abstract: Effective communication plays a major role in the psychological adjustment and quality of the relationship of couples coping with cancer, yet only a few communicative behaviors have been examined in the context of a cancer diagnosis and treatment. This study sought to expand the extant literature by describing a wider range of communicative behaviors (beyond the frequently researched withdraw, disclosure/holding back, and avoidance behaviors) through an observable measure, as previous research has relied heavily on self-report. Couples (134 cancer patients and their caregiving partners) were video-taped discussing a cancer-related concern in the laboratory. Discussions were coded separately for patients and caregivers using the Asymmetrical Behavioral Coding System which captures 22 communicative behaviors. These behaviors contribute to four higher-level scales: positive approach, negative approach, positive avoidance, and negative avoidance. Area under the curve was calculated to describe each factor. The most frequently observed behavior was positive approach, followed by negative avoidance, negative approach, and positive avoidance. Paired samples t-test analyses examining the factors by moderating variables revealed that women engaged in more positive approach behaviors than did men; men engaged in more avoidant behaviors (both positive and negative) than did women; and caregivers engaged in more avoidant behaviors (both positive and negative) than did patients. Findings are consistent with prior research in the field and suggest consideration of tailoring possible future interventions. Further investigation is needed to assess possible interactional effects to ultimately help couples better communicate about the challenges associated with cancer treatment and recovery. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Counseling Psychology 2020

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Couple therapy has been proven to be successful in treating marital distress and mental health problems; however, not everyone benefits from couple therapy. Although research suggests that some couple therapists are more effective than others, little research has explored the in-session behaviors of effective couple therapists. The purpose of this study was to code the therapist behaviors of therapist warmth, empathy, validation, presence, collaboration, systemically-based techniques, and session structure in the first session of 17 Emotionally Focused Therapy cases of couple therapy to examine their ability to predict pre-therapy to post-therapy change in male and female marital satisfaction. The seven hypotheses were tested utilizing Bayesian structure equation modeling (BSEM). Results indicate that 13 of the 14 hypothesized relationships between therapist behaviors and change in marital satisfaction were not significant. Only therapist empathy was a significant predictor, but it unexpectedly predicted a decrease in female marital satisfaction over the course of therapy. Possible explanations for the findings and clinical implications were discussed.

The purpose of this study was to develop a deep understanding into the unique work family balance experiences of women in production couples in cut, make and trim factories in Newcastle, South Africa. A production couple is first and foremost a business partnership that involves joint ownership of a clothing factory, however the relationship is also a strategy the women use to satisfy their emotional needs and over time the relationship plays an important role in their return migration intention. Using a phenomenological research design, eight in depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with women in a production couple. Though the study set out to explore both the male and female partners, all the male partners eventually declined, citing Covid-19 related reasons such as having the only male in the researcher network dropping out, significantly lowering the likelihood of recruiting willing male participants. A potential reason for this is that men in Chinese culture are expected to carry the family name and with the persisting patriarchal gender roles (Sun & Chen, 2014), they are confronted with greater risk of losing face if exposed that they are in this type of relationship. Thematic analysis conducted on the data revealed three key themes: (1) Factors affecting the work-family balance of women in production couples, (2) Transnational care practices and, (3) Boundary management practices used by the women to maintain work-family balance. The findings challenged the nuclear family ideal and contributed new knowledge on how work family balance is perceived and maintained from a transnational perspective.

La presente investigación describe la experiencia subjetiva de jóvenes de 20 a 25 años que mantienen relaciones románticas a larga distancia. Se recurrió a un diseño fenomenológico hermenéutico mediante el estudio de caso múltiple haciendo uso de los sistemas conversacionales de González Rey (2007). Participaron tres jóvenes con quienes se tuvo dos conversaciones con cada uno. Se encontró que la experiencia relacional previa influye en la experiencia subjetiva de la relación romántica actual a través de la imagen subjetiva que forman los participantes de sí mismos y de la pareja. Los objetivos educacionales y profesionales son relevantes en la manera en que los participantes configuran sus relaciones románticas y en la determinación de las aspiraciones e intenciones con la pareja. El cuerpo, en sus dimensiones física y mental, juega un papel importante en el intercambio virtual y el desarrollo de la intimidad de los participantes con sus parejas. La incertidumbre es un factor central en la vivencia de desencuentros entre los participantes y sus parejas. Los resultados de la investigación permiten plantearse que la interacción virtual da lugar a nuevos esquemas para pensar al otro y a uno mismo. Las relaciones inter e intrapersonales parecen verse afectadas por el avance de las tecnologías de la comunicación. / The present research describes the subjective experience of people between the ages of 20 and 25 who maintain long-distance romantic relationships. A hermeneutical phenomenological design was applied through a multiple case study employing González Rey’s (2007) conversational systems Three young people participated in the study. The researcher had two conversations with each one. It was found that the previous relational experience influences the subjective experience of the current romantic relationship through the subjective image that the participants form of themselves and of their couple. Educational and professional goals are relevant in the way participants shape their romantic relationships and in determining their aspirations and intentions with the partner. The body, in its physical and mental dimensions, plays an important role in the virtual exchange and the development of the intimacy of the participants with their partners. Uncertainty is a central factor in the experience of disagreements between the participants and their partners. The results of the research allow us to think that virtual interaction gives rise to new schemes to think about the other and oneself. Interpersonal and intrapersonal relationships seem to be affected by the advancement of communication technologies. / Tesis

