Self-Differentiation, Psychological Flexibility, and Difficulties in Practice in Social Workers and Social Work Students.

Practicing social work involves unique difficulties, which may vary with seniority. This study aimed to identify these difficulties among social workers and social work students and to examine the associations between psychological flexibility (PF), self-differentiation (SF), and difficulties in practice in both groups. Ninety-one social work students and seventy-five social workers completed the following questionnaires: Difficulties in Practice, the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II, and Differentiation of Self Inventory. Results showed higher difficulties among social work students regarding their professional competence. Social workers demonstrated higher levels of PF, while no significant difference was found in SF. SF and PF were positively correlated, and both were negatively correlated with difficulties in practice in both groups. Among social work students, a moderating effect of PF was found for the association between SF and difficulties in practice. The current study emphasizes the importance of developing SF and cultivating PF during social work education to enhance professional competence and reduce difficulties in practice.

Validity of the Persian translation of the differentiation of self inventory (DSI) among Iranian adults.

Because of the importance of self-differentiation in couple therapy and premarital counseling, it is essential to have a suitable tool to measure it. The present study investigates the validity of the Persian translation of Differentiation of Self Inventory (DSI) among Iranian adults. The participants involved 273 people who chose availability (202 males and 82 females). The DSI scale had good enough validity and satisfactory reliability according to face, content, and construct validity test. According to the results of confirmatory factor analysis, 26 items removed because their factor loadings did not meet the criteria and the DSI scale remained as a 17 items questionnaire. Due to the disintegration of factors, exploratory factor (EFA) analysis is used to determine the factors of DSI. The results of EFA supported the four-factor questionnaire, including emotional reactivity, emotional cutoff, I position, and fusion with others.

Comparison of Self-Differentiation and Identity Statuses in Twins and Nontwins.

Formation of identity and differentiation is crucial in the development process of adolescents and young people. Despite many studies on identity status and self-differentiation in adolescence and early adulthood stages, this issue has been less examined among twins. This study was conducted to compare self-differentiation and identity statuses in twins and nontwins. The sample of the study consisted of 128 identical twins, 176 nonidentical twins and 170 nontwins aged from 13 to 30 years and living in Mashhad in Iran, who completed the Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status and Self-Differentiation questionnaires. The results showed that the self-differentiation of identical and nonidentical twins was significantly higher than nontwins. The results also showed that level of Foreclosure identity, Moratorium identity and Achieved identity was similar among identical twins, nonidentical twins and nontwins, but significantly different in terms of Diffusion identity. Further, the results showed that twins younger than 18 years had scores higher than nontwins and twins over 18 years in terms of Diffusion identity. Findings revealed that females were significantly lower than males for Moratorium identity. The adolescence period and co-twins may be the reason for the high levels of Diffusion identity and self-differentiation. Also, it seems that identity development and differentiation are related to emotional and cognitive development.

O fenômeno da transgeracionalidade no ciclo de vida familiar: casal com filhos pequenos / The influence of the transgerational phenomenon on the family life cycle of couples with small children / El fenómeno de la transgeneracionalidad en el ciclo de vida familiar: pareja con hijos pequeños

O presente trabalho investiga a influência do fenômeno da transgeracionalidade no ciclo de vida familiar de casal com filhos pequenos. A partir dos dados levantados por meio de genogramas, foi possível obter uma leitura sistêmica a respeito da família de origem de cada um dos cônjuges, bem como da família nuclear por eles constituída. Durante as sessões de terapia de casal, foi trabalhado, entre outros temas, o conceito de diferenciação do self, possibilitando ao casal o entendimento acerca da origem de seus problemas conjugais, os quais emergiram após o nascimento das filhas. Como consequência, o casal pôde vivenciar mudanças evolutivas na relação conjugal, confirmando o que a terapia boweniana diz sobre o entendimento ser o veículo de cura.

This work investigates the influence of the transgenerational phenomenon on the family life cycle of couples with small children. As of collection of data from genograms, it was possible to obtain a systemic reading on the family origin of each spouse, as well as the nuclear family constituted by them. During the couple’s therapy sessions, they worked on the concept of self-differentiation, allowing the couple to understand the origin of their marital problems, which emerged after the birth of their daughters. As a consequence, the couple may experience evolutionary changes in their marital relationship, confirming what the Bowenian Therapy says about understanding as to the vehicle of healing.

