Which term describes positive adaptation following a family crisis?

Which term describes positive adaptation following a family crisis?

• A. bonadaptation
• B. maladaptation
• C. resilience
• D. recovery

Answer: (A)

Bonadaptation describes positive adaptation in the face of a family crisis. It means the family uses available resources, effective coping, and supportive processes to maintain or even improve functioning despite the stress. Instead of just returning to the way things were, bonadaptation implies a favorable adjustment that sustains healthy patterns and may strengthen the family system. This concept comes from family stress theory, where outcomes of coping with a crisis are described along a spectrum. It’s different from resilience in that resilience is the broader capacity to handle adversity, while bonadaptation refers to the actual positive adjustment outcome resulting from how the family responds. It also differs from recovery, which is simply returning to the pre-crisis baseline; bonadaptation can involve growth or enhancement beyond previous functioning. By contrast, maladaptation would be the opposite—deterioration in functioning due to the stress. For example, a family facing a serious illness might coordinate care efficiently, lean on social support, and communicate openly, leading to strengthened bonds and better overall functioning than before the crisis.

Bonadaptation describes positive adaptation in the face of a family crisis. It means the family uses available resources, effective coping, and supportive processes to maintain or even improve functioning despite the stress. Instead of just returning to the way things were, bonadaptation implies a favorable adjustment that sustains healthy patterns and may strengthen the family system.

This concept comes from family stress theory, where outcomes of coping with a crisis are described along a spectrum. It’s different from resilience in that resilience is the broader capacity to handle adversity, while bonadaptation refers to the actual positive adjustment outcome resulting from how the family responds. It also differs from recovery, which is simply returning to the pre-crisis baseline; bonadaptation can involve growth or enhancement beyond previous functioning. By contrast, maladaptation would be the opposite—deterioration in functioning due to the stress.

For example, a family facing a serious illness might coordinate care efficiently, lean on social support, and communicate openly, leading to strengthened bonds and better overall functioning than before the crisis.