Evaluation of the What's Real: Myths & Facts about Marriage Curriculum: Differential Impacts of Gender*

ABSTRACT

What’s Real is a high school marriage education curriculum designed to teach students how to develop healthy relationships and marriages. This study evaluated the effectiveness of this curriculum with 206 high school students who were in either the What’s Real group or a control group. Findings suggest that the curriculum increases knowledge of healthy relationship concepts, positively impacts attitudes related to students’ willingness to be involved in pre- and postmarital counseling, and increases students’ attitudes toward cohabitation avoidance. Implications for further development of the curriculum and other implications for practitioners and policymakers are discussed.     

“I Want a Better Life for Her”: Father-Adolescent Daughter Relationships in a Minority,Low-Income South African Community

Although research indicates the importance of fathers in adolescent daughters’ psychosocial development, father–adolescent daughter relationships have been neglected in both international and local research. Furthermore, the relatively small body of research that does exist has mostly been conducted in North American and European contexts. Our study aimed to generate knowledge about father–adolescent daughter relationships in a minority, low-income South African community. In this social constructionist informed community-based study, we explored father–daughter relationships in 42 individual interviews with father–daughter dyads. This article focuses on a prominent theme in the interview data that revolves around fathers’ repeated statements that they wanted their daughters to have betters lives than they themselves had and the parenting strategies they reported to achieve this aspiration. We conclude that these fathers could benefit from reflecting on the apparent limitations of their parenting practices and from knowledge and skills regarding more effective parenting practices.     

Educating for cross-disciplinary collaboration: Present trends and future possibilities

Abstract

Like other service providers, social workers periodically seek to harness different professional skills and insights in order to make a more comprehensive response to client needs. Unfortunately, cross-disciplinary relationships are hard to establish and maintain, due to structural and cultural barriers. Education and training programs can be used as tools to inculcate the knowledge, skills and attitudes on which successful collaboration depends. The targeting of undergraduate students is controversial. Since they have yet to develop a sense of professional identity, these students may resist pressures to trust and share. This paper contends that it is reasonable to begin instruction at the undergraduate level, and explores possibilities for curriculum development and research.

In summary

Like other human service providers, social workers must come to grips with industrial realities of the early 21st century. As part of this process, they must reappraise their role relationships with other service providers. On some matters at least, it may be possible to transcend traditional rivalries, and develop new forms of partnership and alliance. Education and training programs have a useful role to play in developing the knowledge, skills and attitudes on which successful cross-disciplinary work depends.     

Young people’s education biographies: family relationships,social capital and belonging

This paper examines complexities and interdependencies of key family relationships which anchor young people’s educational biographies. It is well recognised that young people’s education pathways in late modernity are strongly dependent on their ability to draw on the range of resources available, and that socio-economic status and family resources play a central role in this process. Less is known about how such relationships anchor young people’s education biographies. Drawing on theories of social capital and belonging in dialogue with qualitative interviews, and situated in studies of rural youth and education, this article considers how young people themselves talk and make decisions about their education in relation to complex family connections. These connections, contestations and negotiations between young people and central family members highlight how the late modern economy impacts on young people’s intimate relationships, and sheds light on the ongoing work of youth to resolve such tensions around their schooling in daily life.     

Sexual coercion in gay male and lesbian relationships: Predictors and implications for support services

Numerous studies have documented the prevalence of forced sex in heterosexual couples. Positive effects of this research include increases in awareness about the problem among helping professionals and the public, as well as increases in support services and prevention programs. However, no research has been done on sexual coercion in gay male and lesbian relationships, and few support services exist. Therefore, this study is an investigation of the prevalence and correlates of coercive sex in gay male and lesbian relationships. Participants were 36 women and 34 men who were in gay or lesbian relationships. The results indicated that 12% of the gay men and 31% of the lesbians reported being victims of forced sex by their current or most recent partners. The higher reporting rate among women may be due to greater awareness of issues pertaining to sexual abuse, and greater likelihood of identifying various forms of coercion as force. For men, being a victim of forced sex was generally associated with being a victim of other forms of violence. For both sexes, victims of forced sex believed that it would be relatively difficult to get counseling. Implications for support services are discussed.     

Attachment Style,Rules Regarding Sex,and Couple Satisfaction: A Study of Gay Male Couples

This article explores the characteristics of open and closed relationships in 170 gay men according to their levels of satisfaction, their attachment styles, and the rules of having sex outside their relationships for open couples. We found no significant difference between open or closed relationships in levels of satisfaction or attachment styles. However, we found that gay men in open relationships who have explicit rules about having sex with other men are significantly more satisfied that those gay men with no rules. A content analysis of the rules is presented and implications for therapy are drawn from the findings.     

