ABSTRACT
The family is one of the most significant influences and settings in which adolescents find themselves. Thus understanding the connection between family life and coping is an important piece in the mosaic of life-span development. When there are conflicts, who does the adjusting-the adolescent or the family? This chapter examines how adolescents perceive and describe family life and the association between family life and young people’s coping. Since functional family climate is associated with functional styles of coping, the prototype for an ideal family is presented. This chapter also considers how young people cope with stress in the family and in particular with the major stress of disruption to family life and the separation of parents, if and when that occurs, is considered.
