bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Decentering Therapy: Textual Analysis of a Narrative Therapy Session
Authors: KOGAN STEVEN M. , GALE JERRY E.
Published: July 2004

Postmodern models of therapy stress the participation of the clinician in a nonhierarchical, non‐objectifying role, and highlight the therapist's embeddedness in the same processes of social construction as are the individual and the family. While much theory has been published in recent years, the actual conduct of a therapy session derived from the premises of postmodernism remains unclear. We investigated how a postmodern therapist manages talk in an actual session. We used textual analysis to examine a couples therapy session conducted by a prominent narrative therapist. Analysis of the talk led to descriptions of the couple's and therapist's agenda, and their interaction. The therapist's agenda is described in terms of “decentering” both the local unfolding narrative and its embeddedness in larger cultural stories. Five conversational practices: matching/self‐disclosure, reciprocal editing, turn management to de‐objectify, expansion questions, and reversals are examined. These practices inform the deployment of a decentering agenda in this specific text.
The Significance of Romantic Love for Marriage
Authors: WILLI JÜRG
Published: July 2004

In this study, 605 subjects were asked about romantic love and marriage. Married people differentiated themselves from single people with stable partners and divorced people with new partners by more frequently living together with their great love, more reciprocity in that love, and less disappointments in love relationships prior to the current relationship; but they also described themselves as less happy and satisfied than the single and divorced respondents, particularly with regard to tenderness, sex, and conversation with their partners. Independent of marital status, those who were greatly in love with their partners describe themselves as happier. Love at first sight, relative to a gradually developing love, nevertheless, did not have a worse prognosis for happiness in marriage. Being in love seems to be of greater importance for the prognosis of the marriage than marital happiness and satisfaction.
“Broken Glass”: The Divorced Woman in Moslem Arab Society in Israel
Authors: COHEN ORNA , SAVAYA RIVKA
Published: July 2004

This article presents the findings of a preliminary, qualitative, exploratory study of divorce in Israeli‐Arab society from the perspectives of divorced women living in Jaffa, Israel, and of Arab professionals engaged in therapeutic work. It explores the causes of divorce, the women's coping with the divorce process, and what constitutes post‐divorce adjustment, based on the experiences of nine divorced Moslem Arab women and the input of six Arab professionals. The women attributed their divorces to extreme external factors: their husband's substance abuse, mental illness, and/or severe physical violence against them, as well as to interference by their husband's family of origin. They told of coping by relying on their inner resources and the strength their children gave them, while their own families of origin were almost uniformly critical and rejecting. They defined post‐divorce adjustment as passing the test of female honor posed by their community, which they did by downplaying their femininity and immersing themselves in housework and childcare. The findings were compared with the research and clinical knowledge that has accumulated on divorce in Western society.
Israeli and Palestinian Families in the Peace Process: Sources of Stress and Response Patterns
Authors: LAVEE YOAV , BEN‐DAVID AMITH , AZAIZA FAISAL
Published: July 2004

The Israeli‐Palestinian peace process is characterized by its unknown outcomes and consequences for the families involved. The purpose of this study was to identify family processes under conditions of prolonged uncertainty. Data were collected from both Israeli and Palestinian families in the West Bank by means of semi‐structured interviews. Qualitative and quantitative analyses showed cross‐cultural differences in the perception of the situation; different kinds of concerns and sources of stress; different coping responses; and differences in dyadic interaction patterns and intrafamily processes. The findings are discussed in social‐contextual terms, particularly the ways in which political and cultural contexts shape the perception of the situation and family processes under prolonged stressful conditions.
Joint Consultation for High‐Risk Asthmatic Children and Their Families, with Pediatrician and Child Psychiatrist as Co‐Therapists: Model and Evaluation
Authors: GODDING VÉRONIQUE , KRUTH MICHEL , JAMART JACQUES
Published: July 2004

Although a very common disease, childhood asthma can be a life‐threatening condition. Psychosocial determinants have been acknowledged to trigger severe asthma. The authors review current knowledge about how psychosocial factors influence childhood asthma, with a special focus on compliance with treatment and family interaction. The authors describe their experience of joint treatment of high‐risk asthmatic children and their families. The pediatrician and child psychiatrist work as co‐therapists, and the results of this intervention are investigated. Forty‐one high‐risk asthmatics and their families were followed in the joint‐consultation program. Two years after the onset of joint consultation, a significant improvement was found in symptom score, treatment score, and compliance score. The number of hospital admissions and of days spent in hospital decreased significantly. The cost of care was subsequently cut by two‐thirds, despite the added cost of psychiatric care. The authors conclude that it is possible for doctors of the body and of the mind to share consultation work, with a positive impact on both the patient's health and the cost of treatment.
Family‐of‐Origin Experiences and Conflict Resolution Behaviors of Young Adult Dating Couples
Authors: LEVY SHARON Y. , WAMBOLDT FREDERICK S. , FIESE BARBARA H.
Published: July 2004

