Dropping Out of Couple Therapy

Abstract

Current literature on dropouts in marriage and family therapy includes few studies that focus exclusively on couple therapy and only a limited number of qualitative studies. Clients' perceptions of premature termination are seldom considered. This qualitative case study describes, from both the clients' and the therapist's perspectives, one couple's experience of dropping out of couple therapy after three, sessions. Findings from this case study are compared with existing literature and a fourfold typology of dropouts is proposed. We offer recommendations for future research of dropouts in couple therapy.     

Differentiating Cognitive Content between Depressed and Anxious Outpatients

Quantitative research suggests that depressed and anxious patients can be differentiated based on their cognitive content. This study used qualitative research methods to separate the specific components of open‐ended depressive and anxious thought content in 79 psychiatric outpatients. Patients with major depressive disorder (MDD; n = 36), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD; n = 10), and other psychiatric disorders (PC; n = 33) were instructed to (a) describe their most bothersome problem; (b) imagine the worst possible negative outcome followed by the best possible positive outcome; and (c) describe associated thoughts and emotions for each scenario. The content of patients' responses were coded to examine (a) the types and severity of problems; (b) the presence or absence of hopelessness, catastrophizing, hopefulness, and unrealistic positive expectations; and (c) the presence or absence of particular emotions associated with imagined worst and best outcomes. More GAD patients than MDD and PC patients indicated anticipated anxious emotions associated with imagined worst outcomes, and fewer MDD patients than GAD and PC patients indicated anticipated happiness associated with imagined best outcomes. No group differences emerged for the other variables considered. These findings suggest that depressed and anxious patients differ in their cognitive expectancies about future life events in terms of their own anticipated emotional reactions.     

Therapists' Experiences of Conducting Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Online vis-à-vis Face-to-Face

This study has explored therapists' experiences of conducting cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) online and face-to-face. Eleven therapists partook in semi-structured interviews, which were thematically analysed using an abductive approach. The results indicate that the therapists viewed face-to-face therapy as a stronger experience than Internet-based CBT (ICBT), and the latter as being more manualised, but providing more work-time control. Several participants also thought that working alliance may be achieved faster and more easily in face-to-face therapy, and might worsen with fewer modalities of communication. Clinical implications in need of investigation are whether working with ICBT might buffer therapist exhaustion, and whether this therapy form can be improved by becoming less manual dependant in order to be easier to individualise.     

A feasibility study of psychological strengths and well-being assessment in individuals living with recurrent depression

Current conceptualizations of mental illness focus on assessing psychopathology. A balanced approach would assess strengths that individuals bring to coping with illness. This study measures psychological strengths in individuals with recurrent depression, their coping strategies, and their perceptions of the usefulness of strengths assessment as a component of psychological assessment. Individuals (N?=?112) with recurrent depression completed an online questionnaire measuring several psychological strengths, including gratitude, forgiveness, spirituality, and hope. Participants also described their use of coping strategies and their reaction to the utility of the two-continua model of mental health. A subset (n?=?10) completed a follow-up telephone interview. Higher levels of gratitude, self-forgiveness, hope, and spirituality and lower levels of optimism were indicative of higher life satisfaction. Self-forgiveness, spirituality, and gratitude were predictors of happiness. Higher levels of hope and self-forgiveness predicted positive affect whereas lower levels of self-forgiveness predicted negative affect. Participants reported using a range of coping resources and indicated that they valued strengths assessment, perceiving the two-continua model of mental health as empowering. The researcher discusses implications for clinical practice.     

谋事在人，成事在天——新生代农民工的适应策略及可协商命运观的影响

以珠海及宁波两地439名新生代农民工为对象,使用问卷法考察了他们的适应策略、生活结果（社会文化适应状况和主观幸福感）及命运观对适应策略选择的影响。结果发现：（1）整合策略是被调查者主要使用的适应策略,可协商命运观是被调查者主要持有的命运观;（2）持有可协商命运观的个体更多选择整合策略;（3）使用整合策略的个体具有更积极的社会文化适应状况和更高的主观幸福感;（4）可协商命运观对生活结果的积极影响可通过更多使用整合策略、更少使用分离和边缘化策略完全中介。     

