This ex post facto co-relational study focused on the relationship between differentiation of self and perception of health in the family of origin and marital intimacy and fusion in the present marital relationship, in a non-clinical sample of 250 married couples. Couples were matched (high, medium, low) or mismatched with respect to their perception of the family of origin experience. Two matching criteria were used, one based on past perception (PERHEL) and the second on present perception (INTERGEN) of family of origin experience. The independent variable investigated was the perception of differentiation in the family of origin. The dependent variables assessed were spousal fusion and intimacy in the family of procreation. One dependent measure of fusion (PAFS) and two dependent measures of intimacy (PAFS and PAIR) in the marital relationship were considered. / Hypothesis 1 which predicted that couples "matched" with respect to level of differentiation, irrespective of the level of match, would enjoy greater marital intimacy and hypotheses 2 which predicted less discrepancy between perceived and expected marital intimacy scores for matched compared to mismatched couples, were not supported. / There was considerable support for hypotheses 3 and 4. Couples matched at high levels of differentiation (INTERGEN) reported greater intimacy than couples matched at medium and low levels of differentiation and medium matched couples showed greater intimacy than low matched couples. In hypothesis 4, couples matched at high levels of differentiation (PERHEL and INTERGEN) reported less fusion than couples matched at medium and low levels of differentiation and medium matched couples showed less fusion than low matched couples. / Lastly, Bowen's (1978) suggestion, that since individuals seek marital partners at similar levels of differentiation, their perceptions of the family of origin experience would be similar, was supported. / Other findings included significant correlations between antecedent (FOS, PAFS) and consequent (PAFS, PAIR) measures. / Results were discussed with respect to the method employed, future research and family therapy. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 50-03, Section: A, page: 0801. / Major Professor: Murray Krantz. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1988.

The purpose of this study was to identify the boundary regulatory behaviors as reflected by the Assertiveness, Aggressiveness and Relationship Scales of the Interpersonal Behavior Survey (Mauger & Adkinson, 1980) that distinguish psychologically symptomatic from nonsymptomatic adult children of alcoholics (ACOAs). Subjects ($N$ = 139) were split into symptomatic and nonsymptomatic groups using the Brief Symptom Inventory (Derogatis, 1982) and compared on the Interpersonal Behavior Survey (IBS) responses. Mann-Whitney tests of the differences between the two groups on each of the IBS scales revealed that nonsymptomatic ACOAs had significantly higher assertiveness scores on each of the IBS scales: General Assertiveness; Self-confidence; Initiating Assertiveness; Defending Assertiveness; Frankness; Giving/Receiving Praise; and Refusing Demands. The results indicated that symptomatic ACOAs scored significantly higher on the IBS Aggressiveness Scales of Passive Aggressiveness and Expression of Anger, and significantly higher on the IBS Relationship Scales of Conflict Avoidance, Dependence and Shyness. Implications for prevention, therapeutic intervention and future research are discussed. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 49-12, Section: B, page: 5568. / Major Professor: Mary W. Hicks. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1988.

The effects of three current treatments to improve the self-reported relationship between 40 family members (39 females and one male) and their relatives who suffer from dementia were examined in a pretest posttest experimental design. The treatments provided for family members were an education approach, a supportive approach, and a combination approach. The design also included a waiting list control group. Group comparison and qualitative interpretation were employed in the analyses. Relationship satisfaction was measured by a modified version of Hudson's Attitude Toward Mother/Father scale. Forty subjects who participated in the four equal groups were studied. Multivariate and ANCOVA analyses showed that relationship satisfaction, using a measurement for the level of education (EDQ) as a covariate, yielded significant differences between the treatment groups and the waiting list control group. These results remained consistent in the follow-up analysis. / The education treatment approach was later given to the waiting list control group; no significant differences from the original education group were noted. The treatments, in rank order, which yielded the greatest gains are: (1) education, (2) combination, and (3) support. The use of these treatments as therapeutic modalities are discussed and implications for social work research and practice are considered. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 52-01, Section: A, page: 0297. / Major Professor: Dianne Harrison Montgomery. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1990.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 35-07, Section: A, page: 4718. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1974.

