsible fatherhood programs. For purposes of this Collection, child support enforcement and responsible fatherhood programs are combined. This is not intended to […]
Race, as well as culture, ethnicity, and religion, are important factors leading to an increase in diversity seen in today’s marriages. As such, it is difficult to isolate the impact of racial differences within a marriage. This Fact Sheet highlights trends and rates of interracial marriages in American society, and discusses possible explanations of these […]
This fact sheet notes the diversity of the Asian American population and explores trends in marriage and intermarriage rates in the Asian community. Statistics are reported that indicate: all Asian ethnic groups living in the U.S. have a greater than 60% marriage rate; compared to other racial groups, the Asian marriage rate is most similar […]
This brief shares research findings on juvenile delinquency, explores the association between juvenile delinquency and family structure, and discusses implications for marriage education programs. Statistics are reported from a 20-year longitudinal study that indicate boys who grew up without their biological father in the home were three times more likely to commit a crime that […]
This brief reviews trends in family structure in the United States and implications for children, adults, and society. Data is shared on rates of divorce, nonmarital births, and nonmarital cohabitation. Statistics are cited that indicate the probability of marriages ending in divorce increased more or less continuously until 1990 and then stabilized; between 43% and […]