Family Process最新文献

A significant portion of mothers (pregnant and postpartum) enrolled in U.S. home visiting programs report clinically significant depressive symptoms. Non-violent family conflict precipitates and exacerbates their depressive symptoms. This pilot randomized trial tested the preliminary effectiveness of a family therapy intervention, Resilience Enhancement Skills Training (REST), compared to the standard of care in home-visited mothers with moderate to severe depressive symptoms and moderate to high conflict with family members. A total of 83 mothers and their family members (N = 166) were randomized to receive REST or the standard of care. Both interventions were delivered by clinicians using HIPAA-compliant video conferencing technology. Outcomes were assessed by research assistants, blinded to study group assignment, at post-intervention, 3, and 6 months later. Linear mixed-effects models were used to analyze changes in continuous outcomes in mothers and family members, separately. Mixed-effects logistic regression was used to analyze changes in maternal job attainment/school enrollment. Participants in both study groups showed improvements in outcomes. When compared to standard-of-care participants, REST participants had significantly greater reductions in family conflict (mothers ES = −1.19, family members ES = −0.77), maternal depressive symptoms (ES = −0.96) and co-occurring anxiety symptoms (ES = −0.59), and greater increases in family cohesion (mothers ES = 0.99, family members ES = 0.94) and maternal job attainment/school enrollment (ES = 0.70). The results highlight the value of family therapy for the treatment of moderate to severe depressive symptoms in home-visited mothers, including those with co-occurring moderate to severe anxiety symptoms.

Trial Registration: Registered in ClinicalTrials.gov on 02/04/2021. NCT04741776 https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04741776

This study focuses on validating a Negative Interaction Scale using a Bayesian approach for confirmatory factor analysis. Considering the significant impact of negative interactions on couple relationships, both in terms of satisfaction and the mental and physical health of individuals, the aim was to provide a reliable and precise tool for measuring these behaviors in a specific cultural context, such as that of young and adult individuals in Peru. A non-probabilistic convenience sampling design was used, involving 313 participants, predominantly women, and a majority identifying as heterosexual. The average age was around 26 years, encompassing various types of couple relationships. The Negative Interaction Scale (NIS-5) and the Peruvian version of the Relationship Assessment Scale (RAS) were employed for data collection, using Bayesian statistical tools for analysis, particularly Bayesian confirmatory factor analysis (BCFA), offering advantages in flexibility, precision, and the evaluation of the proposed unidimensional structure. The NIS-5 demonstrated a unidimensional structure with excellent fit indices, moderate to strong factor loadings, and good internal consistency, supported by an omega reliability coefficient of 0.836. These results validate the unifactorial structure of the NIS-5, reflecting that negative interaction can be globally and uniquely interpreted within the study context. The study confirms the validity and reliability of the NIS-5 as an instrument for measuring negative interaction in couple relationships in Peru. It highlights the importance of considering negative interaction to improve relationship quality and suggests the implementation of programs or theoretical models to promote healthier relationships.

Significant events are defined as relevant moments in therapy that help in understanding how changes occur. Scene-based psychodramatic family therapy follows a multiple-family-group format based on systemic therapy and psychodrama, aimed at families with adolescents exhibiting externalizing problems. This study aimed to identify the significant events and analyze therapeutic processes through a joint analysis of significant events from the client's perspective. Fourteen multiple-family groups were evaluated (122 adolescents and 107 parents in total) through focus groups at the end of the treatment. Using thematic analysis, we identified six types of significant events, the phase of treatment in which they occurred, the clients' involvement during the identified events, the modality of the intervention in which the events occurred, and their impact. The results confirm enactment, conflict dramatization, emotional expression, and catharsis as the main events in multiple-family groups. The participants reported significant events, particularly during the middle and final phases of the treatment, notably moments related to enactment and role-playing situations. Moreover, adolescents identified significant events both in group moments without their parents and in group situations with their parents. These findings highlight key mechanisms of change in families with adolescents exhibiting externalizing behaviors that participate in multiple-family groups with a systemic approach and psychodramatic techniques.

