Journal of marital and family therapy最新文献

As family therapy is in its infancy in Bangladesh, we know very little about who accesses it and how it is being used or received. This article reports on a year's worth of quantitative and qualitative clinical data from the very first family therapy clinic in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Data come from the Systemic Clinical Outcome and Routine Evaluation-15 (SCORE-15) measure, which was administered to the clients of this university-based clinic. A total of 46 families participated in both the qualitative and quantitative parts of the study, resulting in 134 individual responses. The sample consisted of six couples and 40 individual families. This descriptive study points to the importance of family relationships to the Bengali people and the general acceptability of family therapy as a possible treatment modality for couple, family, and relational problems in this South Asian context.

During the transition to parenthood, parents face challenges, such as new roles, responsibilities, and less couple time. This often increases conflict, which may in turn reduce relationship satisfaction. Yet it remains unclear whether certain factors modulate these associations. In this dyadic daily diary study with 196 first-time parent couples, we examined the moderating roles of romantic attachment (anxiety, avoidance) and intimacy in the links between conflict and relationship satisfaction for each partner. Participants completed online diaries for 14 days at 4-month postpartum. Results from multilevel modeling following the actor-partner interdependence model showed that greater conflict was associated with lower relationship satisfaction (daily and across 14 days) in both partners. They also suggest that mothers' higher attachment anxiety amplified the harmful effects of conflict on relationship satisfaction at the actor level, along with higher attachment anxiety and avoidance at the partner level, whereas intimacy protected against them. Clinical implications are discussed.

Changes in migration policy and governmental systems have increased anti-immigration rhetoric and attitudes toward asylum seekers within the United States. Consequently, asylum-seeking families contend with changes in culture, relationships, and roles, which exacerbate experiences of trauma, isolation, and mental health symptoms. While the United States still harbors an atmosphere of racist nativism, postmigration stressors uncover other forms of structural oppression, such as heterosexism and genderism. Intersectionality serves as an indispensable theoretical framework to examine intersecting forces of oppression and how they accentuate asylum-seeking family experiences in therapy. To address sociopolitical experiences and oppression impacting the well-being and relationships of asylum-seeking families, the article (a) outlines key definitions and research trends on family relationships and interventions with asylum-seeking families; (b) elaborates intersectionality's core tenets; and (c) synthesizes applications from intersectionality to enhance asylum-seeking family interventions and research.

While there is a growing body of evidence demonstrating the efficacy of Hold Me Tight (HMT) as a relationship education intervention for couples, more studies are needed to test its efficacy in under-resourced communities. In this mixed-methods study, we explored the efficacy of HMT when delivered by paraprofessionals in South Africa. After training paraprofessionals, we assessed the efficacy of their delivery of HMT to individuals who were a part of the couple dyads participating in six HMT groups. When comparing pre-test to posttest outcomes, participants showed significant improvements in emotional control, relationship trust, relationship satisfaction, attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance, and psychological distress; using a Bonferroni correction, emotional control and relationship satisfaction remained significant. Nine participants completed qualitative interviews and the findings indicated that participants had a positive HMT experience and it enabled them to focus on their relationship in new ways. Some cultural and gender differences and concerns were identified.

Systemic family therapy aims to improve mental health and well-being in the face of challenge by optimizing relational health between family members or people in close relationships. The potential of digital interventions for family mental health is underexplored. This study aimed to understand core principles that facilitate end-user acceptability and engagement with such a resource. A modified Delphi study was conducted to identify key factors, barriers, and risks influencing family engagement with a digital mental health intervention (DMHI). The 18 participants comprised consumers (n = 5), family therapists (n = 8), and digital mental health professionals (n = 5). Participants completed online questionnaires over two rounds. An agreement was reached on 23 essential factors, within four design principles: informed choice, anonymity and privacy, accessibility, and support and connection. Implications for the design of family DMHIs are considered alongside existing knowledge about individually focused DMHIs.