Family members of people with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) often experience high levels of psychological symptoms such as depression, anxiety, or burden. Family Connections (FC) is a pioneer program designed for relatives of people with BPD, and it is the most empirically supported treatment thus far. The aim of this study was to carry out a randomized clinical trial to confirm the differential efficacy of FC versus an active treatment as usual (TAU) in relatives of people with BPD in a Spanish population sample. The sample consisted of 121 family members (82 family units) and a total of 82 patients who participated in a two-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT). The primary outcome was burden of illness. Secondary outcomes were depression, anxiety, stress, family empowerment, and quality of life. This is the first study to evaluate relatives and patients in an RCT design comparing two active treatment conditions of similar durations. Although no statistically significant differences were found between conditions. However, the adjusted posttest means for FC were systematically better than for TAU, and the effect sizes were larger in burden, stress, depression, family functioning, and quality of life in the FC intervention. Patients of caregivers who received the FC condition showed statistically significant improvements in stress, depression, and anxiety. Results indicated that FC helped both patients and relatives pointing to the importance of involving families of patients with severe psychological disorders.

The prevalence of cardiometabolic morbidity (e.g., high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, type 2 diabetes) and multimorbidity development (2 or more cardiometabolic morbidities) are rapidly growing in the US. Cardiometabolic morbidity and multimorbidity are linked to poor well-being outcomes, high healthcare costs, and mortality. There is little known about cardiometabolic multimorbidity health disparities, particularly regarding mutable factors that might be targeted in future health interventions. In the present study, using a biopsychosocial framework (Biobehavioral Family Model), we examine whether cardiometabolic morbidity and multimorbidity development are linked to premorbid family and marital relationships and if it differs depending on socioeconomic status (i.e., educational attainment) using three waves of Midlife in the US (N = 4951). We assessed cardiometabolic development with three conceptualizations: number of cardiometabolic morbidities (i.e., count variable), individual cardiometabolic morbidities (i.e., diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack), and severity of cardiometabolic multimorbidity (e.g., 3+ vs. zero morbidities). Family strain increased the number of cardiometabolic morbidities (OR = 1.17) and the severity of multimorbidity (e.g., 3+ morbidities: OR = 1.38). People with a high school education experienced family support as a buffer to the negative health impact of education level. Generally, marital quality appeared less impactful on cardiometabolic morbidity and multimorbidity development compared to family strain. Positive and negative family characteristics appear to function differently across educational attainment. These findings indicate that adults' non-intimate family relationships predict important outcomes such as diabetes, heart attack, stroke, and cardiometabolic multimorbidity and should be considered targets for preventative health interventions.

When asked what differentiates the Milan Approach now from the period when Luigi Boscolo and Gianfranco Cecchin were alive, the teachers at Via Leopardi remain humble. This article aims to explore the current identity of the Milan Approach. What is now the specificity of the Milan model? Do we have particularities that differentiate us from other clinical or therapeutic models? We still work according to the notion of the observing system, and we apply the three directives of the 1980s: hypothesizing, circularity, and curiosity. Is there a specific direction in which our approach is heading? Rather than attempting to take a picture of a status quo, this article seeks to represent the questions and doubts that organize a constant process in progress-as clinical work usually is. In this article, we wish to underline some aspects that are important to us and that we hold dear. We assert that the premises we have in common allow us to be flexible enough to keep in tune with current events and to address social issues that are of political relevance, in order to adapt to cultural changes.

Helicopter parenting is a distinctive, intrusive parenting approach characterized by high involvement, elements of control, and limited autonomy granted. It may impact adult children's engagement in partner-controlling and partner-controlled behaviors. However, little research has assessed the patterns of parent-child perception differences regarding helicopter parenting and their connections to these behaviors. This study aimed to identify profiles of informant discrepancies regarding helicopter parenting within Chinese families and explore their associations with adult children's partner-controlling and partner-controlled behaviors. Matched data from fathers, mothers, and adult children in one hundred and ninety-six intact families were included. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was conducted, identifying four profiles: parents over child (13.78%), child moderately over mother and moderately under father (17.35%), no consistent disagreements (49.49%), and child over parents (19.39%). Children whose perceptions aligned with their parents reported fewer partner-controlling and partner-controlled behaviors, compared to those whose perceptions exceeded their parents'. Similarly, children whose perceptions were lower than their parents' also reported fewer partner-controlled behaviors compared to those with higher perceptions. The findings provide evidence for understanding dynamic patterns of informant discrepancies regarding helicopter parenting in Chinese families and support the development of family-based interventions to address partner-controlling and partner-controlled behaviors.

Emotionally focused therapy (EFT) is one of few empirically supported treatments for relationship distress. While evidence-based approaches are critical for ensuring safe and effective treatment, EFT has not been adapted for use with same-sex/same-gender (SS/SG) relationships. This study used the Delphi method to generate consensus on treatment guidelines for using EFT with SS/SG relationships. Forty therapists with clinical expertise in EFT for SS/SG relationships were recruited. Data were collected in three phases. In phase one, participants responded to open-ended questions regarding how EFT should be adapted for SS/SG relationships. Phases two and three involved participants rating the importance of the recommended guidelines. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis and descriptive statistics. The final recommendations included 49 guidelines on EFT for SS/SG relationships. The data reflected modifications to therapists' foundational knowledge and development, practice set up and orientation, and the three stages and nine steps of EFT.

