Family stress theory as a framework for family policy and family impact analysis is compatible with, and a logical development within, a broader ecological context of immediate and wider social environments. The central assumption of the family stress framework is that families have the capacity to organize a variety of supports--economic, social, and psychological--and are capable of responding to stress in creative and adaptive ways. This framework encourages an important shift in emphasis toward prevention rather than treatment and the development of support programs and related policies. (Author)