Psychological and relationship changes of couples undergoing an infertility investigation: Some implications for counsellors

The emotional and psychological aspects of the experience of infertility have been largely ignored by researchers. A study was accordingly undertaken of 43 infertile couples who were undergoing medical investigation of their fertility problems. Preliminary analysis of the data suggests that the infertility investigation was most stressful for the participants at the time of the initial medical interview, and that distress was greater for those who were themselves identified as having an organic fertility problem. A substantial number of the men and women involved indicated a need for the provision of psychological counselling services. The nature of the most appropriate forms of such help is explored.     

The individual interview in couples treatment

This paper describes the use of concurrent individual and conjoint sessions in couples psychotherapy. The introduction of these individual interviews is seen as supporting the individual changes which must be made to effect change in the structure of the relationship. The benefits of this interventive scheme in dynamically oriented couples' treatment will be illustrated through the presentation of case examples.     

Franklian treatment with Vietnam veteran couples

In this article, the Franklian treatment method of existential reflection is described as it can be used in marital therapy with Vietnam veterans. The author also provides information about treatment results with twenty-three Vietnam veteran couples from 1974 to 1987.     

Psychological intervention with couples coping with breast cancer: A systematic review

Objective: Information about psychological intervention with couples coping with breast cancer is not well-disseminated. This can be explained, at least in part, by the absence of knowledge about the efficacy of this kind of intervention. The aim of the present systematic review is to identify and describe psychological interventions for couples coping with breast cancer and evaluate their efficacy.

Design: Studies identified by a searching multiple literature databases related to health and psychology between 1975 and 2013. Rigorous inclusion and exclusion criteria were utilised.

Results: Of 129 abstracts, 13 were extracted for further analysis and a final ten studies were deemed eligible for inclusion. Data were extracted from each study regarding study sample characteristics, design, results and methodological limitations. The results obtained were mixed in regard to efficacy, although the overwhelming majority of studies (eight studies) found benefits for both women and their partners in some dimensions, such as quality of life, psychological distress, relationship functioning and physical symptoms associated with cancer.

Conclusion: Psychological interventions for couples coping with breast cancer appear to be effective for both women and their partners. However, further studies are needed to evaluate the efficacy of couple-based interventions and, to identify for whom and how they are more effective.     

Psychological,sociocultural, and marital adaptation of Turkish immigrant couples in Canada

The study examined the acculturation and adaptation of 200 married Turkish immigrants in Toronto, Canada, using self‐report questionnaires. As an extension of research from sojourners to immigrants, and from individuals to married couples, marital adaptation was introduced and three facets of adaptation were differentiated: psychological, sociocultural, and marital. The findings support the contention that adaptation is multifaceted. Consistent with stress and coping models, psychological adaptation of married couples was associated with the personality variable of hardiness, social support, acculturation attitudes, and discrimination. On the other hand, in line with social learning perspectives, sociocultural adaptation was mostly related to the variables instrumental in acquiring social skills in the new culture, namely, language proficiency and contact with members of the dominant group. Marital adaptation was mostly associated with marital stressors and marital support. The lack of research on gender differences in the differentiation of adaptation was addressed. This differentiation was clearer in men than in women; there were also different variables associated with the facets of men's and women's adaptation. The effects of socioeconomic status and gender have also been examined. The findings made it evident that Turkish immigrants did not acculturate uniformly. Two groups of Turkish immigrants, working class and professionals were clearly distinguished in their acculturation experiences and adaptation. Gender differences were most apparent in the low socioeconomic status group. Women in general were psychologically more vulnerable than men; the group that faced more risk factors were those women of low socioeconomic status. In terms of acculturation attitudes, Turkish immigrant couples strongly endorsed separation; however, those of high socioeconomic status preferred integration and assimilation to a greater, and separation to a lesser extent than those of low socioeconomic status.     

Rational-emotive treatment for the sexual problems of couples

A rational-emotive approach to the treatment of sexual dysfunction is presented. It is asserted that the attitudes with which RET therapists approach sexual problems are as important in determining therapeutic outcome as are the techniques utilized in treating those problems. Regardless of whether one is treating disorders of desire, arousal, or orgasm, the rational-emotive sex therapist remains committed to the stoic position that is is not the unfortunate events in life but rather one's perceptions and evaluations of those events that cause distress. In this regard, the distinction between sexual dysfunction (unfortunate life events) and sexual disturbance (exaggeratedly negative perceptions and evaluations of those events) is emphasized. It is further asserted that only therapy regimens utilizing behavioral strategies within the context of what we have labeled elegant or preferential RET will adequately and comprehensively treat all sexual disorders.     

Multiple approaches to the treatment of violent couples

Abstract

The relationship of the discrepancy between couple's actual level of intimacy and desired level of intimacy and marital adjustment was explored using data from 185 randomly selected couples who completed the Personal Assessment of Intimacy in Relationships and the Marital Adjustment Test. Multivariate and univariate regression analyses indicated that the discrepancy between actual and desired intimacy of husbands and wives was highly predictive of marital adjustment (R²=.665). Particularly interesting was that couples with low intimacy scores who did not desire more intimacy had good marital adjustment. The relationship between intimacy and marital adjustment was curvilinear, and wives' marital adjustment was more affected by intimacy than husbands'. Implications for marital therapy are discussed.     