The effect of the death of a relative in the parental or grandparental generation upon the surviving adult children or grandchildren of the deceased was the object of this study. It was hypothesized that in cohesive families, the death of a relative created emotional "shock waves" affecting the survivors in many ways. The major consequence studied was the effect of this relative's death on the relationship stability of adult children's engagements and/or marriages. It was expected that where the death of a relative was followed by a marital relationship status change in surviving adult children, the level of perceived family cohesion would be higher than in those situations where a relative's death was not followed by a marital relationship status change. A clinical sample of adult volunteers 18 years of age or older (N = 41) was surveyed. The sample contained two groups: a group in which the death of a relative was "linked" with a relationship change within 24 months and a group in which the death of a relative was "not linked" with a relationship status change in that time period. The individuals in the two groups responded to the Moos subscale on cohesion (Moos, Insel, and Humphreys, 1974). No significant (p $<$.05) differences were found in the means of cohesion levels between the group with a death linked to a relationship status change within 24 months (N = 20) and the group without such a linkage (N = 21). Further analyses and results were discussed with regard to implications for therapy and future research. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 48-12, Section: B, page: 3544. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1987.

This study explored the relationship between family members' perceptions of each other and the roles each member plays in the family (Wegscheider, 1981). In addition, this study explored differences between a clinical and non-clinical sample as it related to the variables, perceptual congruence, and role behavior. / A criterion sample of 41 intact families with only two adolescents between the ages of 12-19 was used for this study. Two questionnaires and a demographic sheet were administered and collected during a one-time visit with each family. / The findings indicate a significant relationship between the accuracy of family members' views of each other in families and their perceptions of their roles as scapegoats and/or lost children. When individuals perceived themselves as scapegoats and/or lost children in their own families of origin, or in the present family, other family members were significantly less likely to perceive them the same as these individuals perceived themselves. Families with a scapegoat and/or lost child had significantly higher levels of distortion in perception than families without these roles. / This study found no differences between clinical and non-clinical families, in relation to perceptual congruence level. In addition, no differences were found between families with or without extreme role identifications and level of perceptual congruence. / Additional findings for this study include a significant relationship between mother's full-time employment and the presence of a scapegoat and/or lost child family member. The family member that was most likely (p $<$.05) to perceive themselves as the scapegoat and/or lost child from their own families of origin was the father of the family when the mother was employed full-time. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 49-06, Section: B, page: 2381. / Major Professor: Mary Hicks. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1988.

Divorce causes personal and cultural distress and to date there have been no cultural rituals to ease this transition. This study examined the effect of a therapeutic ritual with separated or divorced persons in therapy at FSU Marital and Family Therapy Center. The subjects included on separated family in which the parents wished reconciliation (A), one divorced individual (B), one separated individual (C), and one separated individual wishing reconciliation (D). / The hypothesis stated that a therapeutic ritual with a clinical separated or divorced couple or individual would have positive impact on specified measures of personal and interpersonal functioning. The ritual was designed by therapist and client(s) based on clinical assessment, presenting problem, client's goal, and abstract symbols presented by the client. / The research utilized single system design (AB) and after a stable baseline was established using self-report measures, a ritual was prescribed and performed at an appropriate time. Weekly tests were continued at least five weeks post-ritual, with a two week follow-up testing. For each subject, some of the following measures were selected: Attachment Scale, Divorce Reaction Inventory, Index of Clinical Stress, Index of Marital Satisfaction, Index of Family Relations, Index of Self Esteem, Clinical Anxiety Scale, Generalized Contentment Scale, Index of Sexual Satisfaction, Child's Attitude Toward Father, Child's Attitude Toward Mother, Index of Parental Attitude and an idiosyncratic measurement. Analysis was by visual inspection of the graphs of weekly scores. Individuals C showed improvement in all measures, B showed improvement in most measures, and D showed improvement in half of the measurements. Family A scores did not show improvement in the self-report tests but did improve their scores on idiosyncratic measurement and reconciled after the ritual. The hypothesis supporting the effectiveness of ritual was demonstrated in three and possibly four of the cases. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 49-03, Section: A, page: 0630. / Major Professor: Craig A. Everett. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1987.