El presente trabajo investiga la influencia del fenómeno de la transgeneracionalidad en el ciclo de vida familiar de pareja con hijos pequeños. A partir de los datos levantados por medio de genogramas, fue posible obtener una lectura sistémica al respecto de la familia de origen de cada uno de los cónyuges, así como de la familia nuclear constituida por ellos. Durante las sesiones de terapia de pareja, fue trabajado, entre otros temas, el concepto de diferenciación del self, posibilitándole a la pareja el entendimiento acerca del origen de sus problemas conyugales, los cuales emergieron después del nacimiento de sus hijas. Como consecuencia, la pareja pudo vivenciar cambios evolutivos en la relación conyugal, confirmando lo que la terapia boweniana dice sobre que el entendimiento es el vehículo de cura.

Contribuições de Murray Bowen à terapia familiar sistêmica / Murray Bowens contributions to systemic family therapy

Este artigo apresenta um ensaio teórico sobre as contribuições de Murray Bowen para a Terapia Familiar Sistêmica. Apesar de ser um dos pioneiros da psicologia sistêmica, suas obras nunca foram publicadas em português. Dada a importância da teoria de Bowen para o campo da terapia familiar, este trabalho visa discutir alguns aspectos teóricos e práticos que podem ajudar os profissionais no trabalho com famílias. A partir da descrição dos sistemas emocional, afetivo e intelectual, apresentam-se os oito conceitos de Bowen, com destaque para a diferenciação do self e sua importância na proposta terapêutica boweniana. São ressaltadas duas características distintas da Terapia Familiar Sistêmica de Bowen: a diferenciação do self do terapeuta e a terapia familiar com um só membro da família.

This article is a theoretical essay on Murray Bowen's contributions to systemic family therapy. Despite being one of the pioneers of systemic psychology, his works were never published in Portuguese. Given the importance of Bowen's theory for the field of family therapy, this work aims to explore some theoretical and practical aspects that can help professionals in working with families. From the description of the emotional, affective and intellectual systems, eight concepts of Bowen's theory are presented, highlighting the self differentiation and its importance in the Bowenian therapeutic proposal. Two distinct characteristics of Bowen's Systemic Family Therapy clinic are highlighted, the differentiation of the therapist's self and family therapy with a single family member.

Far away, so close: The role of self-differentiation in psychopathology among spouses of ex-POWs and comparable combatants.

OBJECTIVE: War captivity entails severe posttraumatic implications for ex-prisoners of war (POWs) and their partners. This study examines the role of self-differentiation in secondary traumatization and dyadic adjustment among ex-POWs' spouses. METHODS: A total of 106 spouses of Israeli ex-POWs and 56 matched spouses of ex-combatants completed self-report questionnaires assessing secondary posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms (SPS), self-differentiation (fusion, cut-off, balanced), general psychiatric distress (GPD), and dyadic adjustment. RESULTS: Ex-POWs' spouses reported lower dyadic adjustment and higher levels of SPS, GPD, and fusion and cut-off differentiation, compared to ex-combatants' spouses. A "mixed" differentiation style characterized by high levels of both fusion and cut-off was associated with particularly high distress levels. Fusion differentiation moderated the association between SPS/GPD and dyadic adjustment. CONCLUSION: Self-differentiation plays an important role in posttraumatic spousal relationships. Women showing unstable differentiation may be particularly vulnerable when living with a veteran. Treatments for posttraumatic couples should target dysregulated interpersonal distance and promote adaptive differentiation.

Self-differentiation and eating disorders in early and middle adolescence: A cross-sectional path analysis.

This study examines the impact of self-differentiation, alexithymia and psychological distress on eating disorder symptoms in young and middle adolescence. Four hundred fifty-one adolescents completed self-report measures. Early and middle adolescents were categorized into two groups (12-14 years and 15-17 years) to represent distinct developmental stages. Significant differences were found between younger and older adolescents. The association between low self-differentiation and both eating disorders symptoms and psychological dimensions related to eating attitudes was stronger in early adolescence than in middle adolescence. The association between low self-differentiation and eating disorder symptoms was mediated by alexithymia and psychological distress in middle adolescence. Taken together, these findings suggest that self-differentiation could be useful in understanding psychological distress and alexithymia in eating disorders.

