Journal of Family Therapy最新文献

This twenty-fifth anniversary review updates previous similar papers published in JFT in 2000, 2009, 2014 and 2019. It presents evidence from meta-analyses, systematic reviews and controlled trials for the effectiveness of couple therapy and systemic interventions for adults with a range or relationship and mental physical health problems. The evidence supports the effectiveness of systemic interventions, either alone or as part of multimodal programmes, for relationship distress, psychosexual problems, intimate partner violence, anxiety and mood disorders, alcohol problems, schizophrenia and adjustment to chronic physical illness. Systemic interventions are as effective as evidenced-based individual psychotherapeutic interventions for all of these problems, and more effective than individual therapy for some, including for relationship distress, situational intimate partner violence and delaying relapse in schizophrenia.

This systematic literature review aims to summarise the state of empirical research on processes of trust repair in intimate relationships, particularly post-betrayal. It focusses on identifying factors that facilitate or hinder trust recovery. The review adhered to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines, involving an extensive search of Web of Science and Scopus databases. We identified and reviewed thirteen relevant articles. The review shows that fidelity trust is the type of trust most extensively examined by researchers and probably the most crucial for romantic relationships. Across diverse contexts and frameworks, we highlight five key themes for trust repair: (1) proactive transparency, (2) active monitoring, (3) remorse and accountability, (4) shared activities and (5) clear communication of reasons for the betrayal. We also identify limitations in current research, particularly regarding sample sizes and methodology. These findings contribute to a better understanding of trust repair mechanisms in intimate relationships and propose directions for future research, emphasising the need for more robust quantitative studies and the development of tailored therapeutic interventions.

This is the second of a two-part paper on New Materialisms (NMs) and systemic psychotherapy. The paper applies NMs concepts to the practice of systemic psychotherapy through the use of two composite practice examples. Continuing from the first part of the two-part paper, we move the theoretical discussion from a conceptual to a practical level. Therefore, this paper aims to address some of the core elements of NMs and their relevance in systemic psychotherapy practice. It does not claim to take an exhaustive approach to implementing NMs in systemic psychotherapy. NMs can influence a new paradigm within the plurality of paradigms present in systemic psychotherapy. By and large, although NMs and systemic psychotherapy depart from different philosophical, ontological and epistemological underpinnings, we argue that they can be bridged not only at a theoretical but also at a practical level, as they both share a common potentiality as practices of freedom. By plugging in these two practices, new possibilities when it comes to understanding and creating change in our lives and the social situations in which we are situated unfold.

This paper is one part of a two-part series. Part one provides the theoretical groundwork for New Materialisms (NMs), while part two establishes the connections between these theoretical foundations and systemic practice. Therefore, the aim of this work is to delve into the core concepts of NMs in the field of systemic psychotherapy. Its genesis is inspired by our collaboration as doctoral students in systemic psychotherapy. New Materialisms represent a contemporary and heterogeneous movement that has emerged from the works of key proponents from diverse fields: philosophy (e.g. Deleuze and Guattari), anthropology (e.g. Viveiros de Castro and Ingold) and physics (e.g. Barad). They are characterised by a theoretical and practical ‘turn to matter.’ We will outline how NMs differentiate themselves from the ‘linguistic turn’ proposed by a moderate version of social constructionism, which we believe is endemic in much of systemic psychotherapy research and practice. We will discuss both the potential innovations that NMs could bring to the systemic psychotherapy field and the criticisms they could provoke. An invitation to consider the implications of NMs upon the systemic field is extended. Although we acknowledge that systemic psychotherapy and NMs are two disciplines driven by heterogeneous drivers, we posit that both are practices of freedom from stability and identity, which open up fields of differences where new possibilities for life can be invented.

Family therapists have used the philosophy of the French critical theorist Foucault to help us think in more sophisticated ways about a range of topics, including power, society and culture. However, his work includes another key concept which has been largely neglected in family therapy: that of discipline. In this article I undertake an exploration of discipline and suggest that, by considering this element of Foucault's work, we might be able to develop more sophisticated frameworks to think about how institutions and our clients' expectations of those institutions shape what happens in the therapy room. I conclude by offering a few ideas that gesture towards what that framework might look like in therapeutic practice.

The main purpose of this research was to determine the relationship between family functioning and aggression among Spanish adolescents. A sample of 1,196 adolescents between 14 and 18 years old (50 per cent female) were selected from twenty-three educational centres, ten university degrees and eighteen specific juvenile facilities. The Buss and Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ), and the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale (FACES IV Package) were administered. In regard to results, adolescent hostility was the dimension of aggression most strongly related to poor family functioning. The family functioning risk factors for aggression were disengagement, chaos and rigidity, while family communication was an essential protective factor. Enmeshment did not correlate significantly with aggression but became an aggression risk factor in late adolescence. The family functioning variable most related to adolescent aggression in multi-problematic families was disengagement, while it was the absence of rigidity among adolescent offenders. The results are discussed considering the cultural context, concluding the importance of Spanish parents combining affection and leadership, and enhancing positive family communication.

This 25th anniversary review updates previous similar papers published in JFT in 2000, 2009, 2014 and 2019. It presents evidence from meta-analyses and systematic reviews for the effectiveness of systemic interventions for families of young people with common mental and physical health problems and other difficulties where children are the primary focus of concern. In this context, systemic interventions include both family therapy and other family-based approaches such as parent training, or parent-implemented interventions. There is now a substantial evidence base supporting the effectiveness of systemic interventions either alone or as part of multimodal programmes for infant mental health and sleep and feeding problems in infancy; recovery from child abuse and neglect; externalising and internalising problems; eating disorders; somatic problems; and psychosis.

Validation of the MacHale Co-parenting Scale (1997) was examined in a sample of 192 Persian-speaking parents who had children in primary school. Translation of this scale was performed using the forward–backward method. To assess reliability, internal consistency was used after translating the items into Persian. Face validity, content validity and structural validity were also applied to ensure tool validity. The results indicated that Ballit's sphericity test yielded a value of 1153.138 at a significance level of p < .05. Using varimax rotation, three factors (Family Integrity, Consistency and Conflict) were identified with eigenvalues greater than 1 and factor loadings higher than 0.5. The total factors explained 58.18 per cent of the variance in the data. Additionally, the Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the entire questionnaire was 0.84. The Persian version of the co-parenting questionnaire has satisfactory psychometric properties with acceptable reliability and validity for measuring joint parenting among Iranian parents in terms of family integrity, consistency and conflict dimensions.

To increase the number of family-based interventions and deal directly with the family dynamic that creates maladaptive manners of coping and connection, structural family therapy (SFT) for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was developed. The model slowly supports families in being more flexible in their relationships and dynamics while imparting interpersonal skills which enhance communication particularly between the children with ASD and their parents by reforming and supporting an appropriate family structure and family dynamic.

Feeding problems in early childhood are common and affect parental behaviour with more use of maladaptive feeding strategies. Although multi-family therapy is well known as an effective intervention for adolescents and adults with eating disorders/problems, the use of multi-family therapy for toddlers with feeding problems is rather rare. In this paper we describe how we adapted the evidence-based goals of multi-family therapy to a specific format for parents and toddlers and how we used it in our clinical work. We explain the importance of creating a supportive culture in which parents may develop effective feeding strategies. We describe how we used non-verbal techniques in multi-family therapy as a tool for growth for both toddlers and parents. We end with some retrospective reflections and directions for future therapy and research.