Recruitment and Retention of Low‐SES Ethnic Minority Couples in Intervention Research at the Transition to Parenthood

Low‐SES couples have limited resources to manage the chronic and acute stressors with which they are disproportionately faced. Although these couples are at greater risk for negative individual and relationship outcomes, evaluations of the impact of couple relationship education (CRE) in low‐SES couples have been plagued by methodological problems, most notably challenges associated with recruitment and retention. We review the literature on challenges couples face associated with low‐SES, as well as on recruitment, retention, and CRE in low‐SES, ethnic minority populations. We illustrate some of these challenges in a case study of CRE for low‐SES couples transitioning to parenthood. In this pilot study, 21 couples were recruited from a community health clinic and randomized to either an experimental treatment condition (EXP; N = 11) or a treatment‐as‐usual control condition (TAU; N = 10). This study sought to mitigate documented challenges with recruitment and retention: We leveraged community partnerships, attempted to build and maintain strong relationships with study participants, provided incentives for assessments as well as intervention meetings, and attempted to reduce potential barriers to enrollment and retention. Nonetheless, we had low rates of recruitment and retention. We integrate these findings and experiences with our review of previous work in this area. We make recommendations for future CRE research and practice that have potential implications for public policy in this area.     

Discrepancias entre padres e hijos adolescentes en la frecuencia percibida e intensidad emocional en los conflictos familiares

Resumen

Se analizan las discrepancias entre las diadas padre-hijo, padre-hija, madre-hijo y madre-hija en la percepción de la frecuencia e intensidad emocional de conflictos en familias con hijos adolescentes de 12 a 17 años. Se contó con la colaboración de 433 familias canarias que respondieron a un amplio inventario conteniendo 63 situaciones conflictivas, elaborado para esta investigación. Los resultados indican que, aunque los hijos perciben más conflictos que sus padres, todos ellos coinciden en destacar como conflictos más frecuentes los relacionados con las tareas domésticas y la regulación de actividades cotidianas. Los padres se muestran más afectados en aquellos conflictos relacionados con las tareas domésticas, los estudios, la regulación de actividades cotidianas, la personalidad del adolescente y las relaciones de pareja. Los hijos se muestran más preocupados en aquellos conflictos relacionados con las relaciones entre hermanos, entre padres e hijos y por el dinero de bolsillo. La díada madre-hija es la que discrepa emocionalmente en más conflictos. Las edades de 14 y 15 años parecen corresponder a la máxima conflictividad familiar. También el sexo de los padres, el nivel de estudio de la madre, y la zona de residencia son variables relacionadas con la frecuencia e intensidad de determinados conflictos.     

The mythic significance of risk-taking,dangerous behaviour

Clinical research using grounded theory methodology was undertaken to discover the origin, structure and meaning of risk-taking, dangerous behaviour in childhood. Three different situations were identified in which risk-taking, dangerous behaviour occurred. These were named illusory-haven, no-haven and perilous-haven: 'haven' describing different object relationships which occurred both inter-psychically and intra-psychically, each of which was dangerous for the child. These configurations of relationships were found to be meaningfully linked to different situations in the Oedipal drama. The 'havens' were also found to be important in linking patterns of family relationships to gang formation. By using the havens in this broader context the insights gained from the Oedipus Complex are seen to be more widely applicable. Es wurde klinische Forschung , die sich auf theoretische Methodik beruft, benutzt, um den Ursprung, die Struktur und die Bedeutung von risikohaftem, gefährlichem Verhalten in der Kindheit zu entdecken. Es wurden drei verschiedene Situationen identifiziert, in denen risikohaftes, gefährliches Verhalten auftrat. Diese wurden illusorische Oase, keine Oase und gefähliche Oase genannt: 'Oase' beschreibt verschiedene Objektbeziehungen, die sowohl interpsychisch als auch intrapsychisch auftreten und jeweils gefährlich für das Kind sind. Diese Beziehungskonfigurationen konnten bedeutungsvoll mit verschiedenen Situationen des ödipalen Dramas verbunden werden. Die 'Oasen ' wurden auch als bedeutend dafür gesehen, Muster von Familienbeziehungen mit Gangformationen in Verbindung zu setzen. Indem man die Oasen in diesem weiteren Zusammenhang benutzt, werden die Einsichten, die aus dem ödipuskomplex gewonnen werden, als weitreichender anwendbar gesehen. Des recherches cliniques utilisant la méthodologie dite de la théorisation ancrée (analyse qualitative et catégorielle) ont été entreprises afin de déceler, chez l'enfant, l'origine, la structure et la signification de la prise de risques et du comportement dangereux. Trois situations différentes, dans lesquelles ce type de comportement se produit, ont été identifiées. Elles sont appelées «havre illusoire», «absence de havre» et «havre périlleux»; le mot «havre» est ici employé pour désigner les différentes relations objectales, inter-psychiques comme intra-psychiques, qui s'avèrent dangereuses pour l'enfant concerné. Ces configurations relationnelles sont liées de façon significative à certains avatars du drame ?dipien. L'idée du «havre» est une représentation qui permet de relier certaines configurations relationnelles familiales à la formation de «gangs» ou de bandes. La notion de «havre» utilisée dans ce contexte élargi permet de conclure que les insights acquis grâce au complexe d'?dipe sont d'application plus générale. Sono state fatte delle ricerche cliniche utilizzando una metodologia teorica fondata per scoprire l'origine, la struttura e il significato del comportamento di correre rischi e di quello pericoloso nell'infanzia. Si identificarono tre diverse situazioni in cui si presentava tale comportamento. Queste furono denominate rifugio-illusorio, non rifugio e rifugio pericoloso: 'il rifugio' descrive diverse relazioni d'oggetto sia a livello inter-psichico che intra-psichico, ciascuna delle quali e' stata pericolosa per il bambino. Risulto' che queste configurazioni di relazioni erano significativamente correlate a diverse situazioni nel dramma edipico. I 'rifugi' erano anche importanti nel correlare modelli di relazioni familiari alla formazione della gang. Usando i rifugi in questo contesto piu' ampio le insights ricavate dal complesso edipico possono essere piu' largamente applicabili.     

