Being Mindful as an Approach to Family Well-being

Concurrent Sessions 9

Lucia Miranda, Patricia Roberson, Katie Lenger, Amy Rauer, Kristina Coop Gordon, Thomas White, Stephen Duncan, Jeremy Yorgason, Scott Ketring, Julianne McGill, Francesca Adler-Baeder, Thomas Smith, Evin Richardson, Ted Futris, Jacquelyn Mallette; Facilitator: Luke T. Russell

1:45 PM
3:00 PM
Location
Salon 15
Session #
332
Session Type
Paper Session
Session Focus
  • Research
  • Practice
Organized By
  • Education & Enrichment

About the Session

  • 332-01 - Consensus and Relationship Satisfaction Before and After a Brief Couple Intervention
    By Lucia Miranda, Patricia Roberson, Katie Lenger, Amy Rauer, Kristina Coop Gordon
  • 332-02 - Participation, Helpfulness, and Change in Marital Interventions
    By Thomas White, Stephen Duncan, Jeremy Yorgason
  • 332-03 - The critical role of the facilitation alliance in mindfully focused CRE
    By Scott Ketring, Julianne McGill, Francesca Adler-Baeder, Thomas Smith
  • 332-04 - Foster Caregivers’ Relationship Efficacy and Couple and Coparenting Quality
    By Evin Richardson, Ted Futris, Jacquelyn Mallette;

Facilitator: Luke T. Russell

Abstract(s)

Consensus and Relationship Satisfaction Before and After a Brief Couple Intervention

By Lucia Miranda, Patricia Roberson, Katie Lenger, Amy Rauer, Kristina Coop Gordon

We examined how 740 romantic couples’ consensus regarding their relationship strengths and concerns was associated with their relationship satisfaction before and one month after completing the Relationship Checkup (e.g., Cordova et al., 2014). Couples with more initial consensus on concerns displayed greater relationship satisfaction pre-intervention. Although couples with less concern consensus were less satisfied pre-intervention, they showed rapid change post-intervention, reaching satisfaction levels that were only slightly below couples that agreed on issues. Results indicate that this brief intervention can increase satisfaction, even for couples that present without consensus. Implications of acceptance models for couple education and therapy are discussed.

Objectives

1) Evaluate the effectiveness of the Relationship Checkup in increasing relationship satisfaction with a sample of primarily low-income couples 2) Identify links between partner consensus on relationship concerns and their relationship satisfaction pre- and post-intervention 3) Describe applications of acceptance-based techniques for non-traditional interventions with low-income couples

Participation, Helpfulness, and Change in Marital Interventions

By Thomas White, Stephen Duncan, Jeremy Yorgason

While effectiveness of premarital and marital interventions has been widely established, no nationally representative studies regarding participation in and effectiveness of these interventions have been published. The current study reports participation in marriage and relationship interventions in the United States and the perceived helpfulness and change participants associate with these interventions among a sample of early married couples. Findings reveal about 1 in 4 individuals report participation, much less than earlier nonrepresentative estimates. Participants report counseling as the most helpful and change producing intervention. Females perceive greater helpfulness and change than males. Implications for practice are discussed.

Objectives

1. Learn participation levels in premarital and marital interventions among early married individuals in the United States 2. Identify the premarital and marital interventions that are seen by early married US individuals as most helpful and change producing. 3. Identify whether gender, education, and religiosity are influential in selection of interventions seen as most helpful and change producing.

The critical role of the facilitation alliance in mindfully focused CRE

By Scott Ketring, Julianne McGill, Francesca Adler-Baeder, Thomas Smith

Although much of the Couple Relationship Education (CRE) research has focused on the influence of participant factors on change, little research has considered how the CRE program facilitators shape its efficacy. The current study is an evaluation of a diverse sample of 59 couples, examining how the facilitation alliance is related to relationship outcomes for men and women who received services as part of a randomized control trial evaluating the effectiveness of Couples Connecting Mindfully (CCM). The facilitation alliance is related to some post-program outcomes at termination and six-month follow-up. The alliance also moderated individual symptoms and relationship outcomes.

Objectives

1. Participants will understand the impact of the facilitation alliance on change in individual symptoms for CRE participants. 2. Participants will understand the design and goals of the experimental study. 3. Participants will understand the initial impact of couples communicating mindfully at termination and six month follow-up period.

Foster Caregivers’ Relationship Efficacy and Couple and Coparenting Quality

By Evin Richardson, Ted Futris, Jacquelyn Mallette; Facilitator: Luke T. Russell

The challenges associated with foster caregiving (e.g., Behavioral challenges, ambiguous loss) may negatively influence foster caregivers' confidence in their ability to have a healthy relationship with their partner (i.e., relationship efficacy), which may, in turn, influence the quality of their couple and coparenting relationships. Guided by the contextual model of family stress, the current study uses a latent profile analysis to examine whether patterns of relationship efficacy exist among foster caregivers, family characteristics and sources of support that may influence foster caregivers' relationship efficacy, and group differences in couple and coparenting relationship quality.

Objectives

(1) To examine the relationship efficacy of foster caregivers. (2) To examine what individual and family characteristics and sources of support are associated with relationship efficacy. (3) To examine how foster caregivers' relationship efficacy is associated with their couple and coparenting relationship quality.

Bundle name
Conference Session