Acknowledgments
We would like to thank reviewers for their invaluable feedback on earlier outlines for this volume. We also appreciated the input from our colleagues for the support and encouragement they have given us to continue with this project, and the School of Psychology at the University of Queensland for supporting us in our research and writing about adolescents.
We need to acknowledge that the book does not cover every family type in detail. The area of foster care, kinship care and adoption involve specific knowledge and expertise that cannot be adequately covered in a book such as this one. As someone who has worked with such families for many years Sharon would like it noted that she was uncomfortable about doing a brief overview of a body of knowledge so important and extensive that it is really a book in and of itself.
We need also to thank the parents and adolescents who have helped us in our research, and others who have helped us carry out our studies. Of course, we need to thank those who have conducted research and those who have participated in projects around the world so that we have been able to draw upon such a large body research. We hope that we have been able to help our readers better understand that research, but we acknowledge that any omissions or errors are totally our responsibility.
Finally, we would like to thank our families for their support during this project. Unfortunately, Charles Noller died suddenly during the revising of this volume and will not see the final version. Between us (the authors), we have experienced seven children going through adolescence and survived, as did they. The first author also has eight grandchildren, three of whom are currently adolescents and doing well. In addition, the eldest has reached the grand age of 26, and is clearly an adult.
Patricia Noller