Some thoughts about thought disturbance in adolescence

One of the principal aims of adolescence is the development of the capacity to think for oneself. The authors explore the difficulties caused by disturbances of thinking in borderline adolescents, pointing out the role that the analyst can take in promoting better functioning of their patients' mental processes. Two cases are explored, one through a supervision and the other through direct clinical experience. Both illustrate the efforts of the analyst to carry out 'management in the area of thinking' with those borderline patients who have not received help from their parents to think, and still need to be shown how mentation takes place. The authors propose some changes in technique in order to implement this improvement, including sharing with the patient the way in which the analyst thinks about him. Thinking itself can be an important integrating factor for these patients.

Une des tâches principales de l'adolescence est de développer la capacité à penser par soi-même. Les auteurs explorent les difficultés occasionnées par des troubles de la pensée chez des adolescents borderline et soulignent le rôle que peut jouer l'analyste pour favoriser un meilleur fonctionnement des processus psychiques chez ces patients. Deux cas sont étudiés dans cet article ; dans l'un, le matériel est extrait de séances de supervision, dans l'autre, il est tiré directement de la situation thérapeutique. Ces cas mettent en évidence les efforts de l'analyste pour aider le patient à mieux fonder ses processus de pensée ; dans les états limites, le patient bien souvent n'a jamais pu bénéficier de l'aide de ses parents dans ce domaine et devra encore apprendre comment mettre en ?uvre l'idéation. Les auteurs proposent quelques modifications techniques afin de faciliter l'activité mentale chez ce type de patient, visant notamment à lui faire part de la manière dont son analyste pense à lui. La pensée en elle-même peut être un facteur important qui favorise l'intégration psychique chez ces patients.

Uno degli scopi principali dell'adolescenza e' lo sviluppo della capacita' di pensare per se stessi. Le autrici esplorano le difficolta' causate dai disturbi del pensiero in adolescenti borderline, sottolineando il ruolo che l'analista puo' avere nel promuovere un miglior funzionamento dei processi mentali dei loro pazienti. Vengono riportati due casi, uno attraverso l'esperienza di supervisione e l'altro attraverso l'esperienza diretta del lavoro clinico. In entrambi i casi viene illustrato lo sforzo dell'analista di portare avanti il 'management nell'area del pensare' con quei pazienti bordeline che non sono stati aiutati dai loro genitori a pensare, e che ancora hanno bisogno di capire come prende luogo il processo del pensare. Le autrici propongono dei cambiamenti nella tecnica per poter implementare tale miglioramento, compreso il condividere con il paziente il modo in cui l'analista pensa a lui. Il pensare puo' essere di per se' un importante fattore di integrazione per questi pazienti.

Eines der Hauptziele der Adoleszenz ist die Entwicklung der Fähigkeit, für sich selber zu denken. Die Autorinnen betrachten die Schwierigkeiten, die durch Denkstörungen bei Borderline- Jugendlichen verursacht werden, und stellen die Rolle heraus, die Analytiker einnehmen können, um ein besseres Funktionieren der mentalen Prozesse ihrer Patienten zu fördern. Es werden zwei Fälle betrachtet, einer durch Supervision und der andere durch direkte klinische Erfahrung. Beide illustrieren die Bemühungen der Analytikerin, 'Management im Bereich des Denkens' auszuführen mit diesen Borderline-Patienten, die von ihren Eltern keine Unterstützung zu denken erlangt hatten, und denen noch gezeigt werden muss, wie Denkprozesse stattfinden. Die Autorinnen schlagen einige Veränderungen in der Technik vor, um diese Verbesserung zu implementieren, einschliesslich dem, dass man dem Patienten mitteilt, wie die Analytikerin über ihn denkt. Denken selbst kann ein wichtiger integrierender Faktor für diese Patienten sein.     

