ABSTRACT
The vagaries of life and the perpetual changing nature of the world throw up expected and unexpected events that all families have to deal with. Families display a wide range of adaptations to similar events and clearly nothing can be labelled as stressful unless it is perceived as such by family members. Stress is only identi®ed when individuals believe that any given situation will place demands on themselves that will tax or exceed the resources available to them (Street and Rivett 1996). Stress is not equivalent to the triggering event or the circumstances surrounding that event, nor is it something that resides within an individual. Stress is the result of an interaction between an individual or a family and the circumstances in which they ®nd themselves. Stress is therefore contextual and the context in which families ®nd themselves can, at times, contain a considerable amount of pressure. It is therefore important not to label particular families who are struggling with problems as having their own internal dif®culties when, in fact, it is in many respects just a response to an overwhelming external stress that is effecting the family.
