Involving Family in Psychosocial Interventions for Chronic Illness

ABSTRACT— Interactions with close family members have consequences for the emotional and physical well-being of individuals who are dealing with a chronic physical illness. Therefore, inclusion of a close family member in psychosocial interventions for chronic illnesses is a logical treatment approach that has the potential to boost the effects of intervention on the patient and also benefit the family member. However, randomized, controlled studies indicate that such family-oriented interventions generally have small effects. The efficacy of these treatment approaches might be enhanced by targeting specific interactions that emerging research identifies as promoting or derailing healthy behaviors and by better incorporating strategies from family caregiver interventions. In addition, family-oriented interventions should be more fully evaluated, by assessing the benefits for both patients and family members. Future research in this area can tell us much about how and when to involve family in treatment of specific chronic illnesses and, in turn, may inform conceptual models of the impact of family interactions on health.     

青少年期母子性格与家庭亲密度的关系:性格喜好的作用

研究旨在考察性格喜好与母子性格、家庭成员亲密度的关系以及性格喜好在其他两个变量之间的中介作用。成都市632对初高中学生及其母亲分别自评并填写了艾森克人格问卷,同时评价喜欢对方性格的程度。另外,青少年还报告了与家庭成员的亲密程度。通过相关分析、多元方差分析、层级回归分析以及结构方程模型建模,结果发现：性格喜好与母亲性格、青少年性格均有显著关系,青少年对母亲的性格喜好程度与家庭成员间的亲密感有显著正相关。青少年性格和青少年对母亲的性格喜好程度能直接预测家庭成员亲密度,同时青少年和母亲的性格还通过青少年对母亲的性格喜好程度间接作用于家庭亲密度,提示性格喜好在二者的关系中发挥了重要的中介作用。     

Sexuality and the Longing for Salvation

Sexuality, with all its expressiveness, strongly reflects the deep vibrations that exist in the human psyche. In this article, we try to show that sexuality can also manifest itself in the darkest realm of real addiction, and, as it were, can become a cry for salvation; and further, that sexuality is the powerful reflection of an aching body, longing for purification, and thus, salvation.     

Cancer Family History Reporting: Impact of Method and Psychosocial Factors

Family history is one the greatest risk factors for disease and one of the most important informational tools in medical genetics for the purpose of diagnosis, risk assessment, prevention and treatment. However, research is needed on the comparability of different methods of cancer family history assessment and the influence of psychosocial factors in family history reports. The purpose of this study was to determine if individuals had discrepancies between written and interview reports of cancer family history and the role of psychosocial factors in these discrepancies. Oncology patients (n=104) were administered a survey to assess psychosocial factors (i.e., information-seeking, worry, perceived risk, and health literacy) and were asked to provide family history in a written and an interview form. Randomization determined which form individuals received first. No differences in the amount of missing data or the amount of unspecified data were noted between the written and interview method. Psychosocial factors did not differentiate between those who had discrepancies in family history reports and those who did not have discrepancies in family history reports; although there was a trend for those with lower literacy and those who were blunters to be more discrepant on type of cancer diagnosis. In sum, this preliminary study indicates that written and interview methods of family history assessment for first degree relatives may be used interchangeably. The ability to use written methods will facilitate collection of basic family history information in the oncology clinic.     

Parents’ Perceptions of Functioning in Families Having a Child with a Genetic Condition

In a study of families having a child with a genetic condition, patterns of family functioning were identified through cluster analysis of families with two spouses. Patterns were based on both parents’ assessments of family satisfaction and hardiness, as measured respectively by the Family APGAR and Family Hardiness Index. The validity and clinical significance of the clusters were supported by demonstrating that cluster membership distinguished between parental reports of their own quality of life and their child’s functional status, as measured by the Quality of Life Index and the Functional Status II, respectively. The clusters were non-categorical in the sense that they did not depend on the type of genetic condition. These findings point to the importance of addressing family functioning as part of genetic counseling.     