The Association between self-differentiation and mental health among medical students / 中华医学教育探索杂志

Objective This study is to explore the association between self-differentiation and men-tal health among medical students. Methods Differentiation of self inventory-revised (DSI-R) and univer-sity personality inventory (UPI) were used to measure the self-differentiation and mental health of 526 med-ical students from Grade One to Grade Five at a comprehensive university in Shanghai. Result The mean score of DSI-R was (171.25±19.65). 32.2％ of participants had different levels of mental health prob-lems. Female students got higher score of DSI-R than male students (P=0.007). Statistically significant dif-ferences of medical students' self-differentiation were found among years of school attended (P=0.039). Sta-tistically significant differences of self-differentiation were also found between the first class and the third class of UPI (P<0.001) as well as the second class and the third class of UPI (P=0.004). Ordinal regression analysis indicated that self-differentiation was a risk factor for medical students' mental health (OR=1.036, P=0.000). Conclusion The average score of medical students' self-differentiation was higher than college students of other specialties. But their mental health condition was worse. Medical students with higher self-differentia-tion had worse mental health situation.

Mediating Effects of Cognitive Emotion Regulation on Influences of Self-differentiation and Family Function in High School Students' Problem Behavior / 정신간호학회지

PURPOSE: This study was done to investigate the mediation effects of cognitive emotion regulation on influences of self-differentiation and family function in high school students' problem behavior. METHODS: Study design was a cross-sectional descriptive analysis of causal research. A survey was conducted with 194 students in a C city high school. Data were analyzed using SPSS 21.0 and AMOS 21.0. RESULTS: There were direct effects of self-differentiation (β= -.39, p<.001), adaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies (β=-.16, p=.004) and maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies (β=.34, p<.001) on problem behavior in these students. A mediator effect was found for self-differentiation, as it had a direct impact on the maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategy (β=-.15, p=.014), which then had a direct impact on problem behavior. However, family function had no direct impact on both the maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategy and the adaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategy and on problem behavior, no mediator effect was observed. Explanatory power of these variables for problem behavior was 48.0%. CONCLUSION: Study findings suggest that to intervene for problem behavior in high school students, there is a need to develop and utilize programs that not only intervene for self-differentiation but also decrease high school students' use of non-adaptive cognitive emotion regulation.

Keeping a healthy distance: Self-differentiation and perceived health among ex-prisoners-of-war's wives.

OBJECTIVE: War captivity may affect spouses of former-prisoners-of-war (ex-POWs) in many ways, including posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and somatic difficulties manifested in negative perceived health. This is generally known as secondary traumatization. Theory suggests that development of secondary traumatization occurs through the relationship with the primary trauma survivor Figley (1986) , thus implying that the ability to keep balanced emotional distance in the relationship may play a pivotal role. Notwithstanding, the contribution of self-differentiation to secondary somatic disturbances remains largely uninvestigated. The current study fills this gap. METHODS: Ex-POWs' wives (n=143) and control former-combatants' wives (n=102), were assessed prospectively 30 (T1) and 38 (T2) years after the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Self-differentiation and PTSS were assessed at both time-points, while perceived health measures were assessed at T2. RESULTS: Wives of ex-POWs endorsed higher PTSS, lower self-differentiation and negative perceived health, compared to control wives. Indirect exposure to war captivity was related to low self-differentiation and elevated PTSS, which predicted negative perceived health. Furthermore, self-differentiation characterized by fusion-with-others fully mediated the relation between indirect exposure to war captivity and perceived health, beyond the effects of PTSS as a mechanism. CONCLUSION: Results suggest that tendencies towards fusion-with-others within the marital relationship, act as a risk factor not only for psychological distress but also for somatic distress among secondary trauma survivors. Hence, clinical interventions may seek to improve indirect trauma survivor's self-differentiation capacities, thus potentially facilitating the prevention of secondary somatic distress.

