Marriage and Family Therapy and Counseling Commons^™

Reintegration Experiences Of Post-Incarcerated Fathers In Southern California, Sheldon Smith

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The detention of fathers in penal institutions can challenge their involvement in the lives of their children and this experience can impact these relationships as well as the socio-emotional development of their children in the short and long term. Upon release, the reintegration experiences can be difficult, clumsy, and sometimes lost altogether. This present study explored the experiences of nineteen fathers as they sought to reconnect with their children after incarceration. Through the use of grounded theory and qualitative interviews, three major themes emerged from the data, which provided an explanation of participants’ reintegration experiences. These themes were participants’ ideology …

"The Traps Started During My Childhood": The Role Of Substance Abuse In Women's Responses To Adverse Childhood Experiences (Aces), Breanna Boppre, Cassandra Boyer

Criminal Justice Faculty Research

The gendered pathways perspective seeks to identify the biological, psychological, and social realities that lead to women’s law-breaking behavior. Prior research in this area demonstrates the link between women’s adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and involvement in the criminal justice system later in life. The current study fills an important gap in the literature by providing a phenomenological description of the impacts ACEs had upon 19 community supervised women’s lives. Their stories illuminate the need to consider multiple forms of ACEs, from physical and sexual abuse to the death of a loved one. Interviewees’ most prevalent response to ACEs was substance …

What Parents Value Matters: Examining The Association Between Cultural Values, Parenting Styles/Practices, And Child Outcomes, Chen-Yun Wang

Theses and Dissertations

Researchers have identified significant relationships between parenting styles and child outcomes. However, these associations might vary in different cultures because parenting behaviors could link to cultural values. Additionally, understanding the cultural values of parents would help researchers better understand the reasons of parents’ behaviors. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between parental Asian values, parenting styles, parenting practices, and child outcomes. Parents of preschool-age children (N = 273) from Taiwan completed a series of parenting values and parenting behaviors questionnaires. Teachers rated child prosocial behaviors, modesty, sociability, and impulse control. Results revealed that some domains …

The Mother Domain: A Mediated Model Of Maternal Gatekeepers And Depressed Fathers Among Newlyweds With Children, Clare R. Thomas

Theses and Dissertations

Paternal depression is an understudied topic and research connecting it to maternal gatekeeping is still in its infancy. Research has found that the marriage relationship can be associated with both depression and maternal gatekeeping. This study focuses on how these three areas are related. A subsample of the CREATE project was used including 216 couples, or 432 married parents. Two separate SEM mediational models were tested to examine father depression as a predictor of maternal gatekeeping, with marital instability as the mediator in one model and partner connectedness as the mediator in the other model. Both parent reports were used …

Coding Rupture Indicators In Couple Therapy (Crict): An Observational Coding Scheme, Annalisa Ward Carr

Theses and Dissertations

The therapeutic alliance, a construct representing agreement and collaboration on therapy goals, therapy tasks, and the emotional bond between client(s) and therapist, is a robust predictor of therapy outcomes in individual, couple, and family therapy. One way to track the therapeutic alliance is through ruptures and repairs. Ruptures are breaks, tensions, or tears in the therapeutic alliance. Ruptures and repairs influence the therapeutic alliance and consequently therapeutic outcomes. Currently, there is a lack of research addressing ruptures and repairs in couple therapy. The first step in researching alliance ruptures is to have a reliable way to assess alliance ruptures. This …

Social Withdrawal And Indices Of Adjustment And Maladjustment In Adolescence: Does Parent Warmth And Extraversion Matter?, Mallory Abigail Millett

Theses and Dissertations

Social withdrawal is often associated with a number of indices of adjustment and maladjustment, but little research exists that attempts to uncover potential protective factors. This study longitudinally examined the moderating role of parent extraversion and parent warmth on the association between two types of social withdrawal (shyness and unsociability) and later indices of adjustment and maladjustment. Participants were 463 families from the flourishing families project. Results showed no longitudinal associations between social withdrawal and later indices of adjustment or maladjustment. However, when parent extraversion was added as a moderator, shyness was positively associated with prosocial behavior for those with …

The Impact Of A Brief, Bullying Bystander Intervention On Internalizing Symptoms: Is Gender A Moderator Of Intervention Effects?, Diana M. Doumas, Aida Midgett, April D. Watts

