The communications from this symposium present results from four research projects that provide empirical evidence on the role of the family, and more specifically of fathers and mothers, as protective factors for well-being and development throughout the life cycle. These projects coincide in that they are families that have had to face specific challenges due to biological conditions of their children (prematurity, for example) or social conditions (adopted, for example), which may have made coexistence difficult. In addition, they provide the dynamic role of the life cycle, addressing early childhood, middle childhood, adolescence, and young adults. The first communication analyses, in a cohort of very low birth weight premature children (≤ 32 weeks and/or less than 1500g), the parental skills of their parents when their children are 18-24 months old, as well as their relationship with neonatal and socio-familial characteristics. The second communication presents preliminary analyzes on the relationship between some dimensions of parenting (communication, affection, stress, family involvement) and the quality of life at 8 years of age in another cohort of children born prematurely. The third communication analyzes the role of family psychosocial risk in the perceived well-being of Spanish and Chilean adolescents. Finally, a fourth communication longitudinally analyzes the associations between family dynamics during childhood and the psychological well-being of young adult adoptees.