Benefits to the Spanish research community of regional content expansion in Web of Science

The regional content expansion of Thomson Reuters (formerly ISI) Web of Science added approximately 1,600 journals to the database with a regional as opposed to international focus. Web of Science coverage has grown to reflect the changing nature of global research publication trends and the additional regional journals provide greater visibility to high quality local studies beyond their traditional boundaries. The cited references indexed from the regional journals represent the influence of those journals on both the global and local research communities. This study analyses the impact of adding Spanish regional journals to Web of Science on the publication and citation patterns of Spanish research. The findings demonstrate a recent increase in research output from Spain and this is explained by more Spanish research being produced rather than due to the indexing of more Spanish journals; indeed it is shown that the majority of Spanish research is not published in Spanish journals. An analysis of Spanish journal citations uncovers a Spanish regional citation network previously undetected and serves as valuable information for evaluators of Spanish journals.     

An Evolutionary Perspective on Family Studies: Differential Susceptibility to Environmental Influences

An evolutionary perspective of human development provides the basis for the differential‐susceptibility hypothesis which stipulates that individuals should differ in their susceptibility to environmental influences, with some being more affected than others by both positive and negative developmental experiences and environmental exposures. This paper reviews evidence consistent with this claim while revealing that temperamental and genetic characteristics play a role in distinguishing more and less susceptible individuals. The differential‐susceptibility framework under consideration is contrasted to the traditional diathesis‐stress view that “vulnerability” traits predispose some to being disproportionately affected by (only) adverse experiences. We raise several issues stimulated by the literature that need to be clarified in further research. Lastly, we suggest that therapy may differ in its effects depending on an individual's susceptibility.     

A Strange Fire: an exploration of psycho‐spiritual development aided by Jungian analysis and Vedanta

This paper explores the process of psychological and spiritual development through a series of active imaginations arising from the author's ‘psycho‐spiritual quest’, a process of transformation in which the individual progressively frees themselves from the ego's identifications and may be afforded a vision of the ‘self as consciousness’, as described by Vedanta. The author describes how this quest was facilitated by the disciplines of Transcendental Meditation, Jungian analysis and Vedanta, and how these three disciplines can work together to foster psycho‐spiritual development. The paper aims to de‐mystify the actual experiences that can accompany these practices. The records of these active imaginations, tracing some key stages in this process, are then presented, with a commentary by Marcus West, linking them to Jung's concepts of ego and Self and recent understandings of consciousness and ego development. There is a discussion of Jung's conceptualizations of the ego and the Self and his rejection of the Vedantic understanding of the Self as consciousness. These views are then explored and a reconciliation is suggested through the understanding of the process of disidentification where the difference between Jung's view of the Self and that of Vedanta is understood to be due to the extent of disidentification from the contents of consciousness.     

Malchish‐Kibalchish: cultural factors in a clinical case

In this paper, a Jungian understanding of cultural factors influencing individual analysis is illustrated with the case of a patient suffering from panic attacks. The analysis revealed that, in addition to the patient's personal background, the collectivistic attitudes of the Soviet culture, which had a moulding effect on the patient in his childhood and obstructed his individuation, should be taken into account. The concepts of the totalitarian object and the Russian cultural complex encompassing a grandiosity pole and an inferiority pole are used to explore the patient's condition, and the crucial role of creating mutual language with the patient is outlined.     

Jung in education: a review of historical and contemporary contributions from analytical psychology to the field of education

The available literature on the influence of Jungian thought on the theory and practice of education leaves the impression that although the work of Carl Jung and analytical psychology have much to offer the field of education, the Jungian influence has so far been slight. While this has certainly been true, the last decade or so has nevertheless witnessed an increased scholarly interest in exploring how analytical psychology may inform and inspire the field of education. As an explanation for this burgeoning interest in Jung, several of the contemporary contributors mention that analytical psychology has the potential of functioning as a counterbalance to the tendencies in Western societies to focus on measurable learning targets and increasingly standardized measures of teaching and assessment. It seems pertinent then to gain an overview of how analytical psychology has so far inspired the field of education and how it may fruitfully continue do so in the future. To this end this paper is structured chronologically, starting with the different phases of Jung's own engagement with the field of education and ending with later post‐Jungian applications of his concepts and ideas to education.