Counselor Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a brief, bystander bullying intervention on reducing internalizing symptoms among students (N = 65). Although witnessing bullying is associated with mental health risks, the majority of research on bystander interventions focuses on the impact of these programs on school-wide bullying reduction rather than improved emotional outcomes for those trained to intervene. Results indicated high school students trained in a brief, bystander bullying intervention reported greater decreases in internalizing symptoms from baseline to a 3-month follow-up compared to students in a control group. Further, gender moderated intervention effects such that …

How Korean Couples Construct Marital Relationships: A Qualitative Study, Young Joo Kang

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

With increased economic and employment opportunities for women, South Korean couples are challenged by division of labor in the family. This qualitative study examined how marital partners maintain their relationships in light of rapid social change. The study employed social constructionism and feminist theory as conceptual frameworks. Through social constructionism, I sought to understand the interactive roles marital partners perform as they attempt to balance family needs and responsibilities within the context of evolving gender ideas. Feminist theory provided an additional lens to further understand the nuances of partners’ beliefs and expectations about their own gender and that of their …

Connected Families: Programs For Families Of Infants/Toddlers At Risk For Autism, Toni Carol Durnal Dunning

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Although children with secure attachment are known to have better outcomes, fostering secure attachment in an infant/toddler at risk for autism spectrum disorder is challenging. Some of the challenges stem from bi-directional, negative and ambiguous interaction sequences between the child and caregiver that cause emotional dysregulation and undermine caregiver confidence setting the stage for perpetual miscuing and misattunement— a pattern that can impact the entire family system leaving the child, caregiver, and family vulnerable to stress, anxiety, depression, and isolation.

Although the etiology of autism is a matter of intensive and ongoing research spanning many disciplines, there is converging agreement …

The Effect Of Caregiver Burnout On Alzheimer's Treatment Compliance, Daniel Kane, Brandon Liu

School of Psychology, Family, and Community Research Conference

According to the Alzheimer's Association (2019), approximately 5.8 million Americans live with Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Additionally, it is reported that 16 million Americans are considered caregivers to those individuals. While AD is incurable, treatment adherence is a significant predictor of family and patient outcomes. This proposal explores the impact of caregiver burnout on patient treatment compliance of those with Alzheimer's disease (AD). It is hypothesized that the presence of burnout in caregivers of loved ones with AD will negatively affect treatment compliance. A possible implication of this study is improving quality of life outcomes for those managing AD.

Men’S Experiences Of Miscarriage: A Passive Phenomenological Analysis Of Online Data, Megan Story Chavez, Valerie Handley, Rebecca Lucero Jones, Brandon Eddy, Von Poll

Couple & Family Therapy Program Faculty Research

Miscarriage is a pervasive health care concern for couples. The impacts of miscarriage on men have not received adequate attention in the literature. The aim of this research was to understand the lived experience of 31 male participants whose partners had miscarried a child. This study analyzed online data using a passive phenomenological methodology. Researchers found four overarching themes including isolation, overwhelmed, protector, and coping. Results found that health professionals might overlook men when a woman experiences a miscarriage. Results suggest that professionals working with these couples could provide greater care by addressing the experiences of both men and women …

Supporting Marin County Youth Suffering From Anxiety And Depression, Victoria L. Grajeda

Counseling Psychology | Master's Theses

This toolkit was created to help shed light on the impact a stressful high school environment can have on today’s youth, and provide teachers, students, and parents with up-to-date information on what resources are available within the county of Marin. When working with adolescents, it is important to consider environmental threats to their mental health (i.e., lack of sleep) in order to make proper referrals and treatment plans. A study done by Kelley, Lockley, Kelley, & Evans (2017) implemented a 10:00 a.m. start time at an urban school in England. By delaying school start times, Kelley et al., found that …

Digital Music Making: Developing A Method For Using Technology In Music Psychotherapy, Sangeetha Kavety

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The use of technology, specifically digital songwriting and music making, in the context of psychotherapy is a subject that is not yet as well researched or practiced in the field of music therapy. The majority of the existing literature acknowledges the assistive function that technology such as tablets, smartphones, and computers can play in treatment of populations with cognitive and motor difficulties. However, there is little regarding the use of technology as the main means of creating music, and even less in the context of treatment of psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents in family settings. For this capstone project, …

A People's History Of Art Therapy, Jessie Mccurdy, Alexandria Richardson, Kathaleena Thirtle

LMU Theses and Dissertations

The following research examined a survey on the identity and feelings of inclusion among alumni of Loyola Marymount University’s Marriage and Family Therapy with Specialization Training in Art Therapy graduate program. The survey found that a majority of the responding alumni did not feel their identities were represented in multiple aspects of the program, and there was a clear call to action for more representation of diversity. More research on the subject is needed to expand a variety of art therapy programs to better understand implications of art therapy pedagogy on identity, representation, and inclusivity within the art therapy community.

