James H. Bray

Analyzing and Interpreting Significant MANOVAs

Multivariate statistical methods have been strongly recommended in educational and psychological research, which employs multiple dependent variables. While the techniques are readily available there is still controversy as to the proper use of the methods. This paper reviews the available methods for analyzing and interpreting data with multivariate analysis of variance and provides some guidelines for their use. In addition, causal models that underlie the various methods are presented to facilitate the use and understanding of the methods

Primary care psychology.

Primary Care Psychology examines the essential role that psychology plays in the delivery of primary care. Because psychological and behavioural interventions are natural complements to primary care, psychology is poised to become a full partner in the health profession. This volume brings together the leading researchers, scholars and practitioners to create a thorough and integrated manual about the major topics in primary care psychology. Chapters provide detailed descriptions of procedures that successfully implement theory, practical analysis of clinical and research implications, comprehensive discussions about the provision of care within special populations, critical examinations of the effect that health policy has on practice and resource allocation, and helpful illustrations and case studies.

Family psychology: Science-based interventions.

A presentation of perspectives on the science of family intervention in psychology. The editors provide a concise historical overview of this emerging field, which is considered the applied branch of family psychology. Experts in the field present therapy techniques, procedures and research strategies that are empirically-based. The contributors stress the need to link research and practice so that the questions targeted by researchers are those confronted by clinicians and the results can directly influence the practice of family therapy. Also emphasized is the need to identify specific patient characteristics that set these patients apart from the rest of the population and, if addressed in a more focused manner, would enhance the effectiveness of the intervention. Chapters offer strong empirical evidence and developments for the treatment of a wide variety of marriage and family problems. Advances in couples and marital research include conceptual frameworks and treatments aimed at preventing marital distress and divorce and promoting marital adjustment. Chapters on family research discuss promising areas and challenges in moving prevention science into broader community settings, the specific value of prevention efforts, and the role of the family in these efforts. There are chapters focusing on contextual considerations, which highlight the many ways in which gender and cultural factors can influence core constructs and processes.

Gender, Perceived Parental Monitoring, and Behavioral Adjustment: Influences on Adolescent Alcohol Use

This study examined relationships among gender, perceived parental monitoring, externalizing behaviors, and adolescent alcohol use in a 2-wave longitudinal study. Females reported more perceived parental monitoring and less alcohol use than males. Perceived maternal and paternal monitoring were related to less alcohol use over time. Increases in alcohol use were associated with increases in externalizing behaviors over time. Perceived maternal monitoring mediated the relationship between gender and youth drinking and was also a significant predictor of changes in adolescent drinking over time. Perceived paternal monitoring was not a predictor of adolescent drinking in the context of perceived maternal monitoring and externalizing behaviors. The importance of gender in implementation of prevention programs is discussed.

Family Assessment: Current Issues in Evaluating Families.

The proliferation of marital and family practice and research has increased the recognition of the importance of reliable and valid assessments of family functioning. During the past two decades there have been significant developments that have facilitated the assessment of family relationships and functioning and have resulted in a rich cadre of family measures (Boughner, Hayes, Bubenzer, & West, 1994; Filsinger, 1983; Fredman & Sherman, 1987; Grotevant & Carlson, 1989; Halvorsen, 1991; Jacob & Tennenbaum, 1988; Touliatos, Perlmutter, & Straus, 1990). This article reviews and discusses applied issues and methods for evaluating families. The focus of this review is on the assessment of family relationships and functioning and will not specifically address the marital relationship, which is the topic of another article in this collection (see Bradbury article). Despite the development of good family measures, family oriented practitioners do not regularly make use of standardized or formal family assessments in their practices (Boughner et al., 1994; Floyd, Weinand, & Cimmarusti, 1989). There are several reasons for this. First, a major problem with family assessment is the lack of a unified theory of family functioning (Bray, 1995). There is no consensus about the definition of healthy or dysfunctional family relationships or even the key processes that need to be assessed. There is also no agreed upon diagnostic system, such as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV) or International Classification and Diagnostic (ICD-9) systems for individuals. Although there is work in progress on developing marital, family, and relational diagnoses and methods, there is not a consensus about the best measures or central factors for family assessment. Second, many family practitioners view family assessments as empirically-based, structured methods that do not have direct applicability or utility in clinical practice (Boughner et al., 1994; Floyd et al., 1989). This outlook may be due to a general lack of education and training in formal family assessment methods. Further, these methods are frequently viewed as static measures of family functioning that do not capture the dynamic processes and change within family systems. This perspective is promulgated by family clinicians who argue against an empirical, standardized approach, and instead value contextual, social constructivist, or qualitative views of family functioning (Anderson & Goolishian, 1988; Fraenkel, 1995). Third, most of the available family measures and methods have been developed for research contexts and have not been specifically applied to clinical practice. Therefore, many instruments do not provide either the instructions or clinically relevant norms and comparisons necessary for use in practice settings. These factors may explain the recent survey finding that most family practitioners do not necessarily view formal family assessment as an important part of clinical practice (Boughner et al., 1994). To overcome some of these problems, this article reviews the current status of family assessment, key family processes and constructs, and family assessment methods that have been consistently reported in the literature on family relationships and their impact on individual and family functioning. This review will hopefully encourage family clinicians to use more formal family assessment methods and facilitate the implementation of research on family process into practice settings. There are several reasons for clinicians to use formal, standardized methods for assessing families (Boughner et al., 1994; Floyd et al., 1989; Miller et al., 1994). Evaluations conducted prior to therapy or counseling can provide a rich source of information about the family and can be used to develop initial hypotheses about problem areas, causes of problems, and potential areas of strengths. Assessment also insures that a broad range of routine information is collected to make certain that important areas are not overlooked. …