Constructing family relationships: Intimacy, harmony and social value in accounts of sheltered retirement community residents

This research was undertaken at a West Coast USA sheltered retirement community where fifteen able elder residents were interviewed about their personal relationships and communication with peers, family and younger people. This paper focuses on respondent's discursive constructions of their relationships with family—particularly adult grandchildren. The analysis shows how respondents' talk about family relationships is largely positive and discusses how respondents build an image of intergenerational solidarity through their accounts of frequency and quality of contact with grandchildren. Some of the ways that intergenerational solidarity is communicated in the context of the interview are: discounting of family problems; cataloguing achievements and talking about grandchildren with pride; demonstrating that they–the elder–are valued; and accounts of how problematic aspects of their relationships are avoided in intergenerational talk.     

‘Somebody Watching You’: Impact of Reflecting Teams on Hope in Couple Relationships

Reflecting teams (RTs) represent both an epistemological stance and a therapeutic technique. Most commonly associated with narrative and systemic approaches to therapy, RTs offer an outsider perspective that can bring hope and alternative narratives and perspectives for therapists and clients to explore. Relational hope is a little researched concept in the field of couple therapy research. This study explores the experience of RTs in couple relationships and the aspects of the experience that couples describe as connected to a sense of hope for their relationship. The study also considers whether difference in attachment style shows any relationship with hope in couple relationships before and after the clients’ session with a reflecting team. Couples completed questionnaires about their attachment style, demographics, and relational hope and were given the option to complete an interview about their experience with the reflecting team within 1 month of their therapy session. Our findings suggest that RTs contribute positively to hope in couple relationships particularly for clients who present with an anxious attachment style. This direction for research is important because there is very little research about hope in couple relationships despite its importance (Merolla, 2014; Snyder, 2002) and there is no research about what aspects of a reflecting team contribute to hope in couple relationships. Analysis of interviews indicates a number of features of the reflecting team feedback that were valued by clients.     

How Do the Professional Lives of Family Therapists Affect their Private Relationships: A Qualitative Study

This article is based on a qualitative research project about how the professional lives of family therapists affect their private relationships. The overarching research question was: How does your professional work as a family therapist affect your private relationships? To answer this question, semi‐structured qualitative interviews were conducted with four therapists from two different Family Counseling Services. Through the use of interpretative phenomenological analysis, three main findings were identified: (1) family therapists’ knowledge and values are a basis for interpersonal encounters; (2) participants describe resonance in relation to clients’ stories; and (3) therapists can be challenged in managing confidential knowledge particularly where they belong to the same communities as clients. The study also explores societal expectations and discourses that accompany the role of therapist, which can affect therapists’ freedom of movement in their private lives. These issues are discussed in relation to family therapy theory and relevant research.     

Adopted Adolescents' Preoccupation With Adoption: The Impact on Adoptive Family Relationships

This study examines the relationship between the intensity of adopted adolescents' thinking about their adoptions and their adoptive family relationships. Participants included 135 adopted adolescents involved in an ongoing study of openness in adoption. Adolescents who reported high levels of preoccupation with adoption reported greater alienation from their adoptive fathers than did adolescents who reported moderate or low levels of preoccupation. Adolescents with extremely high levels of preoccupation reported significantly higher levels of alienation and significantly lower levels of trust for their adoptive mothers and fathers than adolescents with extremely low levels of preoccupation. These findings, along with the divergences between adolescents' perceptions of dyadic and overall family relationships, are discussed in terms of how they relate to the process of adoptive identity exploration.     

Abilities in Romantic Relationships and Well-Being Among Emerging Adults

The psychological well-being of emerging-adult college students may relate to their success in romantic relationships. One hundred forty-five emerging-adult undergraduate students (117 women, 28 men) completed an online questionnaire about their attachment style, dating anxiety, fear of being single, self-efficacy, subjective happiness, self-esteem, and psychological distress. Low attachment anxiety and social distress in group dating situations and high levels of self-efficacy in romantic relationships predicted happiness. Low attachment anxiety and high self-efficacy predicted low psychological distress. Less fear of negative evaluation from a dating partner and high self-efficacy in romantic relationships predicted self-esteem. Given the findings of self-efficacy in romantic relationships on well-being, relationship education is recommended.     

Parental Divorce and the Types of Commitment-Related Messages People Gain from Their Families of Origin

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the influences of types of commitment-related messages gained from families of origin. A sample of young adults was asked about the messages they believed they gained from their families of origin, to what degrees those messages affected their relationship experiences, and how these messages are related to their beliefs about romantic relationships. Results indicated that people with divorced or unhappy parents were more likely to report gaining messages such as relationships are not permanent, one must approach relationships with caution, and relationships are beset by lack of trust and fidelity, and less likely to report gaining messages such as marriage is enduring, relationships need love and happiness, and relationships should be partnerships. In addition, participants indicated they felt that those messages had influenced their experiences in relationships. Overall, the results add to the growing evidence of the importance of family of origin upon people's attitudes about and experiences in romantic relationships.     