Correlation study on self-differentiation and career adaptation in nursing undergraduate / 中国实用护理杂志

Objective To investigate the current status of nursing undergraduate students′ self-differentiation and career adaptability and analyze the correlation of the two, so as to provide a reference for nursing educators to offer employment guidance. Methods The Undergraduate Self-Differentiation Scale and The College Students′Career Adaptability Questionnaire were used to investigate 341 nursing undergraduates. Results The mean scores of the self-differentiation and the career adaptability were (3.70±0.60) points and (3.60±0.42) points, respectively. It showed that the total score of self-differentiation and its each dimension were positively correlated with career adaptability, the Pearson correlation coefficients were career adjustment 0.26, career interpersonal 0.38, career curiosity 0.32, career confidence 0.39, career concerns 0.27, career control 0.46, and the coefficients between two total scales were 0.46 (all P<0.05). Conclusions The self-differentiation level of nursing undergraduates could affect their career adaptation level, and clinical nursing educators can take corresponding measures to improve their career adaptability based on the characteristics of nursing students′self-differentiation.

Moderating effect of self-differentiation in relationship between life events and coping styles in college freshmen / 中国心理卫生杂志

Objective:To explore the moderating effect of self-differentiation between life events and coping styles. Methods:Totally 584 college freshmen from Beijing and Jiangsu were selected to fill in the Adolescent Self-Rating Life Events Check-list (ASLEC),Differentiation of Self Inventory(DSI)and Simplified Coping Style Ques-tionnaire (SCSQ). Results:Self-differentiation had a moderating effect between life events and coping styles. The predicting effect of life events on negative coping was 0. 03 in the higher self-differentiation group (P>0. 05 ) while in the lower self-differentiation group,it was 0. 27 (P<0. 00 1 ). Conclusion:It suggests that higher self-differ-entiation could relieve the negative effect of life events to coping styles.

The Study of Two Psychotherapy Approaches (Rogers Self Theory and Ellis Rational Theory) in Improvement of Bowen Self-differentiation and Intimacy.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of rational, behavioral and emotive therapy (REBT) and person-centered therapy (PCT) on self-differentiation and intimacy among divorce clients. METHODS: In quasi-experimental study, 42 divorce clients (both males and females) who presented to the Counsling Center of Sanandaj, Iran were sampled. They were categorized into three groups of PCT, REBT, and control group (each group contained 14 subjects). The recovery indices (dependent variables) employed were the subject of self-differentiation and intimacy, which were measured twice before and after intervention of Differentiation of Self Inventory-2 (DSI-2) and intimacy. The therapy involved 8 one-hour sessions. It was held twice a week and therapeutic effects were traced after 8 months. RESULTS: The results showed that REBT and PCT were effective on self-differentiation scale and intimacy. Also they were influential in recovery self-differentiation scale and intimacy follow up stage. CONCLUSION: REBT and PCT were effective on self-differentiation and its subscales (Emotional reactivity, "I" position, Emotional cut off and Fusion with other) and general intimacy. DECLARATION OF INTEREST: None.

Effects of self-differentiation, social support and social adaption on suicidal ideation in college students / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

Objective To explore the effects of self-differentiation,social support,social adaptation on suicidal ideation.Methods A simplified cluster sampling method,involving the random selection of 3097 college students in 23 departments,was used to estimate the scores of Chinese version of Self Differentiation Inventory for university student(SDI),Social Support Rating Scale(SSRC),College Student Adaptability Scale (CSAS) and Adult Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire(ASIQ).The independent-samples t-test,Pearson correlation coefficients and stepwise regression analyses were used as statistical analysis techniques.Results The correlation coefficients were negatively significant between suicidal ideation and self-differentiation,social support and social adaptation (r=-0.24,-0.17,-0.29,P＜0.001).Social adaptation showed the strongest predictability for suicidal ideation (β=-0.19,P＜0.001),followed by self-differentiation (β3=-0.13,P＜0.001),social support (β3=-0.08,P＜0.001).Independent samples t-test showed that college students with suicidal ideation showed a significant reduction in interpersonal adaptation,social support,self-differentiation compared to those without suicidal ideation.Conclusion Self-differentiation level,social support and social adaptability may be effective predictors for suicidal ideation among college students.Future intervention programs may focus on enhancing the interpersonal skills of college students to reduce prevalence of suicidal behavior.