Journal of marital and family therapy最新文献

For several decades, to enhance relationship quality, marriage and relationship education (MRE) programs have focused on teaching communication skills and conflict management. However, new explanations reveal that the effectiveness of communication skills in MRE programs may largely depend on virtues. Through a randomized controlled trial (RCT), the present study examined the effectiveness of the Getting Our Hearts Right Program (GOHR; a virtue-based approach) and the Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program (PREP; a skill-based approach). Forty-five eligible couples (i.e., 90 individuals) were randomly assigned to (a) GOHR intervention condition, (b) PREP intervention condition, or (c) wait-list control condition. The couples filled out the Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale at baseline, postintervention, and 3-month follow-up phases. The results of both postintervention and 3-month follow-up showed that GOHR was more effective than PREP in improving the spouses' perceived marital adjustment. The findings of this study emphasized the potential value of short-term virtue-based interventions.

This study explored the structural relationships among family of origin health, self-differentiation, mentalization, and marital satisfaction, focusing on indirect effects and gender differences. Data from 400 married Korean adults aged 30–49 were analyzed using structural equation modeling and multigroup analysis. Results revealed that all paths were significant except the direct impact of family-of-origin health on marital satisfaction. Indirect effects analyses confirmed significant individual and sequential indirect effects of self-differentiation and mentalization. Gender differences emerged: mentalization significantly influenced marital satisfaction in men but not in women, while family of origin health directly impacted marital satisfaction in women but not in men. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating self-differentiation and mentalization into couple counseling and suggest the need for gender-sensitive interventions to address marital satisfaction effectively.

Parental separation itself may be painful for both divorcing parents and children; however, this may not be the only stressful event in family structure among postdivorce families. Most divorced parents may start seeking a new romantic relationship before, during, and/or soon after their divorce or separation is finalized. Given that postdivorce dating may develop as a meaningful, stable, and supportive family tie, such as a stepparent–stepchild relationship, parents must communicate their new relationship with children if this relationship trajectory is anticipated. However, few guidelines based on empirical evidence are available regarding how to appropriately share their postdivorce dating. An overview of the literature on divorced parents' new dating and their communication about this topic with children is provided. Best practices and innovative therapeutic approaches are discussed that are grounded in processes to foster family resilience that practitioners can utilize to better facilitate healthy and positive parent–child communication and family relationships.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) youth who experience family rejection are at increased risk for depression and suicide. Attachment-Based Family Therapy (ABFT) demonstrates promising results for reducing this risk with LGBTQ youth. This community-participatory, mixed-method study piloted the use of ABFT with LGBTQ youth. Fourteen families completed treatment with adolescent youth, pre- and post-individual and family interviews, and a measure of youth mental health. Post-therapy, 80% of youth showed a significant reduction in psychological distress. The qualitative thematic analysis constructed four themes describing how families present to therapy with emotional distress, caregiver support needed during ABFT, how caregivers acquired new listening and communication skills, and LGBTQ youth experiences of finding freedom to explore and talk about sexual and gender identities. Implications from the study suggest the need to challenge heteronormative emotional structures of families for increasing emotional support of fathers with their LGBTQ children.

This study investigated the prevalence of suicidal risk and associated trajectories of relational satisfaction in couples presenting for therapy using a national clinical data set, the Marriage and Family Therapy Practice Research Network (MFT-PRN). The sample assessed 296 different-sex couples attending couple therapy at sessions one, four, and eight. Nearly a quarter of couples indicated suicidal risk at session one. Dyadic latent growth models revealed that higher suicidal risk had a small but significant association with lower initial relationship satisfaction for men; thus, while the suicidal risk is associated with men's lower relationship satisfaction at intake, it may not continue to have impacts later in treatment. Alternative analyses of 27 same-sex couples revealed a quarter of couples with suicidal risk at session one and that suicidal risk was not associated with relationship satisfaction. Although suicide risk was not associated with changes in relational satisfaction over time, suicidal risk should be assessed for couples presenting to therapy.

The present study utilized a sample of 374 distressed couples seeking therapy to investigate: (1) how partners' adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and shared religious/spiritual (R/S) practices are associated with their relationship satisfaction at intake and (2) the rate and shape of change in relationship satisfaction over the first six sessions. The results from multilevel modeling (MLM) demonstrated that males' ACEs were negatively associated with both their own and their partners' relationship satisfaction at intake, whereas females' ACEs were negatively associated only with their own satisfaction, not their partners'. Regarding shared R/S practices, only females' reports were positively associated with both their own and their partners' satisfaction at intake; no effects were observed for males' reports. Lastly, changes in relationship satisfaction from sessions one through six were found to be curvilinear, with more rapid change occurring initially, followed by a slowdown as therapy progressed.

Despite the popularity of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) in Iran, the existing literature synthesis has limitations due to the reliance on studies published primarily in Farsi. This systematic review addresses these gaps by synthesizing and evaluating the effectiveness of SFBT on the marital outcomes of couples in Iran, incorporating both Farsi and English sources. The search for this review yielded 1523 records, from which 26 randomized controlled trials were included. The participants across the included studies (n = 1110) were predominantly married women and couples experiencing marital discord, from varied educational backgrounds across multiple Iranian cities. SFBT, primarily delivered in a group format, demonstrated medium to large effect sizes in improving marital outcomes such as dyadic adjustment, satisfaction, and intimacy. However, the presence of bias in study design and reporting necessitates caution in interpreting findings. This review highlights the potential of SFBT to improve marital relationships within the Iranian context.