This study was conducted to explore the relationship among retrospective reports of family‐of‐origin functioning, reported perceptions of a laboratory‐based conflict resolution discussion, and outsiders' ratings of communication behaviors between young adult dating couples, with a special focus on predicted gender differences. Sixty‐three couples aged 18 to 24 participated in this study. A Revealed Differences task was used to elicit discussion about an issue identified as discordant for the couple on a Relationship Issue Questionnaire. Family‐of‐origin variables were related to both men's and women's perceptions of the conflict, as well as outsiders' ratings of their conflict resolution behaviors. However, the conflict resolution behaviors and perceptions of men and women were associated with distinctly different aspects of functioning in their families of origin. Further, women's families‐of‐origin factors were more prominent for the couples' communication behaviors because they indicated a greater number of significant correlations between the women's families of origin and: 1) perceptions of the conflict resolution discussion by both the men and women, and 2) the observed conflict resolution behaviors of both men and women. These findings are discussed in the context of both the relevant research and important social‐political influences.
Parent‐Adolescent Relationships, Physical Disciplinary History, and Adjustment in Adolescents
Authors: DeVET KATHERINE A.
Published: July 2004

Physical discipline occurs within the context of the parent‐child relationship, yet it is often not examined within this important context. The current study examined whether negative effects of physical discipline on older adolescent adjustment are mediated by the overall parent‐child relationship. The sample consisted of 253, mostly Caucasian, middle‐class, adolescent participants (mean age = 18.4, 67% female). Physical punishment history, parent‐adolescent relationships, and adjustment were assessed with self‐report instruments. For females, relationships with parents partially mediated the association between physical punishment and adjustment. Physical punishment was negatively associated with both adjustment and parent‐adolescent relationships. For males, physical punishment was not related to adjustment. Parent‐adolescent relationships were positively associated with adjustment for both females and males. Physical punishment by fathers was negatively associated with father‐son relationships. The results suggest the importance of exploring links between physical punishment and adjustment within the context of parent‐child relationship, as well as examining males, females, mothers, and fathers separately.
Hearing Metaphor: An Approach to Working with Family‐Generated Metaphor
Authors: SIMS PETER A. , WHYNOT CHRISTOPHER A.
Published: July 2004

This article presents a step‐by‐step approach to working with family‐generated metaphor in family therapy. Although the use of therapist‐generated “therapeutic metaphors” has been widely advocated and practiced for many years now, less attention has been paid to the metaphors used by family members. We argue that the family's metaphors are a neglected linguistic resource in family therapy. Highlighting and validating these metaphors produces a therapeutic conversation in which the voices of family members are heard more clearly by the therapist, and the families' own imaginative energies are engaged in defining and pursuing the goals of therapy. Several case examples illustrate the use of this approach with children of various ages.
Family Functioning and Mental Illness: A Comparison of Psychiatric and Nonclinical Families
Authors: FRIEDMANN MICHAEL S. , McDERMUT WILSON H. , SOLOMON DAVID A. , RYAN CHRISTINE E. , KEITNER GABOR I. , MILLER IVAN W.
Published: July 2004

The primary objective of the present investigation was to examine adaptive functioning in the families of patients with a wide range of psychiatric disorders. Seven dimensions of family functioning, as measured by the Family Assessment Device (FAD), were compared across families of patients with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder (n = 61), bipolar disorder (n = 60), major depression (n = 111), anxiety disorder (n = 15), eating disorder (n = 26), substance abuse disorder (n = 48), and adjustment disorder (n = 46). Families in each psychiatric group were also compared to a control group of nonclinical families (N = 353). Results indicated that regardless of specific diagnosis, having a family member in an acute phase of a psychiatric illness was a risk factor for poor family functioning compared to the functioning of control families. However, with few exceptions, the type of the patient's psychiatric illness did not predict significant differences in family functioning. Thus, having a family member with a psychiatric illness is a general stressor for families, and family interventions should be considered for most patients who require a psychiatric hospitalization for either the onset of, or an acute exacerbation of, any psychiatric disorder.
The Family Environment Scale: Reliability and Normative Data for an Adolescent Sample
Authors: BOYD CANDICE P. , GULLONE ELEONORA , NEEDLEMAN GILLIAN L. , BURT TRUDY
Published: July 2004

The Family Environment Scale has been used extensively in family research since first being published. However, despite its appeal both conceptually and empirically, doubts have been raised over the scale's reliability. This article presents normative and reliability data for the Family Environment Scale from a large, combined sample of adolescents. Means and standard deviations were generally found to be in line with those reported in the scale's manual; however, estimates of internal consistency for most subscales could be considered inadequate for research purposes.
The Small and the Ordinary: The Daily Practice of a Postmodern Narrative Therapy
Authors: WEINGARTEN KATHY
Published: July 2004

