title: Family stress theory: A perspective on pastoral care.
abstract: This article reviews crisis theory from family stress literature and research from medical sociology to advance a rationale for clinical pastoral care of seriously ill patients and families. It describes Reuben Hill's A,B,C,X crisis model and offers it as a conceptual framework for understanding the psychosocial experiences of families facing illness and the role of pastoral care in the coping process.
authors.affiliation: Forsyth Memorial Hospital in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Mullen
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wayne Hill