Psychological science treatment

New discoveries in psychological science have changed our understanding of some basic psychological processes. The new science, however, has not of yet been properly incorporated into the practice of psychotherapy. This has created a confusing state of affairs, lacking clear distinctions between therapy interventions rooted in lore and personal insight and those based on systematic scientific inquiry. In this paper, I discuss the problems caused by the current situation and propose a new distinction by which the psychological (science) treatment of psychological disorders is differentiated from psychotherapy. The implications of the proposed distinction for clinical research and training are discussed.     

Psychological treatment of pedophiles

The main treatment problem of pedophilia is motivating the offender to change. Reasons for the perpetrator's resistance to therapy and strategies for motivating them to change are discussed. Current assumptions about the etiology of this sexual anomaly are examined. Results from a databank of sex offenders are reviewed to show that it is uncommon for pedophiles to be victims of sexual abuse, including incest, and few need pornography as stimulants. Therapeutic difficulties include the egocentric, egosyntonic, and erotically gratifying nature of pedophilia to the perpetrator, his unwillingness to give up his behavior, his tendency to rationalize his acts, and to see the child as consenting. Group therapy and a variety of clinical imagery procedures with case examples are discussed as ways of overcoming the poor motivational state of pedophiles for treatment.     

Psychological treatment of secondary insomnia

Psychological treatment of insomnia has focused on primary insomnia (i.e., having a psychological origin). Secondary insomnia, sleep disturbance caused by a psychiatric or medical disorder, although it is more common than primary insomnia, has received very little attention as a result of the belief that it would be refractory to treatment. The present study randomly assigned older adults with secondary insomnia to a treatment group, 4 sessions composed of relaxation and stimulus control, or a no-treatment control group. Self-report assessments conducted at pretreatment, posttreatment, and a 3-month follow-up revealed that treated participants showed significantly greater improvement on wake time during the night, sleep efficiency percentage, and sleep quality rating. The authors hypothesize that treatment success was probably due in part to difficulty in diagnostic discrimination between primary and secondary insomnia.     

Psychological treatment of eating disorders

Significant progress has been achieved in the development and evaluation of evidence-based psychological treatments for eating disorders over the past 25 years. Cognitive behavioral therapy is currently the treatment of choice for bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder, and existing evidence supports the use of a specific form of family therapy for adolescents with anorexia nervosa. Important challenges remain. Even the most effective interventions for bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder fail to help a substantial number of patients. A priority must be the extension and adaptation of these treatments to a broader range of eating disorders (eating disorder not otherwise specified), to adolescents, who have been largely overlooked in clinical research, and to chronic, treatment-resistant cases of anorexia nervosa. The article highlights current conceptual and clinical innovations designed to improve on existing therapeutic efficacy. The problems of increasing the dissemination of evidence-based treatments that are unavailable in most clinical service settings are discussed.     

Psychological treatment of depression: a review

The available empirical evidence on the efficacy of psychological intervention in depressive disorders is reviewed. No fully adequate study has yet appeared; but there seems sufficient consensus to justify the conclusion that psychological treatment can be effective in alleviating current depressive states and that more complex therapies involving both behavioural and cognitive elements appear the most promising. However, it remains to be seen whether the success of these techniques depends upon the type of depressive disorder manifested; and whether they are applicable across a full range of verbal reasoning ability and socio-economic class.     

Reciprocal depression in recovering alcoholic couples: The efficacy of psychodynamic group treatment

This single case study describes an outpatient psychodynamic therapy group for recovering alcoholic couples established in the Family Studies Unit, Laboratory of Clinical Studies, National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. While depression in the recovering alcoholic is widely recognized, the authors stress their observation of recurrent depression in the well spouse and note a tendency for depression to alternate between members of a couple. The authors suggest clinicians need sensitivity to this issue and that a psychodynamic therapy group is an effective treatment modality for married alcoholics and their spouses.     

Subtyping of individuals undergoing treatment for cocaine dependence

To identify subtypes among individuals undergoing treatment for cocaine dependence, we evaluated 115 people with regard to sociodemographic, drug-related and psychopathological characteristics. Ten variables were preselected as the basis for a two-step cluster analysis with the aim of identifying subtypes. Two subtypes were identified (Type A, N = 37, and Type B, N = 78 subjects). The variable that best discriminated the two subtypes was occasional heroin consumption. In addition, there were significant differences in mean age, mean age at onset of cocaine consumption, mean number of years consuming cocaine, and principal route of ingestion. None of the psychopathological variables considered significantly differentiated the two groups.     

The effect of couples training and partner co-operativeness in the behavioral treatment of obesity

To evaluate the influence of spouse co-operativeness and couples training in the treatment of obesity, 29 obese men and women were assigned to three experimental conditions: (1) Co-operative spouse-couples training: subjects attended all meetings with spouses. Spouses were trained in modeling, monitoring, and reinforcement techniques; (2) Co-operative spouse-subject alone: subjects attended meetings alone even though their partners had agreed to become involved in treatment; (3) Non-cooperative spouse: subjects had spouses refusing to participate in the program, and attended sessions alone. At the 3-month and 6-month maintenance assessments. subjects in the spouse training condition lost significantly more weight than subjects in the other two conditions. Weight losses compared favorably to those of any controlled study with subjects in the couples training group averaging nearly 30 lbs lost after 8$\text{1}\text{2}$ months of treatment. In the absence of spouse training, subjects with co-operative spouses did no better than subjects with non-co-operative spouses. The findings suggest that spouse training may have a potent facilitative effect in weight reduction, and that this effect may promote long-term maintenance of weight loss.