Lee N. Johnson

The Revised Inventory of Parent Attachment: Measuring Attachment in Families

This study develops the Revised Inventory of Parental Attachment (R-IPA). The Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA, Armsden & Greendberg, 1987), was reworded to ask parents their perspective of attachment towards their children. When used together the R-IPA and the IPPA rate attachment scripts from parent and adolescents perspectives. Results suggest the original factor structure of the IPPA does not fit the data for parents ratings on the R-IPA or adolescents ratings of mothers and fathers on the IPPA. Exploratory factor analyses demonstrate a two-factor structure for both measures. Reliability and validity of the two factors are presented. Reasons for the factor structure change are discussed.

Revisiting bordin's theory on the therapeutic alliance: Implications for family therapy

Because of the belief that relationships are a major contributor to problems as well as the avenue for bringing about change, the alliance between therapists and clients is important in family therapy. Writings and ideas on the therapeutic alliance from psychoanalytic theory were used by Edward Bordin to develop a working theory in 1979, and later adapted to the field of family therapy. However, the adaptation did not account for many variables unique and important to family therapy. This article describes the therapeutic alliance and the necessity of creating a theory of therapeutic alliance that accounts for family therapy concepts. Future ideas for scholarship are presented.

A dyadic analysis of the between- and within-system alliances on distress.

This study examines the relationship between the therapeutic alliance and distress using the couple rather than the individual as the unit of analysis. One hundred and seventy-three couples receiving treatment for relational distress at two university clinics participated in this study. The actor-partner interdependence model was used to analyze the relationship of each partners between- and within-system alliance scores and distress at session four. Results provide support for actor effects on relational distress for both male and female partners and for actor effects on psychological distress for female partners. Limited support was found for partner effects on distress. Furthermore, results indicate that the alliance between partners is a stronger predictor of improvement in early sessions in comparison with the alliance between the individual and the therapist.

The Development of a Reliable Change Index and Cutoff for the Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale

The Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale (RDAS; Busby, Crane, Larson, & Christensen, 1995) is a measure of couple relationship adjustment that is often used to differentiate between distressed and non-distressed couples. While the measure currently allows for a determination of whether group mean scores change significantly across administrations, it lacks the ability to determine whether an individuals change in dyadic adjustment is clinically significant. This study addresses this limitation by establishing a cutoff of 47.31 and reliable change index of 11.58 for the RDAS by pooling data across multiple community and clinical samples. An individual whose score on the RDAS moves across the cutoff changes by 12 or more points can be classified as experiencing clinically significant change.

The Relationship Between Stages of Change and Outcome in Couple Therapy

Individuals who present for couple therapy may not be equally prepared to change. To explore the impact of readiness to change in couple therapy, this study examined the relationship between individual stage of change, dropout, and therapy outcomes in a sample of 469 individuals from 290 couples in marital therapy. Findings indicated that women were more distressed and more motivated to change than men, and that men were more variable in terms of readiness to change. Individual stage of change was unrelated to dropout or outcome.

Client Expectations About Couple Therapy

Little is known about the role of expectations in couple therapy. This manuscript provides the results of a qualitative inquiry into client expectations about couple therapy. Participants were 26 individuals representing 13 couples in couple therapy. Participants participated in semi-structured interviews four times: before the first, and after the second, third, and fourth sessions of therapy. Results of a discovery-focused qualitative content analysis of interview data suggested that participants formed pre-therapy expectations about their therapist, the therapy process, and the outcome of therapy. Expectations were generally stable over time, with most participants experiencing the confirmation of their expectations.

Analyzing Dyadic Data From Small Samples A Pooled Regression Actor–Partner Interdependence Model Approach

The authors describe an approach to analyzing dyadic data that can be utilized with the smaller samples often available to researcher–practitioners working with couples in counseling. Specifically, the authors describe how to use the actor–partner interdependence model (APIM), a common dyadic data analysis tool, using a pooled regression approach that is appropriate for smaller sample sizes. An example is provided using data collected from a study of the role of expectancies in couple counseling outcomes. Additional data from the example study are provided in Appendix A for interested readers who want to practice the techniques they describe.

An Addendum to the 1997 Outcome Research Chart.

In 1997, an article in the American Journal of Family Therapy was published that summarized the outcome research regarding the efficacy of specific approaches of Marriage and Family Therapy in treating certain disorders (Sandberg et al ., 1997). The article updated the original matrix of findings reported by Gurman, Kniskern, and Pinsof (1986) by reviewing the relevant research through 1995, and provided a summary of findings in an updated version of the original 1986 chart. Since the publication of that article (Sandberg et al ., 1997), feedback has been received from a number of MFT researchers who pointed out some omissions and oversights in the updated chart. After responding to their feedback, it has been concluded that a number of changes must be made to the 1997 summary chart to present a more complete summary of MFT outcome research up through 1995.

Examining Attachment Avoidance and Attachment Anxiety Across Eight Sessions of Couple Therapy

This study examined initial levels of attachment anxiety and avoidance, as well as their patterns of change, across eight sessions of couple therapy. Participants were 461 couples in a treatment-as-usual setting. Dyadic latent growth modeling was used to determine whether couples started therapy at similar levels of attachment anxiety and avoidance and whether attachment anxiety and avoidance changed. An actor partner interdependence model was used to see whether partner attachment anxiety was related to avoidance. Results showed relative stability of attachment anxiety and avoidance over the course of therapy, with the only change being a slight decline in attachment anxiety among women. Results showed that a persons attachment anxiety was not related to their partners avoidance and vice versa.

The Association between the Parent–Child Relationship and Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression: The Roles of Attachment and Perceived Spouse Attachment Behaviors

Research shows that the parent-child relationship affects attachment security, which correlates with anxiety and depression in adulthood. Additional research shows that romantic attachment behaviors may supersede individual attachment security and buffer against negative processes. Using data from 680 married couples in the general population, we examined whether attachment mediates the link between the parent-child relationship and depressive and anxiety symptoms in adulthood. In addition, we tested whether perceived spouse attachment behaviors moderate the effects of attachment insecurity. There was an indirect effect of poor parent-child relationships on symptoms via insecure attachment. Perception of spouses attachment behaviors was related to depression for both spouses, and they moderated the effect of attachment insecurity on depressive symptoms for husbands. Clinical implications are discussed.