Changes in women's work patterns and claims that men share in family responsibilities have prompted a rethinking of women's roles in the workplace and family. The current status of women's roles are addressed by studying the effects of structural and demographic factors on women's views of their work-family roles and by comparison men's views. / Data were gathered from a national sample of 3000 women and 1000 men as part of a 1985 survey of women's changing status in society. Items from the survey were summed to form an index measuring traditionalism towards women's roles. / Education, household income, occupation, employment, marital status, parental responsibility, age, race, and region are effective predictors of women's views. All except race, employment, and education also predict men's views. Gender is important with women less traditional than men. Within races, gender is especially important with black women less traditional than white women and black men as traditional as white men. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 49-03, Section: A, page: 0639. / Major Professor: Patricia Yancey Martin. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1987.

Family Life Cycle Theory holds that families progress through stages interrupted by transition points. Critical Transition Theory holds that developmental and situational events disrupt a family's patterned ways of behaving frequently resulting in disorganization and reorganization, that is crisis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between critical transitions and coming to therapy. Fifteen clinical and 15 comparison families provided information about the timing of developmental and situational stressor events for three generations of their families. Developmental events included birth and infancy, preschool, schoolage and adolescent transitions. Situational stressors included leaving home, becoming financially self-sufficient, marriage, divorce, births of children, job and career changes, relocation, illness, financial hardship, retirement and death. A computer program was written and used to graph individual life lines with stressor events marked and to sum the total number of stressors for the family in a given year. The families also reported which years they felt had been particularly stressful due to disorganization and restructuring of family rules and roles. In this study three events in a year were used to indicate potential critical transitions. It was hypothesized that families in therapy would have had a critical transition in the previous year whereas this would not hold for control families. An analysis showed no significant relationship between coming to therapy and experiencing a critical transition. It was hypothesized that families' perceptions of disorganization would coincide with the timing of a critical transition. This was found to be true 35 percent of the time. There were no differences between groups in their reporting of periods of disorganization. No differences were found between clinical and control / families in the timing or frequency of stressors, or their perception of periods of family stress and disorganization. Family therapy graduate students found the Family Life Cycle Profile moderately useful as a diagnostic and didactic tool. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 49-03, Section: A, page: 0630. / Major Professor: Mary W. Hicks. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1987.

Research conducted over the past twenty years has demonstrated the impact of parental ‘problem’ substance use on the lives of young adults (Velleman & Orford, 1999; Bancroft et al, 2004; Järvinen, 2013). Despite this increased awareness, public policies continue to exclude this group. This research sought to explore the ‘problem’ with parental substance use from the perspective of affected young adults (aged 16 – 30). Additionally, this research sought to contribute a contemporary, sociological interpretation of the problem to a field dominated by psychological literature. This research was undertaken from a feminist perspective, and involved a wide range of research methods: minimally structured interviews, participant observation, visual methods, and qualitative secondary data analysis. The accounts derived from these sources are complemented through the inclusion of autoethnographic, reflexive vignettes, where I situate myself – as someone with lived experience – in relation to the literature, the process of conducting research, and the data. The data chapters presented respond to three key research questions. The first considers how young adults use different approaches and engage with dominant theoretical approaches to engage in processes of ‘making sense’ of parental substance use. Following this, Ketokivi’s (2010) perspective of ‘disruptive events’ – as based on Bury’s (1982) influential theory of ‘biographical disruption’ – is utilised as a route to considering the disruptive force of parental substance use in the lives of affected young adults. Finally, the last data chapter employs Emerson’s (2015) ‘personal troubles’ framework, in conjunction with the concept of ‘candidacy’ (Dixon-Woods et al, 2006; Mackenzie et al, 2015) to consider how young people respond and react to the ‘problem’. In conclusion, this thesis argues for adopting a relational interpretation of the ‘problem’ of parental substance use. Furthermore, this research presents a strong case for considering the ways in which disciplinary and methodological boundaries are blurred. This research contributes to contemporary debates in wider bodies of work within the sociologies of substance use, youth, families, relationships, and intimacy. It concludes by making recommendations for the development of policy and practice, and highlighting potential avenues for further research.