Family Science
Permanent URI for this communityhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2239
Formerly known as the Department of Family Studies.
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Item THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COUPLE PSYCHOLOGICAL AGGRESSION AND PARENTING BEHAVIOR(2012) Duffy, Katelyn; Epstein, Norman; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This study examined the relationship between received couple psychological aggression and use of authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive parenting practices. Previous research examining couple aggression and parenting ignored psychological aggression and fathering, and found depression to be a mediator of the relationship. The current study aimed to determine the relationship between received psychological aggression and parenting (compared by gender), and to identify whether the relationship between received aggression and parenting is mediated by depression. Secondary analyses were conducted on pre-treatment data collected from couples seeking therapy at the Center for Healthy Families at University of Maryland, College Park. Results revealed a significant relationship between received aggression and authoritarian parenting for fathers, but not for permissive or authoritative behaviors. No relationship was found between mothers' received aggression and any parenting dimension. Depression partially influenced the relationship between received aggression and authoritarian parenting for both mothers and fathers, but not permissive or authoritative parenting.Item DIRECTION OF PARTNER PSYCHOLOGICAL AGGRESSION AND OUTCOMES OF COUPLE THERAPY: MODERATING EFFECTS OF CLIENTS' PERCEPTIONS OF THERAPEUTIC GAINS(2012) Childers, Morgan Anne; Epstein, Norman; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Research has consistently found that contrary to longstanding beliefs, partner aggression, both in psychological and physical forms, is primarily perpetrated bidirectionally. This study compared conjoint therapy treatment outcomes (dyadic satisfaction, changes in communication patterns, and reductions in physical aggression) for bidirectionally psychologically aggressive couples and couples in which only one partner primarily perpetrated psychological aggression. In addition, the clients' perceptions of therapy were measured continuously over the course of therapy; this factor was examined as a moderator variable. A MANOVA was run on the sample of 64 heterosexual couples, but no significant main effects were found. However, this study and past research on this sample show that these couples did improve on outcome measures. This suggests that regardless of the pattern of aggression perpetration, psychologically aggressive couples may benefit from conjoint therapy. Additionally, post hoc exploratory analyses found significant correlations between reductions in aggression and changes in negative communication patterns.Item The Association of Socio-Economic Resources and Perceived Social Support with the Occurence of Physical and Psychological Aggression in Heterosexual Clinical Couples(2006-07-24) Alexander, Rachel Erin; Epstein, Norman B; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This study examined the interaction between relative socio-economic resources, such as income and level of education, and level of perceived social support on couples' levels of physical and psychological abuse. It was hypothesized that individuals with fewer resources than their partner would utilize more aggression, individuals with higher perceived social support would exhibit less aggression, and perceived social support would moderate the relationship between personal resource discrepancy and aggressive behavior. The findings of the current study suggest that the impact of partner resource discrepancies and perceived social support depend on the gender of the perpetrator and the type of abuse considered. The findings also have clinical implications for the importance of gathering information about couples' resources and social support. Implications for future research include analyzing the effects of different types of social support on coping in a sample that includes wider ranges of personal resources and severity of abuse.