Journal of Marital and Family Therapy

Prevalence rates of anxiety and depression have increased among adolescents in recent years. The etiology of these internalizing symptoms is complex, but mothers can play a role in the mental health of their adolescent children. Using data from Year 15 of the fragile families and child well-being study, we analyzed associations between adolescent-reported maternal engagement, mother-adolescent relationship closeness, and adolescent depression and anxiety in a sample of 3146 mother-adolescent dyads. Using structural equation modeling, the four areas of engagement, closeness, anxiety, and depression were all modeled as latent variables to test the associations between these constructs...

Relationship standards are beliefs about what is important in high-quality couple relationships. Clarifying standards cross-culturally informs theory about relationship quality and goals for culturally appropriate couple therapy. The current study assessed four standards (Couple Bond, Family Responsibility, Relationship Effort, and Religion) in n = 113 Malay Muslim couples, and the association of those standards with marital satisfaction. All four standards were strongly endorsed, Religion was the most strongly endorsed, and there were minimal sex differences...

This article examines how family and couple therapists respond to uneven alliances with their clients at the micro-level of therapeutic exchanges in the context of Interpersonal Process Recall (IPR) interviews. We operationalize uneven alliance with the interactional concept of asymmetry of affiliation. To this end, first, using conversation analysis (CA), we identify episodes of asymmetry of affiliation in the moment-by-moment conversation between the therapist and the client in therapy consultation. Second, applying CA to the IPR interview data, we examine how therapists orient to the episodes of the session in which the asymmetry of affiliation was identified...

Relationship education (RE) efforts have been shown to help couples and individuals with a variety of family relationships. However, much still needs to be identified in terms of what factors are salient to outcomes. Drawing on therapeutic models of change, we have identified perceived need for change as one such potential factor. Using data from a couple RE course (n = 447 couples), we assessed how dyadic congruence and average ratings of each partner's need for change were associated with change in three RE outcomes: knowledge, communication, and commitment...

Despite its popularity, The Five Love Languages relationship self-help book has received little empirical investigation. This may result in a disconnect between clinicians and clients with preconceived notions based on the book. The current research sought to evaluate love languages through the lens of responsiveness by examining if an accurate or biased understanding of partner preferences for different modes of affection were associated with enacted affectionate behavior, the perception of partner behavior, and relationship satisfaction...

This global qualitative study adopted a cross-generational approach considering key factors contributing to relationship longevity. Relatively few studies consider factors leading to relationship longevity as articulated by couples themselves, and there is a paucity of research considering young couples' questions regarding relationship longevity. This study has two sample groups. In sample one (n = 137) we asked individuals in relationship of 3-15 years questions they would ask couples in marriages of 40+ years...

Therapists report significant countertransference reactions when treating clients with eating disorders (EDs). Countertransference may be pronounced among therapists with eating disorder lived experience (EDLE). Minimal research examines how therapists with EDLE negotiate their experiences while treating ED clients. Informed by the person-of-the-therapist philosophy, this study sought to understand how therapists use and manage their EDLE when working with ED clients. Using constructivist grounded theory methodology, semistructured interviews (Mtime  = 89 min) were conducted with 22 therapists with EDLE...

Clinical psychologists and therapists are increasingly taking advantage of internet and mobile-based technologies to deliver mental health services for individuals and groups since the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there is a dearth of research evaluating the appropriateness of virtual platforms for family interventions. Further, no research has examined the effectiveness of weekly emotion-focused family therapy (EFFT). This case study presents a virtually delivered 8-week EFFT intervention, which supported caregivers to manage child symptoms of depression, anxiety, and anger, facilitate emotion processing, and strengthen relationships...

Researchers have tested associations between ineffective arguing and emotional distress among couples without relationship violence. Moreover, studies have demonstrated associations between physical violence perpetration and victimization in the aftermath of emotional distress. However, there is a paucity of research examining linkages between ineffective arguing, emotional distress, and physical violence perpetration or victimization. Dyadic data from 231 married, heterosexual couples seeking therapy were used to test a model examining pathways between ineffective arguing and physical violence perpetration and victimization through emotional distress...

