This qualitative research study was designed to follow-up with ten participants in a relapse prevention program at an inpatient psychiatric unit with a diagnosis of major depression for the purpose of determining their experiences post-discharge in practicing relapse prevention and in pursuing and maintaining wellness in their mental health. It relied upon narrative theory, theories of self-efficacy, and theories of depression to guide the research process as well as the field of knowledge about rehospitalization, relapse prevention, depression, and self-efficacy. Participants described depression associated with loss, feeling helpless, powerless, overwhelmed and suicidal. They increased in their confidence of depression management as their depression got better and they actively managed it. During the interviews participants expressed themes of connection, with participants feeling disconnected from themselves and others, wanting to be listened to, but feeling unheard or hiding their own voice, a loss of self with healing occurring through use of self, learning cognitively and experientially to manage their depression using specific self-efficacy skills and identifying the things that interfered with depression management. A relational theory of depression management, based on attachment theory is proposed and several suggestions for research and treatment are made. / Ph. D.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Trinity International University, 2001. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 169-171).

Relational aggression is an indirect type of aggression used to damage relationships with others. Adolescent girls frequently encounter this issue, and the ubiquity of technology has expanded the ways in which girls can attack one another, i.e. cyber-bullying. The causes of relational aggression are unknown and could involve a combination of factors, including victim and/or bully psycho-social adjustment, social expectations, or the implicit structure of female friendships in adolescence. The effects range from social anxiety to impacted school performance to depression and suicidality. Groups of friends act much like a family for adolescents in terms of support and intimacy. Using Murray Bowen’s family systems theory as a template, an intervention is proposed where girls are taught techniques that will strengthen relationships with others and themselves. / text

Drawing on structural family systems theory, this study investigates the relations among family boundary diffusion experienced during adolescence, psychological individuation, and adjustment, from the perspective of older adolescents and young adults. Previous research suggests that boundary diffusion, such as triangulation and parentification, are linked to a variety of negative outcomes for adolescents and young adults (e.g., Buchanan et al., 1991; Hetherington, 1999; Jacobvitz & Bush, 1996), although not uniformly so (e.g., Arditti, 1999; Rosenberg & Guttmann, 2001). Theorists have argued that diffuse family boundaries may hinder the psychological individuation process (Jurkovic, 1997; Lopez, Campbell, & Watkins, 1989), which in turn may be related to low psychological well-being among young adults (Lapsley, Rice, & Shadid, 1989; Mattanah et al., 2004). However, the consequences of some types of boundary diffusion, in particular parentification, may vary depending on the contextual fabric in which they occur (Jurkovic, 1997). Hence, this study explores the extent to which family structure (young adults with married parents versus young adults with divorced, single parents) and gender may impact the relationships among boundary diffusion, individuation, and adjustment. Four-hundred-and-four older adolescents and young adults drawn from the community and a university setting participated in the study. Roughly equal numbers of men and women from both married and divorced family backgrounds were recruited. Participants were asked to reflect back to their adolescence (ages 14 to 17) and completed questionnaires assessing triangulation and parentification experienced by mothers and fathers during this time period. Current psychological individuation from mothers and fathers as well as current general and relationship-specific adjustment were also assessed via self-report measures. As expected, results indicated that participants with divorced parents experienced more boundary diffusion than participants with married parents. Overall, boundary diffusion was reliably associated with poorer adjustment and less psychological individuation irrespective of gender and family structure. Within this general pattern of findings, one notable exception existed: parentification by the same-sex parent among participants with divorced parents appeared not to be related to adjustment, which stood in contrast to findings for participants with married parents. Triangulation, on the other hand, emerged as a consistent and reliable predictor of psychological individuation and adjustment irrespective of family structure and gender. Lastly, as hypothesized, psychological individuation fully mediated the relationship between boundary diffusion and adjustment for the overall sample. This model was also fully supported for women and partially supported for men. Intervention implications arising from this research, including the importance of addressing triangulation dynamics in families and the potential fruitfulness of attending to individuation themes for young adults with histories of boundary diffusion, are highlighted.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Trinity International University, 2001. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 169-171).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Trinity International University, 2001. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 169-171).

Previous studies indicated that parents raising children with autism (CWA) experience higher rates of stress; however, no qualitative studies have addressed low-income parents' lived experiences of raising CWA. The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand the challenges that low-income parents of CWA face daily within the framework of family systems theory and biopsychosocial theory. Research questions focused on the impact of income and the core symptoms of autism (social deficits, communication deficits, and repetitive behaviors) on marital and interpersonal relationships. Semistructured interviews with 13 parents were conducted, and transcripts were analyzed for themes using a 4-step process. Results indicated some negative impacts on parents' marital, social, and professional relationships. Themes included higher levels of stress and depression, decreased social interaction, less personal and professional satisfaction, and lower levels of marital satisfaction. Findings may be used to increase empathy and understanding of parents' challenges and improve access to resources and services required for CWA and their parents to enhance their quality of life.

Death is a sensitive topic, and discussing death with children may be difficult for parents, especially parents who are uncomfortable with emotional expression. Many factors are associated with parents' decision to discuss death; however, a dearth of recent literature existed examining the role of parental emotional expressiveness and discussing death with children. Using Jackson's communications theory within the broader family systems theory, this exploratory non-experimental quantitative study examined if one or more of the selected variables of parents' emotional expressiveness, parents' gender, and any previous discussions about death with a child adequately predicted the age of a child when parents felt it was appropriate to discuss death with a child. Prospective participants were parents recruited from a national online university (n = 175). Multiple linear regression analysis using enter selection was conducted on the data from the instruments that included the Attitudes towards Emotional Expression Measure and the demographics questionnaire. Results indicated no significance between the predictor and criterion variables. Despite the non-significant results, this study has the opportunity to impact positive social change by encouraging further research to understand the association, if any, between emotional expressiveness and death conversations, de-stigmatizing discussions of death and bereavement, and informing parents and professionals regarding discussing death with children to help children cope with their emotions in bereavement.

No description available.

No description available.