Family research in the context of multidisciplinary care of the family

The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the major issues and challenges which family researchers are facing today. Family research is a necessary assumption of practical care of the family in many areas: psychological, medical, educational, in the field of social welfare and law etc. Family researches are based on these generally accepted positions: ecosystems and developmental approach to the family, concentration on family processes, appraisal of cultural, ethnic and spiritual background of the family. At present the following particular research topics seem to be important:

• family resiliency, family mental health and its promotion;
• family, children and violence: domestic and community violence (war conflicts, terrorism);
• family care of handicapped, aged and ill family members, professional services provided to these families;
• research ethics and practical usefulness of the research.

Families are going to face higher demands in future, so we can expect that family research will be more appreciated than it has been up to now.