Confiding in the GLBT Community About Problems in Marriage and Long-Term Committed Relationships: A Comparative Analysis

ABSTRACT

This study is the first to examine confiding about problems in marital and long-term committed relationships among gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) individuals. Areas explored include the prevalence of confiding relationships, the kinds of problems brought to confidant, and types of stress confidants experience in this role. Prevalence data were presented both for a national sample of 301 GLBT individuals and compared with a nationally representative sample of 1,000 American adults. Findings showed a high prevalence of being a confidant among GLBT respondents, greater than in the general population, and a lower prevalence of confiding in others about problems in their relationships. Of particular interest was the finding of a high degree of support that GLBT individuals provide to heterosexual relationships through the role of confidant. Relationship problems discussed with GLBT confidants were similar to confidants in the general population, as was the level of stress reported by confidants.     

Starting Relationships with Neighbors After a Move Later in Life: An Exploratory Study

The authors examined eight personal and contextual conditions associated with starting new relationships with neighbors after short- and long-distance moves. A total of 625 Dutch movers and 1,936 non-movers (57–93 years old) were selected from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam. OLS linear regression analyses showed that short-distance movers mainly started relationships with neighbors when they did volunteer work. Long-distance movers who moved to rural areas and felt safe in their new neighborhood or moved to areas with lower priced homes also started new relationships with neighbors. Contextual conditions appear to play a larger role than personal ones, especially after long-distance moves.     

Going Along to Get Along? Interpersonal Processes and Girls' Delinquency

Although social development research indicates that affiliation with delinquent peers predicts adolescent delinquent behavior, less is known about how peer relationships may impact girls' delinquent behavior differently than boys' behavior. To address this gap, this study examines adjudicated girls' perceptions of how their peer relationships impacted their decisions to engage in delinquency. Through in-depth, semi-structured interviews, a sample of eight adjudicated girls shared their perceptions of how same-gender friendships, opposite-gender non-romantic friendships, and opposite-gender romantic relationships influenced their choices to enact delinquent behavior. The study findings offer important implications for designing future gender-specific programming to prevent and/or reduce girls' delinquency.     

Perceptions of Parental Intimate Relationships and Their Affects on the Experience of Romantic Relationship Development Among African American Emerging Adults

The quality of romantic relationships that parents maintain has an impact on their children. Emerging adult children base their relationships on similar values and/or opposing beliefs of their parental romantic relationships. This phenomenological study aimed to identify how African American emerging adults experience their parental romantic relationships and how they find meaning in the romantic relationships of their parents. Results suggest that African American emerging adults develop both positive and negative perceptions about romantic relationships from their parents’ relationships, which affect the way these adults perceive, develop, and maintain their own romantic unions. African American emerging adults also find meaning in their parental couple relationships as they share similar experiences in their relationship quality, mate choice, and/or personal or mate characteristics and personality traits as their parents.     

Linkages Between Parents’ Differential Treatment,Youth Depressive Symptoms,and Sibling Relationships

We tested social comparison predictions about cross‐sectional and longitudinal associations between parents’ differential treatment of siblings and both youth depressive symptoms and sibling relationship qualities from middle childhood to late adolescence, controlling for dyadic parent‐child relationships and siblings’ ratings of parents’ fairness. Participants were parents and first‐ and second‐borns (M= 11.8 and 9.2 years old at Year 1) from 201 White, middle/working‐class families. Three‐level models revealed both cross‐sectional and longitudinal linkages between differential treatment and outcomes. For example, youth whose parent‐child relationships decreased in warmth relative to those of their sibling reported increases in depressive symptoms and decreases in sibling warmth. Gender and age moderated differential treatment‐depressive symptoms associations; birth order moderated differential treatment‐sibling relationship associations.     

Changing aids‐ and fertility‐related behavior: The effectiveness of sexual education

A questionnaire was used to access the effectiveness of a ten‐week university course on human sexuality in changing students' AIDS‐ and fertility‐related behavior. The students' knowledge and behavior were evaluated (1) early in the class before there were any discussions or readings about sexual behavior, AIDS, or birth control and (2) three months later—approximately one month after completing the class. A randomly selected control group of students who did not take the class on sexuality was given the questionnaire at the same two points in time. Compared to the control group, the experimental group showed significant increases in knowledge about the likelihood of contracting the virus from one act of vaginal intercourse. The experimental group also reported increased worry about contracting AIDS from their sexual activity, while the control group did not. Further, compared with the control group, the experimental group increased certain cautious behaviors, such as being more selective in their choice of sexual partners and asking their partners more questions about their AIDS‐related behavior. However, the course did not lead students to: 1) significantly increase their use of the condom or other forms of contraception, 2) decrease their number of sexual partners, or 3) spend a longer time getting to know new partners before engaging in sexual activity. Implications for sexual education are discussed.