In this article, I contrast assumptions of a modernist worldview and a postmodern worldview as they relate to clinical practice. Two exercises are described that help therapists develop insight into and practice with the kind of thinking that is consistent with a postmodern narrative clinical practice. Particular attention is paid to the ways that even the small and the ordinary — single words, single gestures, minor asides, trivial actions — can provide opportunities for generating new meanings. Five concepts that I routinely use in my professional and personal life and that are consistent with a postmodern narrative practice — discourse, externalizing the internalized discourse, exceptions, power as the means to produce a consensus, and characteristics of narrative — are illustrated.
Family Therapy with a Multiparental/Multispousal Family
Authors: AL‐KRENAWI ALEAN
Published: July 2004

This article examines therapy with a Bedouin‐Arab family from the Negev, Israel, which consisted of 69 members: a husband, 8 wives, and 60 siblings. The husband, who lived with his youngest wife, paid little attention to his other wives and their children. There was considerable competition, hostility, and jealousy among the wives; no communication between the co‐wives or the children of different wives; and a variety of behavioral and psychosocial problems among family members. I describe the varied strategies and systems involved in family therapy. The main strategies were to establish good relationships among the co‐wives and to build a coalition among them, including the youngest wife, through group therapy in a medical clinic. A secondary strategy was using the children's problems to get the husband involved in the therapy. With improvement of the children's functioning, and with reduced intra‐subfamily hostility, the husband's relationships with his children and wives improved.
Parent‐Adolescent Conflict and Stress When Parents Are Living with Aids
Authors: ROTHERAM‐BORUS MARY JANE , ROBIN LEAH , REID HELEN M. , DRAIMIN BARBARA HERMIE
Published: July 2004

Parental perceptions of conflict and stress with their adolescent children are described, and their associations with demographic factors, physical health, and lifestyle are examined. Adolescent‐parent conflicts, parenting stress, and parents' health, substance use, and sexual lifestyle were assessed among 151 parents living with AIDS. Parents living with AIDS reported a mean of 3.3 (SD = 1.3) areas of conflict with their adolescents and 1.5 (SD = 1.7) stressful parenting events over the previous 3 months. The parents were very ill, with many physical symptoms and diseases. Simultaneously, substance use was common (17% used daily), but not injection drug use (3.3%). Half had a sexual partner (63% protected their partners by using condoms consistently). Regression analysis revealed that parent‐adolescent conflict was significantly associated with high parental drug use; stressful parenting events were significantly related to the lifestyle (high drug use and frequent sex acts) of Latino and African American parents, but not of white parents. Results of the analysis indicate that, in contrast to parents with other illnesses, parent‐adolescent conflict and stressful parenting events were not influenced by parents' health status, but were significantly influenced by substance use and sexual lifestyles.
Comparison of Schizophrenic Patients' Families and Normal Families in China, Using Chinese Versions of FACES‐II and the Family Environment Scales
Authors: PHILLIPS MICHAEL R. , WEST CHARLES L. , SHEN QIJIE , ZHENG YANPING
Published: July 2004

The lack of measures that systematically evaluate the characteristics and functioning of Chinese families is hindering the development of appropriate family interventions for schizophrenia in China. We assessed the reliability and validity of revised and adapted Chinese versions (CV) of the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales (FACES‐II‐CV) and the Family Environment Scales (FES‐CV) and administered these instruments to 120 respondents from families with a schizophrenic member and 126 respondents from control families. The psychometric properties of the FACES‐II‐CV and of the FES‐CV Cohesion, Conflict, Intellectual‐Cultural Orientation, and Active‐Recreational Orientation scales are satisfactory, so they are appropriate for use in China; the remaining six FES‐CV scales require further culturally appropriate revision. Compared to control families, families with schizophrenic patients in China have higher conflict, lower cohesion, poor adaptability, and are less likely to be involved in intellectual and recreational activities. These differences remained significant after adjusting for family and respondent characteristics.
Evaluating Therapist Competency and Adherence to Behavioral Family Management with Bipolar Patients
Authors: WEISMAN AMY G. , OKAZAKI SUMIE , GREGORY JENNIFER , GOLDSTIEN MICHAEL J. , TOMPSON MARTHA C. , REA MARGARET , MIKLOWITZ DAVIS J.
Published: July 2004

