[10:54 AM] Lisa Davies

CASE STUDY The Andrews Family

The Andrews family consists of Jack, Alicia, and two children from Alicia's previous marriage. All are European American or "White." Mr. and Mrs. Andrews have been married for 8 years, and this marriage is the second for both. They live in a modest and rundown house in a working-class neighborhood of a major city.

Jack Andrews is a 46-year-old semiskilled laborer who was once employed as a technician in an electronics plant. About 5 years ago the plant was computerized, and the new technology reduced the labor force by 40%. Jack lost his job and has held a series of short-term, part-time jobs since that time. He currently has a part-time position pumping gas at a local service station. Thus, the family income, which was never very high, fell drastically. Jack is an angry, hostile man with limited insight and a blustering, aggressive style in his interactions with his family.

Jack was an only child. He alludes to a stormy relationship with his own father, who apparently was quite strict and harsh. Jack is especially critical of his mother, with whom he had a very poor relationship. When he was 13, his mother had a "nervous breakdown," and he lived with his aunt for about a year because, as he said, "My mother didn't want me." He graduated from high school and served approximately 10 years in the army. He married during this time but divorced a few months later. He maintains no contact with his first wife. He met Alicia about 9 years ago, and after a brief courtship they married.

Alicia is the third of four children. She lived with her parents until they divorced when she was 6. Her mother could not support the children, so Alicia spent the next 2 years with her grandparents. She then moved in with her father and his new wife. Alicia dropped out of school after the ninth grade and never finished high school.

Alicia went to work in a factory and married John Steiner at age 18. This marriage was difficult and stormy, beginning with Alicia's almost immediate pregnancy with Allie. John, who had probably been sexually and physically abused as a child, had dropped out of school, was a heavy drinker as a young man, and continued to indulge in periodic drinking binges. The drinking escalated after Paul was born. John physically abused the children and Alicia.

When Alicia discovered that he was also sexually abusing Allie, the tensions in the family reached the breaking point, and she divorced him. Alicia retained the house as part of their divorce settlement. John was convicted of sexual abuse and served a prison sentence, and neither Alicia nor the children have had any contact with him since the trial. Alicia believes or hopes that Allie has "gotten over" the sexual abuse and forgotten it. Neither one ever brings it up or acknowledges that it happened.

After divorcing John, Alicia worked as a waitress in a coffee shop until she married Jack. She is now 34 years old and works the lunch shift (11-2) at the same coffee shop. Alicia appears shy, unassertive, and somewhat depressed. She seems to be worried about the family interactions and often attempts to mediate family disputes and conflicts.

Mr. and Mrs. Andrews describe their marriage as an average one. They are somewhat hesitant to talk about their marital conflicts, but Jack has expressed his dissatisfaction with Alicia's complaints about his "laziness." Alicia says he is unwilling to do housework and neglects home maintenance, and she voices frustration about his limited income. They believe themselves to be fairly strict parents, and Alicia sometimes fears they are too strict.

Allie Andrews, 16, is in her second year of high school. She is an attractive girl of average ability. About 3 years ago Allie went through what her mother refers to as a "sudden transformation," changing from an awkward girl into a physically mature young woman. At the age of 14, she expressed a desire to date. Her interest in boys was reciprocated, and she seemed to be popular among the older boys in high school. Her parents reluctantly gave in but firmly stipulated the time she was to be home, the places she could go, the boys she could go out with, and so forth. During this time, her relationship with her parents became increasingly conflicted. Recently she has begun to violate her curfew and hang out with a "bad crowd." When she is grounded, she sometimes sneaks out to join her friends. Her school grades have been dropping, although she continues to pass all her courses. She became a cheerleader this year. Allie is currently dating several different boys, including an African American classmate. She has been expressly forbidden to date African Americans, so she meets him away from home.

Allie is sullen around her stepfather. She believes that Jack blames her for most of the tension in the family, and she shows her hurt by constantly defying him. Days go by without a word between them. Their mutual dislike is a consistent part of their interactions. Jack uses the same harsh, authoritarian child-rearing style that he resented in his own father. He is the unquestioned decision maker and controls the children primarily through shouting, threatening to throw them out of the house, and grounding. Alicia is worried about Allie, blames herself for the sexual abuse that occurred, and wants Allie to be "happy" and have a "normal family." Alicia absorbs conflict between the other family members, attempting to mediate and keep everyone calm. Over the past 2 years, Allie's parents, in particular her stepfather, have become increasingly suspicious and fearful. They suspect that Allie may be sexually active and fear she is not responsible enough to prevent pregnancy. They also suspect that her friends are drug users and fear that she will become addicted. Several times a week these issues erupt into loud arguments between Allie and Jack, or between Alicia and Jack. In the end, Allie, faced with her parents' lack of faith in her, feels hurt and misjudged. She responds with defiance, which invokes even more anger, and Jack tightens the restrictions. Lately she has threatened to run away if Jack doesn't let her choose her own friends, set her own timetable, and quit suspecting her of being a sexually promiscuous drug user. The most recent confrontation occurred when Jack discovered Allie's dating relationship with her African American friend. This discovery has provoked a family crisis. Jack has threatened to "disown" Allie if she does not break off the relationship. Allie is sulking and threatening to run away. Alicia is frustrated and depressed about the antagonism between the two people to whom she feels most closely connected. Allie feels deeply hurt and sees running away as a means to hurt back. Her stepfather, in his own way, feels deeply hurt that his once compliant stepdaughter is now so rejecting of his authority and protection. He expresses a strong dislike of his stepdaughter and is quite angry about her behavior.

Paul Andrews, 12, is a short, stocky eighth grader with an air of bravado. Underneath the bravado, however, he appears to be a very depressed and angry child. His parents' main concerns are Paul's dislike of school and his aggressive behavior, although Jack often tries to convince Alicia that Paul's behavior is "how boys are." Paul says he feels very sad at times for no reason. His aggressive behavior is a problem in the classroom, and he is suspected of stealing other children's lunch money. His behavior at home is no better. Two months ago he "accidentally" set fire to one of Alicia's dresses. He shows an intense interest in bloodshed, accidents, fires, and violent crimes. Between the incidents of aggression he seems overly controlled, and unless he gets help now, he may become increasingly violent or self-destructive as a teenager. He is also reaching the stage of development at which questions of personal and sexual identity are assuming some urgency for him. He seeks acceptance while at the same time rejecting pressures to conform. His relationship with both parents fluctuates from lukewarm to cold and back again several times a week.

[10:58 AM] Lisa Davies

What are your thoughts on the youth in this case? Identify the Ecological model systems at play (if any). Also for the youth only identify which risk category and why you feel this is appropriate.