The quality of parental involvement in children's homework are vital parenting practices that influence children's academic and emotional functioning. Therefore, studies on the contributing factors of parents' homework involvement quality are warranted. Notably, environmental, parental, and child-related factors may put parents under pressure that impairs parents' homework involvement quality. Yet, extant literature lacks an examination of this issue holistically, especially in non-Western societies. The current research addressed this gap by investigating how Chinese mothers' perceived stress in life, child-based worth, and children's general helplessness toward homework, which created pressures on mothers, uniquely contributed to mothers' daily homework involvement quality. Chinese mothers (N = 261, mean age = 40.90 years, SD = 2.65) of fourth graders reported on these pressures via survey and their daily constructive (i.e., positive emotions, autonomy support, and mastery-oriented teaching) and unconstructive homework involvement (i.e., negative emotions, control, and performance-oriented teaching) for 14 consecutive days after the completion of the survey. Results from multilevel modeling indicated that mothers' perceived stress negatively predicted their constructive involvement, while mothers' child-based worth and children's helplessness toward homework positively predicted their unconstructive involvement over the daily diaries. The findings highlight the importance of understanding daily family processes holistically by considering environmental, parental, and child factors, and extending knowledge about the contributing factors of parents' homework involvement quality in real-life settings. Practitioners and educators are encouraged to alleviate multiple pressures parents may experience to make parents' homework involvement constructive to child development.

Caring for a family member with dementia impacts caregivers' mental health. Daughters who provide care seem to be particularly affected due to their multiple roles. The study analyzed the role of dysfunctional thoughts and family function for understanding caregivers' depressive and anxiety symptoms, focusing on the potential moderating effect of family function in the relationship between dysfunctional thoughts and distress. In addition, it examined potential differences in the obtained associations considering the kinship relationship. A total of 278 family caregivers of people with dementia were divided into four groups (wives, husbands, daughters, sons). Sociodemographic variables, family obligations, dysfunctional thoughts, frequency and discomfort associated with problematic behaviors, family function, anxious symptomatology, and depressive symptomatology were assessed. Regression analyses revealed that the moderating effect of family function was significant only for daughters. For depressive symptomatology, the model explained 28.6% of the variance for daughters, showing that high levels of dysfunctional thoughts were associated with increased depressive symptoms when family function was low or intermediate (p < 0.001), but not when it was high. Similarly, for anxious symptomatology, the model explained 23.9% of the variance for daughters, with dysfunctional thoughts again associated with higher anxiety symptoms when family function was low or intermediate (p < 0.001), but not significantly when family function was high. These findings suggest that a well-functioning family may buffer the negative impact of rigid caregiving beliefs, particularly for daughters. The results highlight the importance of interventions aimed at improving family dynamics to enhance caregivers' well-being.

Family functioning has been confirmed to predict adolescent suicidal ideation (SI). However, the relationships between specific dimensions of family functioning and SI, as well as related mediating mechanisms, remain unclear. Based on the McMaster Model of Family Functioning, this study aims to examine the bidirectional longitudinal relationships between family affective responsiveness (i.e., a dimension of family functioning) and SI intensity and frequency, as well as the mediating effects of depressive symptoms in these relationships among adolescents. A total of 712 adolescents (55.8% females; M_age = 15.20, SD_age = 1.43) completed questionnaires and were surveyed three times, six months apart. Using random intercept cross-lagged panel model analysis, this study found that at the within-person level, family affective responsiveness influenced SI intensity twelve months later through depressive symptoms six months later, and both SI intensity and frequency influenced family affective responsiveness twelve months later through depressive symptoms six months later. The findings indicate that temporal bidirectional relationships between family affective responsiveness, adolescent depressive symptoms, and adolescent SI exist and may eventually develop into vicious cycles. Breaking the vicious cycles and preventing the deterioration of SI is the key point of interventions.

Situational couple aggression is common; most couples who seek conjoint treatment report at least some instances of aggression. Modern couple therapy research provides support for the safe and effective use of conjoint treatment with situationally aggressive couples; however, many clinicians feel ill equipped to assess and treat aggression via relational therapy. We propose that integrative behavioral couple therapy (IBCT) offers a uniquely suited lens for working with couples who participate in situational aggression. With an integrated case study to illustrate principles, we walk therapists through each aspect of assessment and treatment using IBCT to treat relational aggression. This paper provides a comprehensive resource for couple therapists using IBCT to treat situationally aggressive couples.