The present study assessed fidelity to the behavioral family management (BFM) model for treating bipolar disorder patients and their families. The BFM Therapist Competency/Adherence Scale (BFM‐TCAS) was developed to evaluate clinicians' competency and adherence to BFM, as outlined by Miklowitz' (1989) BFM Manual for use with bipolar patients. Therapist competency and treatment adherence was also evaluated with regard to two family characteristics: overall level of family difficulty and family expressed emotion (EE) status. The BFM‐TCAS was used to code 78 videotaped sessions of 26 families with a bipolar member, selected from a larger treatment study of bipolar disorder patients. The findings suggest that, overall, clinicians adhered closely to the BFM manual. Specific areas in which there was high competency and treatment adherence were (a) skill in conveying factual information about bipolar illness, (b) establishment of a therapeutic environment, and (c) ability to take command of therapy sessions. The one area in which there was less compotency and relatively weak adherence to the manual was the use of between‐session homework assignments to assist families in mastering the BFM exercises. Results of this study also suggest that, for the most part, therapist competency and adherence ratings were not related to overall level of difficulty or to family EE status.
Assessing Individual Family Members' Constructions of Family Problems
Authors: HEATHERINGTON LAURIE , JOHNSON BENJAMIN , BURKE LINDA E. , FRIEDLANDER MYRNA L. , BUCHANAN REBECCA M. , SHAW DEIRDRE M.
Published: July 2004

Much contemporary family therapy theory and practice takes into account clients' cognitive constructions of their family problems. Recent calls for therapists to elicit and work with clients' causal explanations and narratives parallel accumulating evidence in the social‐clinical literature about the predictive importance of attributions in family relationships. In this article, we introduce the Constructions of Problems Scale (CPS), provide preliminary evidence of its reliability and validity, and suggest ways in which it can be used clinically to reveal new areas for questioning and to generate new ideas. The CPS is a brief questionnaire that can be used to create a profile of each individual family member's private constructions. To complete the CPS, each family member writes a free‐form narrative of the presenting problem and then rates his or her perceptions of the contributing causes. The CPS profiles can be used to compare the perspectives of different family members and to assess cognitive constructions at different points in treatment. We discuss its potential for these and other clinical uses.
Reflections on Ways to Create a Safe Therapeutic Culture for Children in Family Therapy
Authors: ROBER PETER
Published: July 2004

Although a large number of publications in the family therapy field stress the importance of children in family therapy, some authors report that, in practice, many family therapists do not actively involve children in their therapies. In this article, I reflect on the experiential reasons for this exclusion of children. I will consider the importance of the use of the self of the therapist and of the creation of a safe therapeutic culture for the child. Practical suggestions are made of ways to involve children in family therapy. Finally, these ideas are illustrated in a case example of a family therapy with an adoptive family.
Therapist in Distress: Team‐Supervision of Social Workers and Family Therapists Who Work and Live Under Political Uncertainty
Authors: SHAMAI MICHAL
Published: July 2004

This article describes and analyzes a 2‐year supervision process with social workers and family therapists who live and work under conditions of uncertainty on the West Bank. The systemic orientation used in this specific approach to supervision emphasizes the double role of the therapist: one as part of the therapeutic system, and the second as a member of the same community that is living in political uncertainty. The analysis revealed that a long‐term supervision process, in which the supervisor encouraged a containing context, was meaningful to the group. As a result of this secure atmosphere, the group was ready to talk about painful issues like loss as the result of war and terrorist attacks, loss as a result of immigration, and loss of ideals. Furthermore, the members of the group were ready to confront the possibility of relocation and their role in such a situation. The techniques used in the process, such as narrative and metaphors, were implemented by the members in their daily professional interventions. The flexibility between working on regular professional issues and issues related to stress and uncertainty seemed useful to the supervision, as well as the political dialogue that was created between the supervisor and the group.
The Treatment of Violence and Victimization in Intimate Relationships
Authors: GOLDNER VIRGINIA
Published: July 2004

This essay presents an analysis of violence in intimate life that draws on multiple theoretical perspectives. These include but are not limited to feminist theory, object relations theory, systems theory, narrative and social constructionist theory, and neurobiology. It is argued that it is possible to be effective in ending violence and abuse through a modified couples treatment format that addresses relationship issues, individual trauma, and biological vulnerability while simultaneously taking a clear, moral position that violence, abuse, and inequality are intolerable in any form.
Positive and Negative Timelines: A Technique for Restorying
Authors: SUDDABY KENNETH , LANDAU JUDITH
Published: July 2004

Families or individuals requesting therapeutic consultation often present in the context of an overwhelming history of stressful and negative life events. Frequently, the pressure of such events obliterates memories of strengths and successes. This is particularly true by the time people reach inpatient psychiatric settings. This article outlines a technique designed to help people bring these events into perspective and to develop positive life stories. The use of Positive and Negative Timelines helps to reinforce competency‐based themes in people's lives. A clinical case is used to highlight the technique.
Temporal Linkages Between Wives' Pursuit and Husbands' Withdrawal During Marital Conflict
Authors: TURGEON LYSE , JULIEN DANIELLE , DION ÉRIC
Published: July 2004

