Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2009. / Title from PDF title page (University of Texas Digital Repository, viewed on July 30, 2009). Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2005. / Title from PDF title page screen. Includes bibliographical references (p. 66-82)

Thesis (M.A.)--Bowling Green State University, 2006. / Document formatted into pages; contains vi, 59 p. Includes bibliographical references.

The purpose of this study was to analyze student therapist’s level of agreement with the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy’s (AAMFT) formal statements concerning lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) persons and families; specifically, it examined student’s level of agreement with the AAMFT’s definition of Marriage/Couple and Family Therapy (CFT), and the AAMFT’s formal statement concerning same sex couples. This was explored via the participant’s qualitative and quantitative answers. The study used an existing data set consisting of 248 participants; 62.6% were enrolled in a masters program and 36.8% were enrolled in a PhD CFT program. Participant’s quantitative responses indicated that a large majority of participants agreed with the statements, and were in support of the AAMFT inviting same sex couples to receive therapeutic services. However, the qualitative responses also indicated that some participants disagreed with the statements, and did not hold accepting beliefs towards LGB persons and families.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University. Note: missing pages: 40, 212, and 214. / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to investigate empirically whether there is an association between value system similarity and marital adjustment; and (2) to examine qualitatively the nature of that association. The relationship between mutual values and marital adjustment has long been assumed to be a strong one, although little research has been done to verify the assumption. The theoretical framework and empirical instrument developed by Milton Rokeach were used to define and measure the independent variable, value convergence. A value is defined as a belief centrally located in the belief system about how one ought to behave or about an end-state of existence which a person considers worth attaining. A value system is the rank order of a person's values in terms of their importance to him. Two separate value systems are postulated, a terminal value system (goals for living) and an instrumental value system (modes of behaving). The term, value convergence, refers to the degree of similarity or agreement in value systems existing between husband and wife. The conceptual approach and adjustment test of Harvey J. Locke were employed to define and measure the dependent variable, marital adjustment. The term, marital adjustment, refers to the level of adaptation of husband and wife in such a way as to resolve conflicts sufficiently so that both spouses feel satisfied with their marriage and with one another, develop common interests and activities, and feel that their marriage is fulfilling their expectations. Two major theoretical hypotheses were constructed which, summarily stated, posit a greater degree of terminal and instrumental value convergence between well-adjusted than maladjusted spouses. Control hypotheses were also theoretically generated on certain demographic variables in order to check on the uniformity of the sample groups. In order to test the general hypothesis an investigation was conducted with 50 married couples, all of whom reside in a twelve-town area in southeast Massachusetts. Twenty-five maladjusted couples were selected from consecutive admissions for marriage counseling at the Plymouth Area Mental Health Center. Twenty-five well-adjusted couples were drawn from a subject pool of 35 happily married couples recommended for participation in the project by clergymen. The 25 couples scoring highest on the Locke Marital Relationship Inventory were selected to comprise the well-adjusted group. Data on couples' value systems were obtained by using the Rokeach Value Survey and a semi-projective sentence completion instrument designed by the researcher. The results of the quantitative investigation were found to be positive and significant. The results showed that well-adjusted couples had more similar terminal and instrumental values than did maladjusted couples. Like instrumental values were further found to be more strongly associated with good marital adjustment than like terminal values. In other words, it is important that couples agree on their goals for living but, even more crucial, that they concur regarding modes of behaving. The findings from the qualitative inquiry into the nature of the association between the variables revealed that well-adjusted couples with like values differ from their counterparts in that they (1) perceive the future positively sharing similar goals, (2) make decisions conjointly agreeing on means, and (3) experience a high degree of marital unity based on common goals and shared activities. On the basis of the findings from the quantitative and qualitative investigations, it was concluded that level of marital adjustment is positively related to degree of value convergence. Value system similarity appears to be important as two people interact with one another over a long period of time, and as they engage in long range planning. / 2031-01-01

No description available.

No description available.

Missing pages 38 and 39 / This research is based on a sample of 76 couples experiencing a fertility problem. Recruited through a medical fertility clinic and several adoption agencies, the response rate was 43%. Data were collected by weans of written questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The focus of this research is on the way that parenthood identity changes for couples who are unable to have biological children and who therefore pursue adoption as an alternate route to parenthood. Conceptualized as a "transformation of identity", the analysis traces the process by which couples relinquish identification with biological parenthood and assume identification with adoptive parenthood. Several key issues are explored in the study: the impact of infertility on the taken-for-granted weaning of parenthood; critical incidents that initiate the transition to adoptive parenthood; objective and subjective indicators of what it weans to be ready to take on adoptive parenthood; and finally, the resocialization process involved in shifting from biological to adoptive parenthood. Also examined is the relationship between infertility resolution and adoption readiness. The findings suggest that this is not always a sequential relationship as usually assumed, but rather, way be experienced as a concurrent commitment to both biological and adoptive parenthood. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Family Studies and Human Services / Briana S. Goff / The purpose of this qualitative study was to gain an in-depth understanding of the systemic effects of trauma, particularly war-related traumatic stress as a result of military deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, in a sample of recent war veterans and their spouses. With recent military deployments and redeployments of soldiers, empirical and clinical research is needed to eliminate further deterioration and retraumatization caused by personal and interpersonal traumatization that can lead to severe PTSD and other trauma-related symptoms. Much of the research on previous wars focused on the individual trauma survivor overlooking the impact on the couple and family system. This study focused on explaining the systemic effects of trauma as it specifically impacts couple relational systems. By employing qualitative analysis, six couples (12 participants) were selected from the original data set of 45 couples (90 participants). Participants completed questionnaires and separate individual standardized open-ended interviews about their traumatic experiences. The interviews were transcribed, coded, and analyzed producing four themes: positive impact of deployment on the couple’s relationship, the negative impact of deployment on the couple’s relationship, soldiers’ war-related trauma, and issues of secrecy. Two groups were identified (high trauma/high relational satisfaction group and high trauma/low relational satisfaction group), based on the quantitative measures that were completed by all participants. Participants reported both war deployment related and non-deployment related traumatic experiences. Many participants reported feeling as though they restarted their relationship upon returning home, while some described feeling closer to their spouse at redeployment. Participants reported having a common worry of if the soldiers would return home alive, soldiers’ missing many life events (i.e., child birth, etc.), and soldiers’ worry about the safety and health of their spouses. An interesting finding was that some couples with high levels of trauma can maintain high levels of relational satisfaction when they have knowledge and understanding of each other’s trauma history and have open, on-going communication, while some couples with high levels of trauma tend to have low relational satisfaction due to limited communication about their trauma history. Strengths and limitations of the study, research implications, and clinical implications were discussed.

No description available.