Journal of marital and family therapy最新文献

Can empirical research guide clinicians in how to conduct effective couple therapy? While we know that couple therapy works, understanding the mechanisms of action—how and why it works—has been the focus of research for several decades. Using Doss's framework for understanding the key components of the change process—therapy change processes, client change processes, mediators, and outcomes—we reviewed 48 quantitative couple therapy process studies over a 40-year period. The results reveal a fragmented knowledge base. No single study examines the entire process of change, and although several findings show promise, none have been replicated. Additionally, only a limited number of hypothesized associations achieved statistical significance, with neither theory nor empirical evidence adequately explaining why some hypotheses were supported while others were not. Current couple therapy process research cannot yet guide clinicians on how to conduct effective therapy. Until it does, the divide between research and practice will persist.

This study investigates the complex relationships among myths of romantic love, satisfaction, jealousy, infidelity, and involvement in romantic relationships using both undirected and directed network analyses. A Gaussian Graphical Model and a Directed Acyclic Graph were employed to explore these interconnections in a sample of young Peruvian individuals in romantic relationships (n = 386). Results indicate that satisfaction emerges as a key starting point in the directed network, influencing involvement, infidelity, and jealousy. Satisfaction and involvement are central nodes in the undirected network, shaping overall relationship dynamics. The study also reveals that unrealistic beliefs about love and idealized expectations are associated with negative interactions and lower satisfaction, which in turn relates to higher infidelity and jealousy. These findings suggest that strengthening satisfaction may play a crucial role in mitigating negative interaction patterns and fostering healthier relationships.

Relational teaching emphasizes the development of the student in the context of the teacher-student relationship. Given that the field of marriage and family therapy (MFT) emphasizes relationships as central to the discipline, relational teaching practices provide an approach for MFT educators to train relationally attuned, socially just clinicians. We conducted a narrative review of published research from 2003 to 2023 on the conceptualization and application of a relational teaching framework in mental health clinical education programs. After screening, a total of 25 articles were identified for analysis. Four themes were identified within the literature: (1) using isomorphism to teach relational skills, (2) addressing power, (3) course application, and (4) obstacles to implementation. The findings of this study suggest that applying a relational framework to MFT education capitalizes on systemic concepts of isomorphism and social justice, conceptualizing the teacher-student relationship as a means to train students in relational processes that are essential in therapeutic relationships.

Family rituals are meaningful interactions with benefits for individuals and families. Previous research has linked family ritual meaning with quality of life (QoL), yet the mechanisms that explain this association are not fully known. The present research examined parental burnout, an exhaustion disorder related to parenting, as a mediator in the association between family ritual meaning and QoL. Participants were 109 Portuguese married couples with at least one child up to 18. Partners individually completed the Family Ritual Questionnaire, the Parental Burnout Assessment, and the EUROHIS-QOL-8. The results showed that women attributed more meaning to family rituals and reported higher levels of parental burnout than men. Family ritual meaning was negatively associated with parental burnout and positively associated with QoL, for both partners. The mediation analysis showed that family ritual meaning was associated with QoL, directly and indirectly via parental burnout. Findings can contribute to strengthening evidence-based interventions with families.

Although coercive control has been studied in unhealthy relationships, all couples navigate some amount of control and freedom as they interact. Varied prevalence estimates and definitions of control suggest a need to better define the continuum of control in mild and extreme forms, including non-physically violent forms of control. The purpose of this qualitative study was to expand knowledge of control in relationships by examining the whole continuum of partners' experiences of control and freedom. Using constructivist grounded theory methods, data on control and freedom from 66 semi-structured interviews were analyzed to examine how partners describe control and freedom in their relationships. Findings highlighted nuanced forms of emotional abuse within the continuum of control and the value of openness and support in developing freedom. Clearer conceptions of milder and non-physical forms of control may aid clinicians in identifying elusive processes of control and helping partners support each other's freedom.