This study examined the association between wives' pursuit and husbands' withdrawal during marital conflict discussions, and the affects associated with these behaviors. Ten distressed and 10 nondistressed couples completed a videotaped interaction in which the wives requested changes in husbands' behaviors. Results showed sequential dependencies between wives' pursuit and husbands' withdrawal, but distressed couples, as compared to nondistressed couples, did not engage in stronger pursuit/withdrawal patterns. Distressed husbands showed the highest proportions of anxious affects. The findings are discussed with reference to the affective context of the pursuit/withdrawal pattern.
Hospital‐Treated Psychiatric Disorders in Adults with a Single‐Parent and Two‐Parent Family Background: A 28‐Year Follow‐up of the 1966 Northern Finland Birth Cohort
Authors: MÄKIKYRÖ TARU , SAUVOLA ANU , MORING JUHA , VEIJOLA JUHA , NIEMINEN PENTTI , JÄRVELIN MARJO‐RIITTA , ISOHANNI MATTI
Published: July 2004

This study investigates the relationship between the family type (two‐parent and 4 different single‐parent types, mainly divorced) during childhood up to 14 years of age and adult hospital‐treated psychiatric disorders in a sample from the unselected, general population Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort (N = 11,017). Up to the end of 1994, a total of 387 individuals (3.5%) had a hospital‐treated psychiatric disorder, with 3.1% in two‐parent families and 5.4% in single‐parent families (p < .001). The single‐parent family was not associated with the child's schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders. The adjusted odds ratios (OR) for personality disorders were highest among individuals without a father before the age of 14 years (OR 4.8), or at birth only (OR 4.0), or with a history of parental divorce (OR 2.8). Parental divorce was also associated with alcoholism (OR 3.7) and parental death with depressive disorders (OR 3.4). In conclusion, we found an elevated risk of hospital‐treated nonpsychotic disorder among individuals from a single‐parent family background. It is likely that a combination of the single‐parent family and psychosocial and/or genetic risk may influence the development of these disorders.
Value Patterns and Content among Families of Soviet Immigrants: SYMLOG Analysis
Authors: SLONIM‐NEVO VERED , CHAITIN JULIA , SHARAGA YANNA , ABDELGANI ANNA
Published: July 2004

The purpose of this qualitative study is to understand and compare two immigrant families whose children perceived their families to be well‐functioning, and two families whose children perceived them to be poor‐functioning. The method of analysis used for studying the values of the families is based on SYMLOG. Four families, who immigrated to Israel during the early seventies from the former USSR, and whose adolescents were born in Israel, were interviewed. The results show that in the two “well‐functioning” families, there is a high degree of consensus on their values — those that they accept, as well as, those that they reject. The two “poor‐functioning” families did not exhibit identical value patterns — neither in the values that they favor, nor in those that they reject. In terms of content, in the well‐functioning families, there was a strong expression of two values: friendliness and the desirability of self‐sacrifice in order to reach family goals. In contrast, in the poor‐functioning families, the value of conservatism was salient. Finally, all four families expressed strong opposition to the values of strong individualism and nonconformity. Suggestions for family intervention are offered.
Social Construction and Materiality: The Limits of Indeterminacy in Therapeutic Settings
Authors: LANNAMANN JOHN W.
Published: July 2004

By drawing parallels between the courtroom testimony of a Christian Science practitioner and an intersession conversation between systemic family therapists, I critique the abstract idealism of language‐centered social constructionism. I argue that social constructionist inquiry that highlights the indeterminacy of meaning without a corresponding emphasis on the responsive embodied practices of family members glosses over the material conditions shaping the politics of interaction. The implications of this problem are discussed as they relate to the setting of family therapy, where social construction theory is often used to guide practical interventions.
Understanding Betrayals in Marriage: A Synthesized Model of Forgiveness
Authors: GORDON KRISTINA COOP , BAUCOM DONALD H.
Published: July 2004

Forgiveness is an issue that is problematic for many couples, particularly those in marital therapy. However, little attention has been paid to this construct in the psychological literature. The purpose of this article is to describe a synthesized model of forgiveness using constructs from multiple theories, including forgiveness, trauma recovery, cognitive‐behavioral, family systems, and insight‐oriented theories. Forgiveness is conceptualized as a process consisting of three stages, each of which has cognitive, behavioral, and affective components. Furthermore, these stages seem to parallel a person's natural response to traumatic stress. First, there is a response to the initial impact; second, there is an attempt to give the event some kind of meaning, or put it into context; and finally, the person begins to move forward and readjust. Forgiveness is conceptualized as attaining: (a) a realistic, nondistorted, balanced view of the relationship; (b) a release from being controlled by negative affect toward the participating partner; and (c) a lessened desire to punish the participating partner. Implications for marital therapy also are discussed.
Marital Conflict by Proxy After Father Kills Mother: The Family Therapist As an Expert Witness in Court
Authors: KAPLAN TONY
Published: July 2004