Participation in couple leisure is related to marital satisfaction as well as lower divorce rates; however, Americans seem to have less time available to participate in couple leisure and may have a harder time attaining role balance. There is currently limited research about how role balance may affect leisure as well as how couples manage to balance their leisure time with their other responsibilities, ensuring they have time to spend together in high interaction leisure. We also know very little about other possible benefits couples may experience as a result of participating in couple leisure and the factors that may either facilitate or constrain positive leisure. Using a qualitative approach to data collection and analysis, and informed by symbolic interaction theory, I interviewed nine couples in order to explore the phenomenon of newlywed couple leisure, and address these issues. Couples found significant benefits and meaning through participation in couple leisure activities. They also perceived that participation in leisure together increased satisfaction with their marriages. Many factors were found to constrain or facilitate a positive leisure experience, including time, money, and others. It was found that role balance plays a large part in finding time to participate in leisure as a couple. Being able to role balance helped couples to better enjoy the benefits and meaning couple leisure provided.

Unfulfilled attachment related needs and wants are viewed by many therapists as the heart of couple distress (Johnson & Whiffen, 2003; Johnson, 2004). As a result, efforts to discover and utilize therapeutic processes that encourage couples to identify and appropriately respond to their partner's core attachment needs and wants continue to increase. This study served as a pilot study for a planned, larger-scale investigation examining enactments as a potential best-practice change mechanism to strengthen secure attachment in marital therapy. Twelve couples were randomly assigned to one of two possible experimental groups. Group 1 experienced three therapist-centered therapy sessions, followed by three enactment-centered sessions. Group 2 experienced three enactment-centered sessions followed by three therapist-centered sessions. Before each experimental session, both spouses independently completed a measure assessing their attachment security to their spouse over the past week. After each experimental session, both spouses independently completed a measure assessing how their attachment security to their spouse changed during the session. Each participant's scores were averaged and analyzed descriptively to explore possible trends and trajectories regarding the relationship between an enactment-focused clinical process and secure attachment and how it compared to a therapist-centered clinical process. The results of this pilot study provide preliminary support of enactments as an effective treatment protocol for therapists to help couples strengthen their secure attachment. Findings revealed trends suggesting that enactment-focused therapy sessions tended to increase overall couple secure attachment, perhaps superior to that of a solely therapist-centered approach.

This study examined the mediating impact of couples' attachment behaviors on the relationship between poor quality family-of-origin experiences and marital communication quality. The couple data for this study was collected from the Relationship Evaluation (RELATE) database (see www.relate-institute.org). An Actor Partner Interdependence Model using structural equation modeling was used to evaluate 261 marriage relationships. Results indicated that the relationships between family-of-origin experiences and communication quality are significantly related, with more family-of-origin problems associated with poorer positive communication skills. When attachment behaviors (accessibility, responsiveness, and engagement) were added to the model, it significantly mediated the relationship. Implications for clinicians treating couples who present with communication problems are discussed, as are directions for future research.

While there is substantial evidence that marriage impacts health, no studies have explicitly analyzed the association between attachment behaviors and health practices. This study examines the relationship between couples' attachment behaviors and health practices, as measured by physical activity levels and dietary habits. Couple data was analyzed from the RELATE database (n= 4,957 couples). An Actor Partner Interdependence Model, using a multinomial logistic regression, was used to examine the relationships between attachment behaviors and health practices, as measured by activity level and dietary habits. Results for actor paths indicate that wives' own attachment behaviors significantly influence their own health practices. Husbands' attachment behaviors are not significantly related to their own health practices. Results also show no significant partner paths for either spouse. Clinical implications for treating women who present with health problems are discussed, as are directions for future research.

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