The Influence of Couple Therapist Behaviors on Change in Dyadic Happiness

This study examines the associations between couple therapist common factors behaviors (warmth, empathy, presence, validation, collaboration, session structuring, and technique) and changes in dyadic relationship happiness over 10 sessions of couple therapy among 40 heterosexual couples who presented with mild to moderate levels of physical or psychological partner aggression. Results indicate that both partners experienced increases in happiness over the course of treatment. Further, therapist warmth and therapist validation were associated with the greatest gains in happiness. These findings highlight the need for increased study of common factors in couple therapy as they may operate differently than in individual psychotherapy.

Objectives

1) Evaluate the importance of investigating therapist common factor behaviors in couple therapy. 2) Identify techniques used to measure couple therapist common factor behavior as well as strategies for analyzing dyadic data. 3) Understand why therapist warmth and validation are associated with gains in couple happiness over the course of treatment.

Parental Vulnerability to Marital Conflict: The Role of Secure Base Scripts

Using a randomized controlled experiment of mothers, fathers, and their young infants (N = 121), we examined associations between marital interactions (i.e., conflict and marital disengagement) and parental intrusion and detachment, and the role of secure base script knowledge in potentiating spillover. The presence of conflict did not itself induce negative parenting; however, similar to past research, we found that when marital interactions were characterized as disengaged, fathers showed more intrusion and detachment. For mothers, only those lacking secure base script knowledge were at risk of more negative parenting, suggesting a potential source of risk or resilience specific to mothers.

Objectives

(1)To analyze the effectiveness of a randomized controlled experiment of marital and parent-child interactions (2)To identify families and family members vulnerable to marital conflict (3)To demonstrate differences and similarities in the marital-parental interface for fathers and mothers

Depressive Symptoms and Sexual Satisfaction in Romantic Partners Across Four Years

Despite a vast literature on sexual satisfaction, much is unknown about its link with depressive symptoms. Furthermore, existing literature found mixed results regarding the direction of the associations between sexual satisfaction and depressive symptoms. Using data from the Pairfam study (N = 1,946 couples), tempPaper ordering of these associations were tested individually and dyadically through auto-regressive models. Bidirectional relationships were found over time both individually and dyadically. These results suggest that these variables are interconnected and treatment should consider that sexual satisfaction and depressive symptoms influence each other.

Objectives

(1) To evaluate the tempPaper ordering of sexual satisfaction and depressive symptoms (2) To analyze the tempPaper ordering of these relationships through family systems theory and auto-regressive models. (3) To demonstrate the clinical implications of sexual satisfaction and depressive symptoms.

FAMILY THERAPY LEGACY SCHOLAR PRESENTATION: Differentiation as Mediator for the Association Between Depression and Satisfaction