The father killing the mother leaves the children effectively without parents. The extended family from both sides will often intervene to offer a home for the children, or at least to have a say in what arrangements are made for the children and how they are to be brought up. Intensely competitive and hostile feelings between the opposing sets of relatives are commonly aroused, and the children may be caught up in a battle reminiscent of the conflict between their parents, which culminated in the death of their mother. I and my colleagues have, as a team, seen more than 300 children who have lost one parent at the hands of the other, and we have been involved in subsequent custody battles as expert witnesses. Based on this experience and using this context as an example, the issues for the family therapist as expert witness in adversarial Court proceedings are presented. A case is described that illustrates the theoretical exposition — including the effectiveness of family therapy from the witness box.
Reading Against the Lines: Resisting Foreclosure in Therapy Discourse
Authors: KOGAN STEVEN M. , BROWN ANITA C.
Published: July 2004

In this article, it is noted that poststructural ideas can be useful tools in fostering reflexivity and creativity for clinicians. By examining the process of meaning construction, clinicians can detach from repetitive interpretations of therapy discourse that lead to conversational closure. Four strategies for guiding a reading of family therapy interaction are presented: incitement to discourse, deconstruction, normativity, and the cultural grid of intelligibility. These strategies are used to describe examples of marital therapy discourse. By learning to read therapy as discourse, clinicians may critically examine how meaning is constructed and use that awareness to foster therapeutic conversations.
Family of Origin and Current Relationship Influences on Codependency
Authors: PREST LAYNE A. , BENSON MARK J. , PROTINSKY HOWARD O.
Published: July 2004

This study investigated codependency in Caucasian individuals within the framework of Bowen's Family Systems Theory. The sample consisted of a group of couples, in which one member of the couple was a recovering alcoholic in an aftercare program, and a group of matched, comparison couples. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, the Friel Co‐dependency Assessment Inventory, and the Personal Authority in the Family System (PAFS) Questionnaire. The findings confirmed that codependency levels were higher in clinical than in comparison couples. Moreover, within the clinical group, there was little difference between alcoholics and their spouses with respect to dysfunction in their families of origin, current families, or their codependency levels. The findings further suggested that the etiology and function of codependency are different in clinical and nonclinical families. In the clinical sample, the family of origin and current relationship characteristics were related to codependency in patterns consistent with previous theory and research. For the nonclinical sample, however, the findings contradicted conventional codependency theory. The findings suggest that, in contrast to clinical populations, codependency in nonclinical populations has some links with favorable characteristics of family functioning.
Transforming Negative Parent‐Adolescent Interactions: From Impasse to Dialogue
Authors: DIAMOND GUY S. , LIDDLE HOWARD A.
Published: July 2004

This treatment development, process research study focuses on resolving in‐session, parent‐adolescent conflicts characterized by negative exchanges, emotional disengagement, and poor problem solving. These processes have been empirically linked to poor developmental outcomes, and clinically linked to poor therapeutic progress. Specifically, we examined how a shift of therapeutic focus from behavior management to interpersonal relationship failures could resolve this impasse and resuscitate therapeutic momentum. A task analysis approach was used to verify the presence of the impasse, to illuminate its core features, and to define the therapist and client behaviors associated with resolving it. In Part 1 of this two‐part series, we presented the final performance map that represented that family's cognitive, emotional and behavioral interactions necessary to resolve the impasse. This article, Part II, focuses on the theoretical foundation of the intervention strategies, the phenomenology of the impasse, and the therapist's skills needed to facilitate it.
Couple‐Responsible Therapy Process: Positive Proximal Outcomes
Authors: BUTLER MARK H. , S. WAMPLER KAREN
Published: July 2004

Therapist‐couple struggle vs. cooperation is linked to clinical outcome. This research conceptualizes and investigates treatment process as it relates to the occurrence of struggle versus cooperation. Models of couple‐responsible and therapist‐responsible process in couple therapy were developed. Couple‐responsible process consists of enactments, accommodation, and inductive process. Therapist‐responsible process consists of primary therapist‐couple interaction, therapist interpretation, and direct instruction. In counterbalanced order, 25 couples were exposed to couple‐responsible and therapist‐responsible episodes during one therapy session. Couples reviewed videotapes of the episodes and completed measures of responsibility, struggle, and cooperation. Perceived responsibility was higher and struggle was lower during couple‐responsible episodes. No difference in cooperation was found. Presence or absence of a contrast condition, where couples reported on one therapist process after already experiencing its opposite, led to main effects for responsibility and struggle, and mediated effects of struggle and cooperation. Generally speaking, responsibility was even higher during couple‐responsible episodes and even lower during therapist‐responsible episodes when contrast was present. Similarly, struggle was even lower during couple‐responsible episodes and even higher during therapist‐responsible episodes when contrast was present. For both couple‐responsible and therapist‐responsible episodes, cooperation was negatively affected by a shift from the prior, opposite therapist process. Significant proportions of the variance in responsibility, struggle, and cooperation, however, were not accounted for by therapist process alone.
The Importance of Cultural Sensitivity and Therapist Self‐Awareness When Working with Mandatory Clients
Authors: BAKER KHAWLA ABU
Published: July 2004

