Chapter 4: Parental Stress Viewed Through the Lens of Family Stress Theory

Test Bank

Multiple Choice

1. Pronatalist views on parenting ______.

A. highlight the positive aspects of parenting without realistic assessments of the challenges associated with parenting

B. are based on fundamentalist views only

C. are based on secular views only

D. are inherently feminist

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Introduction

Difficulty Level: Medium

2. The idea that caring for, disciplining, and socializing children often involves a blend of positive, negative, and rather mundane experiences for parents reflects ______.

A. a pronatalist agenda

B. secularism

C. realism

D. a conservative political agenda

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Reality of Parenthood and Parental Stress

Difficulty Level: Easy

3. The statement, “stress is a universal experience for parents,” best aligns with which of the following?

A. pronatalism

B. secularism

C. realism

D. antinatalism

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: The Reality of Parenthood and Parental Stress

Difficulty Level: Medium

4. How do parents experience stress related to their mental models of parenthood?

A. through the experience that parenting is always harder than expected

B. by constantly comparing their parenting to that of their own parents

C. through personal mental models that influence how parents evaluate the challenges and benefits of parenting

D. through social cognitions that are formed at a very early age and influence whether or not people want to become parents

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: The Reality of Parenthood and Parental Stress

Difficulty Level: Hard

5. Who questions the “normative imperative” for women to bear children as a primary means for defining meaningful identities for themselves?

A. family stress theorists

B. economists

C. working mothers

D. feminists

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Reality of Parenthood and Parental Stress

Difficulty Level: Easy

6. Family stress scholars view ______ as the essence of stress and tension within families and parent–child relationships.

A. socioeconomic status

B. cultural pressures

C. change in family systems

D. difficult decision making

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The “Systemic” Factor X: Parental Stress and Family Stress Theory

Difficulty Level: Medium

6. Sheri is 16 and is struggling at home. Her parents seem to be yelling at her constantly, which in turn makes her respond disrespectfully, which doesn’t help matters. What is this an example of?

A. The parents have been too indulgent with Sheri.

B. processes that lead to long-term family dysfunction

C. reciprocal or multidirectional processes

D. dysfunctional family roles

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: The “Systemic” Factor X: Parental Stress and Family Stress Theory

Difficulty Level: Medium

7. What is the “A” factor in the ABC-X model?

A. familial resources

B. stressor events

C. family perception of the stressor

D. the structure of the family

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The “Systemic” Factor X: Parental Stress and Family Stress Theory

Difficulty Level: Medium

8. Parental stressors are classified into ______.

A. normative, nonnormative, chronic

B. nonnormative, regular, catastrophic

C. chronic, pile-on, fleeting

D. normative, nonnormative, fatal

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Stressors or Stressor Events for Parents: Factor A

Difficulty Level: Hard

9. Teri is a new mother who is home alone with her infant. She feels extreme stress from her routine, which includes nursing constantly, trying to keep up with the laundry, annoying phone calls from her mother, isolation, and getting to what seem to be constant doctor appointments. This is an example of ______.

A. stress from developmental transitions

B. stress from daily hassles

C. chronic stress

D. stress from the parent–child relationship

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Daily Hassles

Difficulty Level: Medium

10. Chris is 18 and has just started her first semester at Littletown College, which is 3 hr from home. She calls home every day, is struggling to find her “fit” in college, and feels like each day is a challenge. This is an example of a ______.

A. chronic stressor

B. nonnormative stressor

C. developmental stressor

D. daily hassle

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Developmental Transitions

Difficulty Level: Medium

11. Early death of a partner and diagnosis of an illness are examples of ______.

A. chronic stressors

B. normative stressors

C. crisis mode stressors

D. nonnormative stressors

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Nonnormative Stressors

Difficulty Level: Medium

12. Jan and Sean have a 20-year-old daughter named Christy who has autism and lives with them. Although they have been trying to find day programs to involve her in, they have had little success because her behavioral needs are greater than the local programs can accommodate. This has resulted in numerous programmatic transitions, constant parental conflict, and finally, Sean’s decision to quit her job to stay home with Christy. The couple is worried about finances but don’t see another way to handle the situation. This is best categorized as a ______.

A. developmental stressor

B. chronic stressor

C. normative stressor

D. structural stressor

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer location: Chronic Stressors: Child Effects

Difficulty Level: Medium

13. Since Sean decided to quit her job and care for Christy, her 20-year-old daughter who has autism, she and Jan seem to have gotten closer, despite the resulting financial insecurity. Sean, Jan, and Christy find themselves spending more time playing games, watching movies, baking, in the evening, which are Christy’s favorite things to do. The couple feels stronger and more positive about the future. Christy is thriving. This is an example of ______.

A. adaptation

B. developmental transition

C. homeostasis

D. coping

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Parents’ Recovery Factors: Resources, Coping, and Adaptation: Factor B

Difficulty Level: Medium

14. Cynthia’s daughter has received multiple behavioral referrals at school. The school social worker has tried to contact Cynthia for the past 2 weeks and has left messages for Cynthia to call her back. Cynthia continues to minimize her daughter’s disruptive behaviors and ignores the phone calls. This is an example of ______.

