A comparison of classroom-based and online multicultural training course within a marriage and family therapy training program.

This study contributes to an emerging area of research on online learning within marriage and family therapy training programs while responding to the need for research on the effectiveness of multicultural training marriage and family therapists receive. Using 32 students in a marriage and family therapy program and a pretest-posttest design, this study focused on student outcomes across a classroom-based multicultural training course and an online section of the same course. Support was found for the effectiveness of each instructional modality in delivering multicultural training. Findings also indicated that student gains did not significantly differ across students in the two course sections. This is the first study to provide evidence that online learning does not compromise the effectiveness of multicultural training for marriage and family therapists and adds evidence to the claim that the multicultural training marriage and family therapists receive is effective in achieving its aims.

Spiritual Coping: A Gateway to Enhancing Family Communication During Cancer Treatment.

The researchers examined the spiritual coping, family communication, and family functioning of 95 participants in 34 families by an online survey. Multilevel linear regression was used to test whether individuals' and families' higher endorsement of more use of spiritual coping strategies to deal with a member's cancer would be associated with higher scores on family communication and family functioning, and whether better communication would also be associated with higher family functioning scores. Results revealed that spiritual coping was positively associated with family communication, and family communication was positively associated with healthier family functioning. The researchers provide suggestions for further research.

The role of natural disaster in individual and relational adjustment in Sri Lankan mothers following the 2004 tsunami.

The purpose of this study is to examine the associations between maternal mental health distress symptoms, including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, the extent to which the presence of a child's disaster-related physical health problem(s) have interfered with daily functioning, and family cohesion over time among Sri Lankan mothers who survived the tsunami on 26 December 2004. Study variables were measured using a self-report questionnaire administered approximately four months after the event and three years later in summer 2008. Univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were conducted. Path analysis was employed to assess the relationships between the key variables over time and the correlations in the study variables at each time point. Among other findings, the results of the path analysis indicated that post-traumatic stress symptom distress four months after the disaster significantly predicted variance in family cohesion three years later. Clinical and empirical research implications are presented and discussed.

Experiences of Families Transmitting Values in a Rapidly Changing Society: Implications for Family Therapists.

Intergenerational value transmission affects parent-child relationships and necessitates constant negotiation in families. Families with adolescents from rapidly changing societies face unique challenges in balancing the traditional collectivistic family values that promote harmony with emerging values that promote autonomy. Using modern Turkey as an example of such a culture, the authors examine the transmission process in families that hold more traditional and collectivistic values than their adolescent children. Special consideration is given to generational and cultural differences in the autonomy and relatedness dimensions.

Differentiation and healthy family functioning of Koreans in South Korea, South Koreans in the United States, and White Americans.

Inconsistent results have been found in prior research on the Bowen Family Systems Theory concept of differentiation of self and its application to individuals, couples, and families of different cultural backgrounds. In this regard, this study examined the impact of differentiation of self on healthy family functioning, family communication, and family satisfaction with 277 participants including South Koreans living in South Korea, South Korean-born citizens living in the United States, and White Americans living in the United States. Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis identified the measurement invariance of a differentiation scale (DSI-R) used for the three study groups. An analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) found significant differences between White Americans and South Koreans with regard to the level of differentiation. Results of multigroup structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses found a significant association between differentiation of self and healthy family functioning across the three groups with the American group having significantly higher differentiation than the two South Korean groups." Implications for clinical practice and future research are discussed.

Multidisciplinary patient education for total joint replacement surgery patients.

The purpose of this article is to describe a preadmission, preoperative educational program offered free of charge for patients undergoing total joint replacement surgery at a large teaching hospital located in metropolitan Detroit, Michigan. In establishing the preoperative educational program, a multidisciplinary approach was used to provide a comprehensive learning environment for patients and their families. To evaluate the effectiveness of the program, patients completed surveys at the end of each class. Patients reported that their expectations of the program were met, they were less anxious about their surgery as a result of attending the classes, and the preoperative teaching by the multidisciplinary team was effective. Having a live session that offered an opportunity to ask individual and specific questions to each healthcare professional with immediate feedback proved to be a positive experience for patients. Patients' comments supported the multidisciplinary team's impression that real-time, interactive teaching was highly valued by patients and their caregivers.

College women: eating behaviors and help-seeking preferences.

Late adolescent women at a large, mid-Atlantic university were surveyed. Of the 578 who completed the survey, 17% were found to have eating disorders as defined by a score of 20 or above on the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26; Garner, Olmstead, Bohr, & Garfinkel, 1982). Participants who scored 20 or above were younger and more likely to be white, in a sorority, and Christian than were those who scored below 20 on the EAT-26. No correlation was found between EAT-26 scores and participation in organized athletics. In addition, the participants were asked about their choice of help and support should they have any worries about their eating. They were most likely to say that they would prefer a close friend to support them when dealing with disordered eating, followed by their parents and their significant other. In terms of professional services, most women reported that they would prefer individual assistance such as a consultation with a physician, a nutritionist, or a therapist, followed by family therapy, if they ever had questions about eating or thought they needed professional help with disordered eating.