CROSS-NATIONAL DIFFERENCES IN RELATIONSHIPS OF WORK DEMANDS, JOB SATISFACTION, AND TURNOVER INTENTIONS WITH WORK–FAMILY CONFLICT

A study of work interference with family (WIF) among managers is described, contrasting four clusters of countries, one of which is individualistic (Anglo) and three of which are collectivistic (Asia, East Europe, and Latin America). Country cluster (Anglo vs. each of the others) moderated the relation of work demands with strain-based WIF, with the Anglo country cluster having the strongest relationships. Country cluster moderated some of the relationships of strain-based WIF with both job satisfaction and turnover intentions, with Anglos showing the strongest relationships. Cluster differences in domestic help were ruled out as the possible explanation for these moderator results.     

Advances in Latino Family Research: Cultural Adaptations of Evidence-Based Interventions

The stark contrast between frequent calls for research and practice that are applicable across a broad spectrum of cultural and ethnically diverse groups and the dearth of empirical knowledge about Latino families provided the impetus for this special issue on advances in Latino family research. A focus on empirically based practice frames the issue, focusing specifically on how concepts (expressed emotion, parenting style) can be used within interventions, how Latino parents perceive efforts to deliver evidence-based interventions, and how pilot projects that delivered culturally adapted interventions in three separate cities impacted family functioning. In all, the introduction highlights the complexities for researchers in meeting the needs of the field to ensure that effective interventions are applicable across cultural groups. Meeting the challenges is important to address the need of the growing Latino population. Advances in intervention research with ethnic minorities also stand to contribute to the advancement of intervention research broadly. This special issue provides examples of efforts that are underway to better understand what treatments work for Latino families, provided by whom, for what specific problems, and in which specific circumstances, paving the way to begin attempting to answer a challenge posed more than 40 years ago by Gordon Paul.     

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy for Puerto Rican Preschool Children with ADHD and Behavior Problems: A Pilot Efficacy Study

This study evaluates the initial efficacy of the Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) for Puerto Rican preschool children aged 4–6 years with a diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), combined or predominantly hyperactive type, and significant behavior problems. Thirty-two families were randomly assigned to PCIT ( n =20) or a 3.5-month waiting-list condition (WL; n =12). Participants from both groups completed pretreatment and posttreatment assessments. Outcome measures included child's ADHD symptoms and behavior problems, parent or family functioning, and parents' satisfaction with treatment. ANCOVAs with pretreatment measures entered as covariates were significant for all posttreatment outcomes, except mother's depression, and in the expected direction ( p <.01). Mothers reported a highly significant reduction in pretreatment hyperactivity and inattention and less aggressive and oppositional-defiant behaviors, conduct problems assessed as problematic, parenting stress associated with their child's behavior, and an increase in the use of adequate parenting practices. For the WL group, there were no clinically significant changes in any measure. Treatment gains obtained after treatment were maintained at a 3.5-month follow-up assessment. PCIT seems to be an efficacious intervention for Puerto Rican families who have young children with significant behavior problems.     

Structural Ecosystems Therapy for HIV+ African‐American Women and Drug Abuse Relapse

To read this article's abstract in both Spanish and Mandarin Chinese, please visit the article's full‐text page on Wiley InterScience ( http://interscience.wiley.com/journal/famp ). This report examines the effect of Structural Ecosystems Therapy (SET) for (n=143) HIV+ African‐American women on rate of relapse to substance use relative to both a person‐centered approach (PCA) to therapy and a community control (CC) group. A prior report has shown SET to decrease psychological distress and family hassles relative to these 2 comparison groups. In new analyses, SET and CC had a significant protective effect against relapse as compared with PCA. There is evidence that SET's protective effect on relapse was related to reductions in family hassles, whereas there was not a direct impact of change in psychological distress on rates of relapse. Lower retention in PCA, perhaps caused by the lack of a directive component to PCA, may have put these women at greater risk for relapse. Whereas SET did not specifically address substance abuse, SET indirectly protected at‐risk women from relapse through reductions in family hassles.     

Multi-Level Couple Therapy: Applying a Metacommunicational Framework of Couple Interactions

Excerpts from a couple therapy case are cited to illustrate the practical significance of a multi-level framework in understanding couple interactions. The clinical implications of the metacommunicational framework, as a metaphor for examining and understanding relational processes, are discussed. Also, the pragmatics of following “process” at a variety of levels when working with punctuational differences, developing therapy strategies and goals, and measuring the progress of couple therapy are discussed.     

Toward a Metacommunicational Framework of Couple Interactions

A multi-level, metacommunicational framework to understand couple interactions is presented. Five interactional levels are defined following a mode of abstraction that parallels the theory of logical types; case examples are offered of couples interacting at each of the levels. The clinical implications of the framework, as a metaphor for understanding transactional processes, are discussed with an emphasis on the pragmatics of working with punctuational diffferences, developing therapeutic strategies, measuring progress, and setting goals for therapy with couples.