As part of a larger research effort, a study was conducted to determine the coping strategies used by families undergoing unemployment. Data were collected from a 95-item questionnaire (developed and tested at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln) that was mailed to 150 persons and/or their spouses who were currently unemployed or had been unemployed in the past. Ninety-five questionnaires (from 45 males and 50 females) were returned, for a response rate of 63.6 percent. The respondents, all residents of Omaha, Nebraska, were asked to express in narrative form their feelings about unemployment and the crisis they experienced. The F-COPES instrument (Family Crisis Oriented Personal Evaluation Scale) was included in the questionnaire to measure family coping patterns. The overall test-retest reliability of the F-COPES was .81. Results suggest that unemployment is a traumatic event for the unemployed person and all members of the family system. Job loss affects families psychologically, socially, and financially. (Author/KC)