决策中情绪作用机制的理论研究述评

决策研究领域日益重视情绪的作用,情绪的认知评估理论、道德情绪理论及动机维度模型等新兴情绪观使研究者对决策机制的认识不断深化,出现了解释情绪在各类决策中作用机制的理论成果：情绪浸润模型、风险决策感知与评估双系统模型、情绪即社会信息模型、神经情感决策理论。未来尚需加强作用机制的验证研究,从情绪具身角度进行思考,基于知情交互的角度整合理论体系,重视神经生理机制理论及模型建构。并简要分析了理论成果的启示。     

Research Note Examining non-religious groups in Britain: theistic belief and social correlates

Major changes in religious belonging in Britain in recent decades have included a marked decline in levels of Christian affiliation and a growing segment of society who profess no affiliation—the ‘religious nones’. This research note uses a contemporary opinion poll to examine the groupings within the broad ‘religious nones’ category, focusing on those who identify as atheist or agnostic or who profess some other non-religion identity. This research note examines the patterning in theistic belief across these groups and assesses the socio-demographic correlates of these groups. At each stage, the non-religious groups are compared with those who profess a religious affiliation. These empirical findings are of note, given trends in the British religious landscape and wider scholarly debates about the nature and extent of secularisation, and should encourage future research in the area of non-religion.     

Continuous assessment in a new Testament survey course: Empirically informed reflections on an Australian trial

This article reports on a practitioner action research project focused on developing, trialing, and reflecting upon a continuous and formative‐assessment plan for a foundational New Testament survey course. Three pedagogical convictions are discussed and drive the design of the assessment. Seven to nine assessment items (depending on level of study) based on course learning outcomes and informed by Bloom's taxonomy of learning, were developed and implemented. Students provided feedback on the assessment through an anonymous online survey. The results demonstrate that students preferred continuous assessment to an exam and major essay, and that they better achieved the course learning outcomes. In conclusion, this style of assessment is effective in driving and assessing student learning and so provides a basis for further action reflection.     

Exploring the lived experiences of infertility treatment and care by involuntarily childless women

This study explored the lived experiences of fertility treatment and care by South African women with infertility. A total of 21 women from different age and ethnic groups (age range = 26 to 41; whites = 53%, coloured = 47%) were interviewed for the study. The women responded to semi-structured interviews on their lived experiences of fertility treatment and care whilst undergoing treatment. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. Four main themes were identified in the study; including: lack of compassionate care from treatment care providers, the need for infertility clinics to integrate psychosocial support care, a need for continuing education for fertility staff, as well as financial support resourcing. Participants expressed a need for health care staff at fertility clinics to be more attentive to their emotional and psychological needs. In addition, participants perceived a need for psychosocial care as a result of the distressing nature of the treatment process. The women also felt that some health care staff lacked technical knowledge about the fertility treatments and this left them deprived of crucial information. The costly nature of fertility treatment presented as an added burden for participants. Overall, participants seemed to require a more individualised and patient centred form of fertility care.     

Visual knowledge discovery and machine learning for investment strategy

Knowledge discovery is an important aspect of human cognition. The advantage of the visual approach is in opportunity to substitute some complex cognitive tasks by easier perceptual tasks. However for cognitive tasks such as financial investment decision making this opportunity faces the challenge that financial data are abstract multidimensional and multivariate, i.e., outside of traditional visual perception in 2D or 3D world. This paper presents an approach to find an investment strategy based on pattern discovery in multidimensional space of specifically prepared time series. Visualization based on the lossless Collocated Paired Coordinates (CPC) plays an important role in this approach for building the criteria in the multidimensional space for finding an efficient investment strategy. Criteria generated with the CPC approach allow reducing/compressing space using simple directed graphs with beginnings and the ends located in different time points. The dedicated subspaces constructed for time series include characteristics such as Bollinger Band, difference between moving averages, changes in volume etc. Extensive simulation studies have been performed in learning/testing context. Effective relations were found for one-hour EURUSD pair for recent and historical data. Also the method has been explored for one-day EURUSD time series n 2D and 3D visualization spaces. The main positive result is finding the effective split of a normalized 3D space on 4 × 4 × 4 cubes in the visualization space that leads to a profitable investment decision (long, short position or nothing). The strategy is ready for implementation in algotrading mode.