Combat exposure,psychological symptoms,and marital satisfaction in National Guard soldiers who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2005 to 2006

Abstract

In current military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, US National Guard (NG) troops are serving longer deployments than ever before. Little is known, however, about how such deployments affect this population of individuals, relative to active component (AC) troops. This study investigated the extent of combat exposure, severity of post-deployment psychological symptoms, and general interpersonal functioning, as well as the interrelationships of these variables, in 50 NG soldiers who served a 12-month deployment in Iraq from 2005 to 2006. The results indicate that combat exposure and post-deployment post-traumatic stress symptoms in this sample are greater than those in NG veterans of past military operations, and similar to those of full-time soldiers in current operations. Furthermore, the patterns of interrelationships between combat exposure, psychological symptoms, and interpersonal variables were similar to those detected in prior research on AC troops. These results suggest that NG veterans of current military operations may require similar services as active duty veterans. Given that NG troops are less integrated into the military structure, specific outreach efforts may be needed to help NG veterans to receive such services.     

Increasing Couple Intimacy Using Virginia Satir's Temperature Reading

SUMMARY

This article describes the process of using Virginia Satir's Temperature Reading, a communication tool, to increase intimacy with couples. It presents a rationale and theory for using a daiiy couple Temperature Reading to develop communication skills for learning how to share intimately in relationships. Temperature Reading provides a safe environment where each member of the couple can learn to share personal information and can practice listening to the other in a supportive and cooperative manner. Therapists and couples alike can utilize this process as described here.     

The Unmanageability of Characterologic Couples in Managed Care

ABSTRACT

This article explores the issues associated with treating characterologic couples in the managed care environment. The article focuses on the definition of the characterologic couple and the specific issues that emerge when the characterologic couple is attempting brief treatment in the managed care environment. Attention is focused on the difficulties in the two-stage approach to character treatment, the potential for hurting the non-characterologic member of the couple, and the problems that emerge when the character is identified, but not worked with.     

Asian American Intermarriage

SUMMARY

This paper describes the therapeutic process of an interracial couple: an Asian American woman and a White American man. The intent of this therapy was to broaden the conversational space and encourage the couple to explore the effects of cultural beliefs and practices on their relationship. The therapist introduced two approaches for evoking the couple's interest in sharing narratives about their individual and couple racial identity. One approach was to have the couple interview their partner's “internalized other.” The other approach used two research studies to stimulate conversation about outmarriage with Asian Americans. This case study offers an account of two different ways individual narratives and shared conversational space can be expanded.     

Using Relational-Cultural Theory to Conceptualize Couple Interventions in the Treatment of Sex Addiction

ABSTRACT

Sex addictions have become an increasing concern since the growth of the sex industry, sex in advertising, and the ease of Internet access to sex. This article uses the foundational principles of Relational-Cultural Theory (RCT) to conceptualize sexual addiction and its relational impact. Particular attention is paid to the principles of connection, mutuality, authenticity, power, and culture. In closing, the author offers some creative interventions for relational transformation for affected couples in order to move from a state of disconnection towards mutuality, growth, and connection.     

The Big Sleep

ABSTRACT

This paper illustrates the link between creativity and psychotherapy as an art. Clinical examples are given first, followed by significant events that affected this therapist's creative activities. Then personal views of creativity arc described with the conclusion showing different aspects of creativity as applicable to psychotherapy.     

The Application of Facilitated Imagery to Marital Counseling

SUMMARY

The purpose of this study was to assess whether facilitated imagery is a successful technique for improving both marital satisfaction and individual psychological functioning. Twenty marital couples were randomly assigned to two experimental groups: Both received three sessions of structured marital enrichment and one also received three facilitated imagery sessions. Posttests were given at one month and four months following treatment. Subjects exposed to facilitated imagery showed significantly greater improvement on some scales of marital satisfaction and individual psychological functioning, and these improvements persisted at the four-month posttest. In posttest interviews, subjects reported the primary benefit was insight into themselves and their spouses.

A series of 2x(3) repeated measure analyses of variance were used to detect changes for husbands and wives. Subjects exposed to facilitated imagery reported significantly greater improvement than enrichment-only subjects on some scales of marital satisfaction and individual psychological functioning. In addition, improvements persisted at the four-month posttest for the enrichment-plus-imagery subjects, but declined for the enrichment-only subjects. In interviews, the majority of imagery subjects reported that the process had been helpful to them both personally and relationally. Subjectively they reported gaining insight into themselves or their spouse as the primary benefit obtained from the imagery work.     

Identity and Cultural Narrative in a Lesbian Relationship

SUMMARY

The dynamics of a specific lesbian couple are explored in terms of identifications, identity, and cultural narratives. Problems within couples can arise from challenges to the organization of identifications and to identity within and between the individuals as a couple moves from one cultural narrative to another. Female masculinity is especially vulnerable to these transitions, as it lacks legitimization from the culture at large.     

Profiles of dyadic adjustment for advanced prostate cancer to inform couple-based intervention

Objective: The purpose of the study is to describe from a relational perspective, partners’ psychological adjustment, coping and support needs for advanced prostate cancer.

Design: A mixed methods design was adopted, employing triangulation of qualitative and quantitative data, to produce dyadic profiles of adjustment for six couples recruited from the urology clinics of local hospitals in Tasmania, Australia.

Methods: Dyads completed a video-taped communication task, semi-structured interview and standardised self-report questionnaires.

Results: Themes identified were associated with the dyadic challenges of the disease experience (e.g. relationship intimacy, disease progression and carer burden). Couples with poor psychological adjustment profiles had both clinical and global locus of distress, treatment side-effects, carer burden and poor general health. Resilient couples demonstrated relationship closeness and adaptive cognitive and behavioural coping strategies. The themes informed the adaption of an effective program for couples coping with women’s cancers (CanCOPE, to create a program for couples facing advanced prostate cancer (ProCOPE-Adv).

Conclusion: Mixed method results inform the development of psychological therapy components for couples coping with advanced prostate cancer. The concomitance of co-morbid health problems may have implications for access and engagement for older adult populations in face-to-face intervention.     

Alcohol use affects sleep duration among military couples

Alcohol misuse and sleep disorders are highly comorbid, prevalent among service members and their romantic partners, and affected by relationship interdependence. As most military health research focuses on either service members or their spouses, the current study examined dyadic effects of alcohol use on sleep cycle duration in dating and married military couples (N = 149 dyads), using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Person-level results from a series of multilevel path models showed partial support for our focal hypothesis implicating high alcohol use in shortened average sleep duration for the service members and their romantic partners. Specifically, partners of service members who drank more regularly had shorter average sleep durations, as did female service members who drank more alcohol per drinking occasion. At the couple-level, a partner effect indicated that service members’ lower depressive symptoms were associated with their partner’s shorter average sleep durations. In addition, when service members reported relatively high alcohol-related problems, their partner tended to have a shorter average sleep duration. In contrast, when service members’ partners reported relatively high alcohol-related problems, they had a longer average sleep duration. This suggests the consequences of problematic alcohol use for service members’ partners depended on each dyad member’s drinking patterns. Taken together, these findings underscore the importance of viewing military couples as a dyadic unit in research studies and clinical interventions.