A. denial

B. a developmental stressor

C. adaptation

D. educational neglect

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Parental Coping

Difficulty Level: Medium

15. The ______ factor in the ABC-X model refers to the meanings that individuals and families assign to phenomena.

A. A

B. B

C. C

D. X

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Parental Definitions: Factor C

Difficulty Level: Easy

16. A ______ appraisal signifies that a stressor event is not hazardous.

A. challenging

B. benign

C. structural

D. developmental

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Parental Definitions: Factor C

Difficulty Level: Easy

17. The death of Ann’s partner came as a shock because she seemed healthy one day and died from a heart attack the next. This is considered a ______ stressor.

A. nonnormative

B. developmental

C. normative

D. chronic illness

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Nonnormative Stressors

Difficulty Level: Medium

18. Chronic stressors from the social environment include ______.

A. parents’ daily employment demands

B. sudden death of a spouse

C. a car accident

D. developmental stressors

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Chronic Stressors

Difficulty Level: Medium

19. Family stress researchers define ______.

A. family stress and parental stress as fundamentally different

B. parental stress as normal

C. parental stress as constant and uniform

D. parental stress as a warning sign

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Conclusion

Difficulty Level: Hard

20. What is an example of an off-time development?

A. when children are born into a family with a chronic stressor

B. when parental coping generates additional stressors

C. when a nonnormative stressor and chronic stressor occur at the same time

D. when normal events occur at unanticipated times

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Off-Time Developments

Difficulty Level: Easy

21. The ______ perspective focuses primarily on how children’s health, physical handicaps, and well-being affect the socioemotional lives of parents.

A. parental focus

B. child effects

C. chronic stressor

D. generational dissonance

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Chronic Stressors: Child Effects

Difficulty Level: Hard

22. In the ABC-X model, resources are ______.

A. contingent social environments

B. the social networks of a family

C. the potential strengths of parents

D. socioecological contexts

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Parents’ Recovery Factors: Resources, Coping, and Adaptation: Factor B

Difficulty Level: Medium

23. Most family stress scholars identify two types of social support. What are they called?

A. socioecological and contingent

B. emotional and instrumental

C. exterior and interior

D. primary and secondary

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Familial and Social Resources

Difficulty Level: Easy

24. The Quiverfulls are an evangelical group of Christians who promote parenthood to the extent that they ________.

A. financially support adoptions for members

B. reject all forms of contraception

C. require female members to leave all employment outside the home

D. shun childless members

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Introduction

Difficulty Level: Easy

25. A growing number of the U.S. population is choosing alternatives such as ______ and are feeling more comfortable with the choice to forego biological parenthood.

A. voluntary childlessness

B. international adoption

C. home ownership

D. foster parenthood

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Reality of Parenthood and Parental Stress

Difficulty Level: Medium

True/False

1. A pronatalist’s view is based on fundamentalist religious beliefs, while a realist’s beliefs are secular.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Introduction

Difficulty Level: Hard

2. Culture shapes one’s mental model of parenting.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Reality of Parenthood and Parental Stress

Difficulty Level: Easy

3. Research suggests that parenthood provides a socially defined marker of mature status, a sense of permanence, and feelings of personal efficacy.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Introduction

Difficulty Level: Easy

4. Developmental transitions are considered chronic stressors in the lives of families.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Normative Stressors

Difficulty Level: Medium

5. Pronatalism can be promoted through public policies aimed at creating financial, legal, and social incentives such as tax incentives or government programs that reward having and caring for children.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Introduction

Difficulty Level: Easy

6. Parenthood is a complex circumstance of life where stress is a normative experience that changes from moment to moment and over the long term.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Reality of Parenthood and Parental Stress

Difficulty Level: Medium

7. It is possible to avoid almost all possible sources of stress with proper planning.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The “Systemic” Factor X: Parental Stress and Family Stress Theory

Difficulty Level: Easy

8. Stressors are primarily characterized as normative, nonnormative, or chronic.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Stressors or Stressor Events for Parents: Factor A

Difficulty Level: Easy

9. Chronic stressors are products of unique situations that are unlikely to be repeated very often.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Chronic Stressors

Difficulty Level: Medium

10. Nonnormative stressors can become chronic stressors over time.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Chronic Stressors

Difficulty Level: Medium

Essay

1. Discuss why parent stress is so common. What are some factors that impact the degree of stress a parent experiences?

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: The Reality of Parenthood and Parental Stress

Difficulty Level: Easy

2. Compare and contrast normative, nonnormative, and chronic stressors. Give several examples of each type of stressor.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Stressors or Stressor Events for Parents: Factor A

Difficulty Level: Medium

3. Summarize, with examples, how the characteristics of children help determine the level of stress experienced by parents.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Chronic Stressors

Difficulty Level: Medium

4. Distinguish between positive and negative resources parents may have.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Parental Resources

Difficulty Level: Hard

5. How do the relationships that parents have with others such as their spouse, extended family members, or coworkers influence the degree of parental stress experienced?

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer location: Familial and Social Resources

Difficulty Level: Hard