Systemic therapy emphasizes the importance of understanding each relationship in the context of its ecosystem. Considerations such as the influence of social agencies, culture, and the therapist's self‐awareness are described in the literature as amplifying lenses within the therapeutic relationship. When a minority client is caught in the web of larger system agencies and is mandated to family therapy, systemic family therapy, which incorporates multiple lenses and attends to the context of social background, may provide a better understanding of the client's reality. Clinical cases show that therapists may slip into veiled racist and discriminatory attitudes with minority clients. Self‐awareness, “soul searching,” and appropriate supervision may be of tremendous help in learning from such experiences. A case example illustrates the application of this approach.
The Association between Spouses' Self‐Reports of Attachment Styles and Representations of Family Dynamics
Authors: MIKULINCER MARIO , FLORIAN VICTOR
Published: July 2004

The current research assesses the association between spouses' self‐reports of attachment style and their perceptions of family dynamics. The sample included 93 Israeli married couples with young children. Both husbands and wives completed the adult attachment style scale and the perceived and ideal versions of FACES III. Findings showed that spouses whose self‐reports endorsed the secure style perceived relatively high levels of family cohesion and adaptability; persons who endorsed the anxious‐ambivalent style reported high levels of family cohesion but low levels of adaptability; and persons who endorsed the avoidant style reported relatively low levels of both family dimensions. In addition, significant associations were found between reports of attachment styles, on the one hand, and ideal representations of family dynamics, the marital partner's representations of family dynamics, and spouses' discrepancies in these representations, on the other. Findings are discussed in terms of attachment theory.
Sibling Accounts of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Authors: KENDALL JUDY
Published: July 2004

The goal of this research was to generate a description of how siblings in families with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) children experienced and lived with this chronic behavioral disorder. Interview and diary data from 11 families (N = 43) were analyzed using the constant comparative method. Data analysis revealed that siblings felt victimized by their ADHD sibling and that their experience of victimization was often minimized or overlooked in the family. Findings suggest that there is a need for increased social and mental health services for all members of the family over the course of the disorder, and that the effects on siblings, in particular, can be potentially quite deleterious to their health and well‐being.
What Predicts Change in Marital Interaction Over Time? A Study of Alternative Models
Authors: GOTTMAN JOHN MORDECHAI , LEVENSON ROBERT WAYNE
Published: July 2004

This is a report on what predicts the deterioration of affective marital interaction over a 4‐year period. Four models were compared for their ability to predict Time‐2 dysfunctional marital interaction (a set of reliable predictors of marital dissolution). These four models were: (1) baseline physiology at Time‐1; (2) interaction physiology at Time‐1; (3) a balance model based on the ratio of positivity to negativity at Time‐1; and, (4) cognitions about the relationship operationalized from our coding of the Oral History Interview. All four models predicted Time‐2 dysfunctional marital interaction. All four models were also able to predict change, operationalized as predicting Time‐2 interaction, controlling for Time‐1 interaction, that is, using a covariance regression analysis. The most powerful model in predicting change was the balance ratio model.
How Stable Is Marital Interaction Over Time?
Authors: GOTTMAN JOHN MORDECHAI , LEVENSON ROBERT WAYNE
Published: July 2004

This is a report of the degree of stability in affective marital interaction over a 4‐year period. There were statistically significant levels of stability in overall emotionality, and in positive and negative affect, particularly for wives. There was also stability for specific affects but, except for humor and listener backchannels, these varied with gender. Women were more stable than men in overall negative and positive affect. Men were more stable than women in belligerence, contempt, and tension/fear. Women were more stable than men in whining.
Surviving Cancer Competently Intervention Program (SCCIP): A Cognitive‐Behavioral and Family Therapy Intervention for Adolescent Survivors of Childhood Cancer and Their Families
Authors: KAZAK ANNE E. , SIMMS STEVEN , BARAKAT LAMIA , HOBBIE WENDY , FOLEY BERNADETTE , GOLOMB VALERIE , BEST MARY
Published: July 2004

Psychological reactions to having had childhood cancer often continue after treatment ends, for survivors and their parents. Based on our previous research, we developed an intervention program for adolescent survivors of childhood cancer, their parents, and siblings. Surviving Cancer Competently: An Intervention Program — SCCIP ©1— is a one‐day family group intervention that combines cognitive‐behavioral and family therapy approaches. The goals of SCCIP are to reduce symptoms of distress and to improve family functioning and development. SCCIP is described and data from a pilot study of 19 families are presented. Program evaluation data indicated that all family members found SCCIP helpful. Standardized measures administered before the intervention and again at 6 months after SCCIP showed that symptoms of posttraumatic stress and anxiety decreased. Changes in family functioning were more difficult to discern. Overall, the results were promising with 175 regard to the feasibility of the program and its potential for reducing symptoms of distress for all family members.
Parentification and Its Impact on Adolescent Children of Parents with AIDS
Authors: STEIN JUDITH A. , RIEDEL MARION , ROTHERAM‐BORUS MARY JANE
Published: July 2004