With the increasing incidence of suicidality among the youth, identifying effective care and support that family members provide is essential. Despite numerous studies on the link between suicide mitigation and caregiving, the dyadic process and dynamics of family members supporting youth at risk have been scarcely explored. This study utilizes grounded theory to explore the actions, interactions, and processes involved in caregiving and receiving between five pairs of Filipino family caregivers and college-aged care receivers who recovered from suicidality...

The multigenerational transmission of differentiation of self is one of the basic concepts of Bowen's Family Systems Theory. It describes how the ability to build healthy and intimate relationships with others can be passed down through generations within the family system. Previous research devoted to the concept has yielded mixed results. However, significant discrepancies can be observed between methodological approaches and the resulting understanding of the similarity in self-differentiation observed between parents and children...

Parent couples are involved in a coparenting bond and in a romantic relationship. Research on couple therapy has mainly explored the impact of couple therapy on romantic relationships; however, little is known about how couple therapy affects the coparenting relationship. Self-reports of positive and negative coparenting and observed emotional behavior in coparenting-related conversation tasks were assessed pre- and posttherapy (6 months intervals) in 64 mixed-sex parental couples. Results showed that mothers and fathers reported more positive coparenting after therapy...

Relationship education (RE) has shown promise as an effective intervention for couples. Yet, challenges exist with retaining low-income couples and federal funding required that grantees provide at least 12 h of core content. We conducted a follow-up analysis to a randomized trial of RE with low-income couples. We focused on couples randomly assigned to the treatment (N = 579) and examined the influence of intervention hours on emotion regulation, dyadic coping, and individual distress at 1 and 6-month follow-up...

Marital distress increases the risk of morbidity and mortality by altering psychological and biological health, including cardiovascular and endocrine function. Numerous interventions have been developed to mitigate marital distress. However, most of these interventions had very specific content and were limited to certain segments of the population. This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of a marital relationship skills training intervention on the marital adjustment of married people in Ethiopia...

Anxiety disorders are common among children and adolescents. Effective treatments exist, but meta-analyses indicate that 40% of children continue to have significant symptoms posttreatment. Alternative therapeutic interventions are needed. Emotion-focused parental interventions have been found to be effective in targeting children's internalizing difficulties, but no research has examined remission. In this pilot trial, we examined whether Emotion Focused Skills Training (EFST) was associated with remission of diagnosis in children with anxiety...

Many aspects of systemic family therapist (SFT) training and competence play a vital role in effective treatment and professional satisfaction. One area that has been significantly overlooked by many SFTs is the role of psychotropic medication (PM) in conjunction with talk therapy for optimal mental health outcomes. This study explores the current status of PM in SFT training and clinical practice. Our findings highlight the continued struggle of SFTs in their comfort level with addressing the PM needs of their clients...

The goal of this study was to evaluate a sample of family members, among whom individuals were undergoing inpatient treatment for substance use disorder and identify predictors of engagement in a family support program. A total of 159 family nuclei were analyzed; 36 (22.6%) completed the program and 123 (77.4%) did not complete the program. Compared to nonparticipants, participants were majorly female (91.9%), younger (43.3 years old, SD = 16.5), unemployed, homemakers, and not financially independent (56...

Relationships in which one partner is transgender are often more complex compared to other LGBQ+ couples, due to the ways in which gender transition prompts changes for each partner and their relationship. Despite the impact of transition on both partners, the relationships of transgender people have been underresearched. This study was guided by symbolic interactionism to explore how transgender and cisgender women in romantic relationships experienced their relationship during their transition process...

Emerging research suggests that those coparenting with an incarcerated person experience multiple challenges. Examining incarcerated coparenting among minority fathers is especially salient as their incarceration rates are substantially higher than White males. This study utilized data from the Multi-Site Family Study on Incarceration, Parenting and Partnering Study to examine changes in coparenting relationships when the male partner was incarcerated. Theoretically guided by structural family therapy, latent growth models were used to evaluate trajectories of fathers' coparenting reliability and coparenting cohesion across 34 months...

This qualitative narrative study aimed to examine how a family of origin influenced the professional self of Colombian students pursuing a profession in family therapy. Few research studies have investigated the development of self among native Spanish speakers from Colombia. Undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in clinical psychology and family therapy internships (N = 16) from the Colombian cities of Medellín, Pereira, and Santa Marta participated in this study. Data collection using personal diaries, family albums, autobiographies, and in-depth interviews served as sources for narrative analysis...