Methods of Analysis with Response-Shift BIAS

Howard and his colleagues have discovered an instrumentation related contamination which confounds the results of studies which employ self-report measures in a pre/post or posttest only design. This confounding influence is referred to as response-shift bias. Research has demonstrated that the traditional methods of analysis (i.e., analysis of posttests only, analysis of pre/post difference scores, and analysis of covariance using prescores (ANCOVA)) do not consider response-shift bias and produce biased estimates of the treatment effect. A retrospective pre/post design is recommended by Howard and his colleagues to control for response-shift bias. The only method of analysis which yields an unbiased estimate of the treatment effect is posttest minus retrospective pretest difference scores. The purpose of the present study is to determine the relative loss in statistical power of the traditional methods of analysis when response-shift bias is present. Analytic and Monte Carlo techniques were employed to compare the powers of five methods of analysis under various conditions. The results indicate that when there is a response-shift the most powerful method of analysis, overall, is the retrospective pre/post method and the loss in statistical power of the traditional methods can be substantial under many conditions. Recommendations and applications to applied research are discussed.

Measurement of the Role of Families in Prevention and Adaptation to HIV/AIDS

HIV is a family disease. Family research in HIV is challenging because of complexities of family measurement, the range of family constellations across cultures, and the issues specific to HIV-affected families. A Consortium of NIMH-funded investigators is conducting HIV research on families—defined as networks of mutual commitments. A procedure for identifying the “family” is proposed. This article reviews assessment strategies from two research traditions, both of which have been greatly concerned with social context: family assessment tradition—family membership, parenting, and interactional dynamics; HIV/AIDS research tradition—HIV-relevant constructs generalized to minority families. Initially, a systematic procedure for defining family membership is provided. Constructs and measures derived from the family assessment tradition are described, including self-report and observational procedures. Constructs and measures of relevance to family research that originated in the HIV/AIDS research tradition are described: HIV knowledge, stigma, disclosure, and social support. Constructs presented derive from the Consortiums research on the role of families in prevention and adaptation to HIV/AIDS. Most of the research conducted by the Consortium has taken place with inner-city, minority, heterosexual families. By informing the selection of constructs and measures relevant to investigating the role of families in HIV prevention, and adaptation to living with HIV/AIDS, it is the Consortiums intention to enhance the quality and quantity of research at the intersection of families and HIV/AIDS.

Predicting Heavy Alcohol Use Among Adolescents

A prospective, school-based study of alcohol use in a multiethnic sample of 3,675 adolescents found that family factors, other drug use, psychosocial-behavioral factors, and ethnic status are important discriminators of adolescents who are heavy alcohol users when compared with those who are experimental or moderate users. Implications for prevention and intervention are discussed.

Nonresidential parenting : new vistas in family living

PART ONE: NONRESIDENT PARENTS: WHO ARE THEY? Perspectives on Nonresidential Parenting - James H Bray and Charlene E Depner Marital Disruption and Nonresidential Parenting - Rebecca del Carmen and Gabrielle N Virgo A Multicultural Perspective Parental Role Reversal - Charlene E Depner Mothers as Nonresidential Parents PART TWO: USING SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH IN POLICY AND PRACTICE The Economics of Parenting Apart - Jay D Teachman and Kathleen Paasch A Social Exchange Model of Noncustodial Parent Involvement - Sanford L Braver et al Children of Divorce Who Refuse Visitation - Janet R Johnston Developing and Implementing Post-Divorce Parenting Plans - Joan B Kelly Does The Forum Make a Difference? Nonresidential Parent-Child Relationships Following Divorce and Remarriage - James H Bray and Sandra H Berger A Longitudinal Perspective Nonresidential Parenting - Charlene E Depner and James H Bray Multidimensional Approaches in Research, Policy, and Practice

Multivariate statistics for family psychology research.

The application of selected multivariate statistics is illustrated for use in family psychology research. The use of multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and discriminant analysis in factorial designs and profile analysis is discussed. Profile analysis provides a method for dealing with unit of analysis issues in family psychology research. Applications of confirmatory factor analysis are also discussed as useful methods for researchers examining multiple components of families and handling multiple perspectives of various family members. Limitations and applications of these methods in family psychology research are reviewed.