Parentification refers to children or adolescents assuming adult roles before they are emotionally or developmentally ready to manage those roles successfully. We assess predictors and outcomes of parentification among adolescent children of Parents with AIDS (PWAs) in two phases. In Phase 1, relationships among parental AIDS‐related illness, parent drug use, parent and adolescent demographics, and parentification indicators (parental, spousal, or adult role‐taking) were assessed among 183 adolescent‐parent pairs (adolescents: 11 to 18 years, M= 14.8 years, 54% female; parents: 80% female). Adult role‐taking was associated with maternal PWAs, female adolescents, and greater parent drug use. Greater parental AIDS‐related illness predicted more spousal and parental role‐taking. Parent drug use predicted more parental role‐taking. In Phase 2, we examined the impact of parentification on later adolescent psychological adjustment (N = 152 adolescents). Adult role‐taking predicted more internalized emotional distress; parental role‐taking predicted externalized problem behaviors: sexual behavior, alcohol and marijuana use, and conduct problems. Given these dysfunctional outcomes, we discuss interventions to mitigate parentification among children of PWAs.
The Therapist's Inner Conversation in Family Therapy Practice: Some Ideas About the Self of the Therapist, Therapeutic Impasse, and the Process of Reflection
Authors: ROBER PETER
Published: July 2004

In this article, a distinction is made between the outer therapeutic conversation and the therapist's inner conversation. The therapeutic conversation is a circle of meaning in which both the therapist and the clients play a part. The therapist's inner conversation is described as a negotiation between the self of the therapist and his role. In this process of negotiation the therapist has to take seriously, not only his observations, but also what is evoked in him by these observations, that is, images, moods, emotions, associations, memories, and so on. Furthermore, therapeutic impasse is conceptualized as a paralysis of the circle of meaning and of the therapist's inner conversation. A process of reflection is proposed as a way out of the impasse. In that process, the inner conversation of the therapist is externalized with the help of an outsider. In the final part of this article, a case study illustrates the importance of these ideas for the family therapy practice.
Their Home Is Their Castle: Learning to Do In‐Home Family Therapy
Authors: SYNDER WENDY , McCOLLUM ERIC E.
Published: July 2004

The client's home is emerging as a typical site in which family therapy is delivered, yet training programs tend to train students in an office‐based model. This qualitative study examines the process that three student interns went through as they learned to do home‐based therapy after having been trained in a clinic setting. All three found that the experience of working in the clients' homes challenged their beliefs about therapy as well as the models of a professional relationship; all reformulated their views on therapy because of this challenge. A model is proposed that describes the students' journey from being a clinic‐based to becoming a home‐based therapist.
Engaging Multiproblem Families in Treatment: Lessons Learned Throughout the Development of Multisystemic Therapy
Authors: CUNNINGHAM PHILLIPPE B. , HENGGELER SCOTT W.
Published: July 2004

Multisystemic therapy (MST) is a family‐based treatment model that has achieved high rates of treatment completion with youths who present serious clinical problems, and their families. The success of MST in engaging challenging families in treatment is due to programmatic commitments to family collaboration and partnership as well as to a conceptual process that delineates barriers to family engagement, develops and implements strategies to overcome these barriers, and evaluates the success of these strategies. This article provides an overview of the nonspecific/universal engagement strategies used by MST therapists, frequently observed barriers to achieving therapist‐family engagement, and specific strategies to overcome a sampling of these barriers.
Rebound from Marital Conflict and Divorce Prediction
Authors: GOTTMAN JOHN MORDECHAI , LEVENSON ROBERT WAYNE
Published: July 2004

Marital interaction has primarily been examined in the context of conflict resolution. This study investigated the predictive ability of couples to rebound from marital conflict in a subsequent positive conversation. Results showed that there was a great deal of consistency in affect across both conversations. Also examined was the ability of affective interaction to predict divorce over a 4‐year period, separately in each of the two conversations. It was possible to predict divorce using affective variables from each conversation, with 82.6% accuracy from the conflict conversation and with 92.7% accuracy from the positive rebound conversation.
Predicting Divorce among Newlyweds from the First Three Minutes of a Marital Conflict Discussion
Authors: CARRÈRE SYBIL , GOTTMAN JOHN MORDECHAI
Published: July 2004

This study tested the hypothesis that how a discussion of a marital conflict begins — in its first few minutes — is a predictor of divorce. The marital conflict discussion of 124 newlywed couples was coded using the Specific Affect Coding System, and the data were divided into positive, negative, and positive‐minus‐negative affect totals for five 3‐minute intervals. It was possible to predict marital outcome over a 6‐year period using just the first 3 minutes of data for both husbands and wives. For husbands this prediction improved as the groups diverged in the remaining 12 minutes; for wives the prediction remained equally powerful for the remaining 12 minutes as it had been in the first 3 minutes.