Qualitative Assessments Used In Art Therapy Programs With Cancer Patients In A Medical Settings, Melissa Garcia

LMU Theses and Dissertations

This document reviews qualitative assessments used to explore the impact on art therapy interventions with patients in cancer treatment. The study explored the use of qualitative assessment in evaluating patient perspective on receiving art therapy adjunctly with cancer treatment. In addition, the research aimed to determine if art therapy interventions are perceived as effective in helping cancer patients reduce stress, cope, improve quality of life, express emotions, and reduce cancer-related symptoms during and after cancer treatment through qualitative assessment. Approximately 300 cancer patient experiences were reviewed through surveying qualitative studies that explored the effects of art making in cancer treatment …

A Heuristic Exploration Of White Lesbian Identity And Cultural Humility Through Art Therapy, Jennifer Phelps

LMU Theses and Dissertations

In this heuristic exploration, data was collected through in vivo reflections using the cultural humility model. The researcher used art making, journaling, and a process of indwelling to collect data exploring the relationship between multiple identities and cultural humility. Through this exploration, four main themes emerged. These themes were explored in a final creative synthesis art process. This research serves as a starting point for developing a culturally humble stance as an art therapy trainee. In addition, this exploration highlights the way that art making can enhance the heuristic research experience by deepening the reflection and pulling out themes not …

The Experience Of Empathy Within Law Enforcement: An Art Exploration, Brianne Timmons, Isabella Williams

LMU Theses and Dissertations

Empathy within law enforcement has not been examined in the art therapy literature. This qualitative study provides insight into how empathy is perceived and experienced by retired law enforcement officers in San Diego, CA. Fourteen participants responded to a brief questionnaire, created an art piece and a written response about how empathy is experienced within law enforcement. The results illuminated common themes within the art and written responses including interactions, witnessing of a traumatic situation, intersection of roles within law enforcement, understanding of feelings, and communication. Future research in this area is recommended to also include current officers as well …

Visual Art Therapy, Attachment, And The Adoption Constellation: A Literature Review, Caitlin Woodstock

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The following literary review is intended to synthesize existing data pertaining to art therapy and its application within adoption informed therapy. The adoption experience will be explored, and the basic tenants of trauma and attachment will be outlined. Current modes of trauma-informed therapy will be introduced and their compatibility with art therapy will be explored. The author will introduce a variety of art therapy interventions as presented through an assortment of theoretical lenses. These applications will be subdivided into their application with individual constellation members, families, groups, and will extend to immigrants and displaced individuals likely to enter into the …

Effects Of Art Therapy On Dissociation Related To A Veteran’S Experience With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Camacho Ronald

LMU Theses and Dissertations

This paper depicts a U.S. veteran and graduate student’s experience using meditation, artmaking, and journaling to target the effects of trauma and its symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and dissociation. This is a self-study utilizing art as the main method for communication and knowing. The data was gathered by using a combination of Pat Allen’s Open Studio Process and elements of the Art Therapy Trauma Protocol using bilateral artmaking in a five-session process conducted in a local art studio in San Diego. The meditation was conducted as a contemplative practice with attention and intention focusing on traumatic experiences. Fragmented memories …

The Influence Of Premarital Counseling On Marital Satisfaction For African-American Couples, Christian Brown

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many factors influence marital satisfaction (Ayub, 2010). Some couples prepare themselves with premarital counseling and try to help increase the likelihood of marital satisfaction. When looking at African-American couples, should researchers assume that some African-American couples take premarital education to increase their marital satisfaction? Prior literature has stated that premarital counseling has decreased marital discord and increased marital satisfaction (Parker, 2007). This study will be a qualitative study using a phenomenological design. The researcher collected data from seven participants. Once the interviews were completed, the researcher was able to analyze the data by identifying common themes as well as capturing …