The Ethnic Context of Child and Adolescent Problem Behavior: Implications for Child and Family Interventions

This article links the empirical literature on race and ethnicity in developmental psychopathology with interventions designed to reduce adolescent problem behavior. We present a conceptual framework in which culture is endogenous to the socialization of youth and the development of specific self-regulatory strategies. The importance of cultural influence is identified at three levels: (a) intrapersonal developmental processes (e.g., ethnic identity development, development of coping modifies mechanisms and self-regulatory mechanisms), (b) family socialization processes (e.g., racial and ethnic socialization), and (c) interaction with larger societal contexts (e.g., maintenance of bicultural competence in adapting to mainstream and ethnic cultures). We discuss limitations of current assessment and intervention practices that focus on reducing adolescent problem behavior with respect to the cultural issues identified above. We propose that empirically supported adaptive and tailored interventions for adolescent problem behavior are optimal for serving multicultural children and families. To empower such interventions to better serve children and families of color, it is essential that assessments that guide the adaptation and tailoring process include culturally salient dynamics such as ethnic identity, racial socialization, and culturally informed parenting practices. This work is supported by an NRSA grant to the first author, and the following for the second author: grants DA07031, DA13773, and DA16110 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.     

青少年期亲子冲突与亲子亲合的发展特征

采用整群随机抽样法,运用亲子冲突与亲子亲合问卷对684名初一、初三和高二学生进行调查,结果发现：（1）大部分青少年与父母冲突的次数较少,强度较弱,亲合度较高,但也有一小部分青少年与父母关系较紧张。（2）初三青少年与母亲的冲突次数和强度均显著高于初一青少年;随年级增长青少年与母亲的亲合缓慢下降,而与父亲的冲突及亲合发展均较稳定。（3）青少年与父母的关系在某些方面存在子代性别和父代性别的主效应及交互作用。     

同伴拒绝、同伴接纳与农村留守儿童的心理适应：亲子亲合与逆境信念的作用*

以424名农村儿童为被试,基于留守儿童和非留守儿童之间的比较,在同伴关系的背景下探讨了亲子亲合与个体逆境信念对儿童攻击、学业违纪与孤独感的作用。结果表明：(1)同伴拒绝能显著增加儿童的攻击、学业违纪与孤独感,同伴接纳则显著降低儿童的学业违纪与孤独感,亲子亲合、积极的逆境信念能够显著降低儿童的孤独感;(2)亲子亲合对同伴拒绝与儿童攻击、学业违纪之间关系的调节效应在双亲外出儿童与非留守儿童群体中存在差异：高亲合条件下,同伴拒绝与非留守儿童的攻击、学业违纪之间存在显著关联,但是在双亲外出儿童中,这些关联不再显著;(3)亲子亲合能够调节同伴接纳与儿童孤独感之间的关系：在低亲合条件下,同伴接纳能够显著降低儿童的孤独感,但是二者在高亲合条件下不再存在关联。结果提示,农村留守儿童与父母间的紧密情感联结对于促进其心理适应具有保护作用,同伴接纳对儿童的亲情缺失具有补偿作用。     

The Primary Triangle and Variation in Nuclear Family Functioning

The triangle, a concept in Bowen theory, is the emotional molecule in the family system that shapes the human over the course of life. This longitudinal study explored the influence of the family of origin primary triangle on 51 couples’ family of procreation functioning over 10 years. The quantitative analysis found associations between family of procreation functioning and three variables: distance versus openness in the family of origin primary triangle, the degree of inside and outside positions in the primary triangle, and the degree of family projection as expressed in worry. In addition, the three triangle relationships correlated with each other, supporting the idea that each relationship influenced the other. Using qualitative methods, a focused analysis elaborated on the quantitative findings.     

Work–Family Conflict and Turnover Intentions Among Scientists and Engineers Working in R&D

Purpose  In this study we evaluate competing models of the direct and indirect effects of work interference with family (WIF) and family interference with work (FIW) on two turnover intentions relevant to scientists and engineers: (i) leaving R&D for non-R&D work within the same organization and (ii) leaving one’s organization for another one. Design/methodology/approach  A cross-sectional design was used. Our sample consists of almost 500 scientists and engineers in dual-earner families and with dependent care responsibilities. Findings  We find some support for the domain-specific predictors-to-outcomes model: FIW indirectly (but not directly) increases intentions to change organization through work dissatisfaction. Contrary to expectations from the stress management model we find neither direct nor indirect relationships between WIF and turnover intentions. Implications  Our findings suggest that organizations that help employees manage the effects of FIW on work dissatisfaction may be able to reduce the turnover among their technical workforce. Originality/value  The study examines an overlooked outcome of work-family conflict: turnover intentions. In addition, it provides much needed attention to the implications of workfamily conflict for scientists and engineers, who have received little attention in the work-family conflict literature despite longstanding efforts to understand the relationship between marriage, parenthood, and productivity in these fields.