Abstract: Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a severe emotion regulation disorder that, according to the biosocial theory of BPD, is developed and maintained through transactions between biologically vulnerable persons and their environment. Family members of those with BPD may experience deleterious consequences as a result of their relative’s illness. Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) was developed as a comprehensive treatment for persons with BPD, and there are programs designed specifically to treat family members. These programs aim to help family members cope with their own stressors, and help them learn more effective ways to communicate and interact with their relatives with mental illness. This pilot study evaluated the effectiveness of a family-oriented DBT program, called Family Skills, in a sample of 70 participants. Participants received psychoeducation about emotion regulation disorders, and they learned skills related to core mindfulness, validation, interpersonal effectiveness, emotion regulation, and radical acceptance. Depression, hopelessness, and interpersonal sensitivity scores significantly decreased from pre- to posttreatment. The clinical significance of individual participant changes was also examined, and clinically significant changes were noted in depression, hopelessness, and interpersonal sensitivity. These findings are consistent with previous research in this area and provide further information regarding the utility of family-oriented DBT programs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved) PubDate: Thu, 25 May 2017 04:00:00 GMT
Abstract: We examined the association between romantic competence and positive emotional expressions in a relationship-promoting task serving the dual function of (1) furthering our understanding of the skills needed for adaptive expression of positive emotion that can foster intimacy among couples, and (2) further validating the construct of romantic competence. Eighty-nine emerging adult couples in different-sex relationships were assessed with the Romantic Competence Interview for Emerging Adults and participated in an interaction task, which assessed their ability for adaptive positive emotional expression. Results indicated that women’s romantic competence was positively associated with both her and her partner’s ability for positive emotional expression, even controlling for relationship satisfaction. Implications for understanding positive emotional expression in young couples, as well as the need for increasing romantic competence to facilitate it, are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved) PubDate: Thu, 25 May 2017 04:00:00 GMT
Abstract: Partner smoking status may impact smoking cessation outcomes. The purpose of this study is to compare smokers in smoking concordant couples (both partners smoke) to smokers in smoking discordant couples (one partner smokes) on variables that are important for quitting smoking. Participants were 123 cigarette smokers with cohabitating romantic partners (smoking discordant: n = 60, smoking concordant: n = 63, 63.9% females). We used one-way MANCOVA, controlling for age and number of cigarettes smoked per day, to examine differences between groups on smoking outcome expectancies, motivation to quit smoking, and dyadic efficacy to quit smoking. We examined smoking behavior in a series of exploratory analyses. We found a significant multivariate difference between individuals in smoking concordant and discordant couples (p < .05) such that 20.3% of the variation in the linear combination of dependent variables was accounted for by group membership. Follow-up univariate ANCOVA analyses indicated that those in smoking discordant couples reported greater positive outcome expectancies for cigarettes with regard to facilitating social situations and reducing boredom than those in the smoking concordant group. Participants in smoking concordant couples smoked more cigarettes when their partners were present, fewer cigarettes without their partners present, and were more likely to prefer that their partner be involved in their smoking cessation treatment than those in smoking discordant couples. The results of this study may guide the development of smoking cessation interventions that attend to the unique needs of smoking concordant and discordant couples. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved) PubDate: Thu, 25 May 2017 04:00:00 GMT
Abstract: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms are associated with disruptions in both couple functioning and parenting, and limited research suggests that, among military couples, perceptions of couple functioning and parenting stress are a function of both one’s own and one’s partner’s mental health symptoms. However, this work has not been generalized to civilian couples, and little is known about the associations between PTSD symptoms and family adjustment in specific family developmental contexts. We examined PTSD symptoms’ associations with perceived couple functioning and parenting stress within a dyadic context in civilian couples who had participated in a randomized controlled trial of a universal, couple-based transition to parenthood program and at least one member of the couple reported having experienced a Criterion A1 traumatic event. Results of actor–partner interdependence models revealed that parents’ own and partners’ PTSD symptoms were negatively associated with perceived couple functioning; contrary to expectation, the association of partners’ PTSD symptoms with perceived couple functioning was strongest among men who received the intervention. A parent’s own PTSD symptoms were positively associated with parenting stress for both men and women and were unexpectedly strongest for men who received the intervention. Partner PTSD symptoms were also positively associated with increased parenting stress for both men and women. Findings support a dyadic conceptualization of the associations between spouses’ PTSD symptoms and family outcomes during the transition to parenthood and suggest that participating in a couple-based, psychoeducational program during this phase in the family life cycle may be particularly salient for men. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved) PubDate: Thu, 25 May 2017 04:00:00 GMT
Abstract: The bidirectional association between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and intimate relationship functioning has been well established, and conjoint therapies for PTSD have been created to simultaneously improve PTSD and relationship distress. However, some couples are unwilling to participate in trauma-focused therapy; therefore, a present-focused version of cognitive–behavioral conjoint therapy for PTSD (pf-CBCT for PTSD) was created to decrease barriers to treatment. We propose that, along with trauma-focused cognitive–behavioral conjoint therapy for PTSD (CBCT for PTSD), pf-CBCT for PTSD can be used as part of a sequential approach to PTSD treatment. The various phases of pf-CBCT for PTSD and CBCT for PTSD may be flexibly delivered according to a particular couple’s unique needs and preferences. We present a case study to illustrate this approach of using both pf-CBCT for PTSD and CBCT for PTSD with trauma-focused sessions. The case study describes conjoint treatment of a woman with PTSD related to childhood sexual abuse and her cohabiting partner of 25 years. Discussion provides additional clinical considerations and directions for future research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved) PubDate: Thu, 30 Mar 2017 04:00:00 GMT
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