Not surprisingly, incarceration's extreme separation and stress have significant negative effects on romantic relationships. Unfortunately, few programs have been developed to improve jailed individuals' romantic relationship with their non-incarcerated partner. The present study investigated the effectiveness of the individual version of the digital OurRelationship program for incarcerated individuals. The current study is a program evaluation of services provided by PayTel Inc. (a provider of eLearning and communication devices in US jails) between June 2020 and November 2021. Of the 5411 individuals in a romantic relationship who started the program, 3034 completed it. Following completion of the program, 78% reported feeling "Mostly" or "Very Satisfied" with the program, and 77% reported "Slight" to "Strong" agreement that their relationship benefited from the program. Individuals' relationship confidence (d = 0.36) and relationship knowledge (d = 0.33) significantly improved during the program. Women and Latino/Hispanic and Asian/PI individuals experienced the largest pre-post gains in relationship functioning. Furthermore, racial/ethnic minority groups tended to report higher satisfaction with the program. Overall, the high rates of program satisfaction and significant pre-post changes-combined with their reduced barriers to dissemination-support the delivery of digital relationship programs for jailed individuals interested in strengthening their relationship.

Healthy marital relationships and coparenting are vital elements of a well-functioning family, serving as the foundation for promoting optimal child development. By analyzing four waves of dyadic data collected from 236 Chinese parents during the early years of their child's life, our study sought to (a) examine the links between marital satisfaction and coparenting and (b) explore the actor and partner effects between fathers and mothers by constructing corresponding time-averaged and time-specific components of these two variables. Our study revealed that there might be bidirectional associations between marital satisfaction and coparenting. Furthermore, we found that fathers and mothers influence each other in terms of their marital satisfaction and coparenting, both at the average level over time and to some extent at specific time points. This highlights the need for interventions and support programs that address both marital satisfaction and coparenting, as improving one aspect can potentially have a positive impact on the other.

Drawing inspiration from the reflective and liberating practice of testimonio, we narrated our experiences as two women of color precariously employed psychologists with US employment visas. Shirley Ley recounted an experience of lost identity as a psychologist at a small liberal arts institution while Shaznin Daruwalla wove a narrative of tested endurance in her role as a staff psychologist in a medium-sized state-funded academic institution. Despite our diverse origins-Canada and India respectively-we shared the intricate link between our immigration status and employment. This connection tethered us to our professional roles and the organizations supporting our employment-based immigrant visas. Unlike US permanent residents or citizens, our difficulty in switching employers freely left us profoundly vulnerable. The gravity of employment termination was overwhelming, tantamount to relinquishing our rights to reside and work in the United States, affording us only a brief 60-day window to secure new sponsorship. Guided by our unwavering anti-oppressive ethos, we confronted institutional barriers head-on, a stance that often placed us in precarious situations. Our assertive challenges to the system not only risked termination of our jobs but also carried the threat of displacement, a persistent reality in our consciousness. Amid the backdrop of COVID-19's employment uncertainties, our friendship emerged as a steadfast anchor, offering the safety and stability we needed to persevere. Through this paper, we sought to demonstrate how supportive relationships and shared experiences among women of color can be a powerful tool for resilience, personal growth, and professional empowerment in the face of systemic challenges.

The rising rates of adolescent depression have become a critical concern, with family dynamics and interpersonal communication playing a significant role in this mental health issue. However, research on the combined effects of parental warmth and interpersonal trust on adolescent depressive symptoms remains limited. This study aimed to explore the association between parental warmth, interpersonal trust, and depressive symptoms in Chinese adolescents. The sample included 2745 adolescents aged 9 to 18 from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS). Depressive symptoms were assessed using the CES-D8 scale, which yielded an average score of 4.34. Among participants, 11.3% exhibited symptoms consistent with depression. Multivariate linear regression revealed that both parental warmth (β = -0.296, p < 0.001) and interpersonal trust (β = -0.197, p < 0.001) significantly predicted lower depressive symptoms. Mediation analysis indicated that interpersonal trust partially mediated the relationship between parental warmth and depressive symptoms, explaining 17.68% of the total effect (β = -0.032, 95% CI = -0.060, -0.016). These associations remained significant even after controlling for demographic variables. Our findings suggest that parental warmth protects against depressive symptoms, with interpersonal trust enhancing this protective effect. Interventions focused on fostering parental warmth and enhancing interpersonal trust could improve adolescent mental health.

In this paper, we present a qualitative meta-ethnographic synthesis of 26 articles reporting experiences of subjective burden in 389 parents of children with mental illnesses. The studies were identified through a systematic literature search of PubMed, CINAHL Ultimate, APA PsycInfo, and MedLine Ultimate. We conducted a quality appraisal and followed the seven stages of meta-ethnographic synthesis. We developed a line of argument synthesis in the form of a model that depicts the subjective, temporal, and psychological experiences of parents. The model proposes a cyclical process characterized by five stages, each depicting a transitional point in which parents re-evaluate their experiences: caring for an intimate stranger; turning point; unavoidable role; uncertain future; transcendence. This model highlights the complex psychological processes that parents endure when caring for a child with a mental illness. The review highlights several methodological issues in this field of research, including issues related to sampling, poor reporting of data analysis, limited critical appraisal, and a lack of reflexivity. Future research should address the gaps in the literature while also attending to the issues that have been highlighted by this review.

Infidelity is any behavior that breaks the implied agreement of exclusivity within a romantic relationship and is a leading cause of divorce. Previous literature has established a relationship between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and infidelity perpetration. As experiencing childhood adversity does not guarantee an individual will engage in infidelity, mechanisms explaining this relationship should be explored. We investigated whether avoidant and anxious attachment styles mediate the relationship between ACEs and cheating frequency. A sample of 584 participants aged 18-82 years (M = 35.31, SD = 11.68, 67.0% female) was recruited and completed online versions of the Childhood Experiences Survey-17, the Relationship Structures Questionnaire, and frequency of cheating behavior in their current or most recent relationship. After dichotomizing gender and testing assumptions, data from 553 participants were available for analysis. A parallel mediation provided support for the first hypothesis, and partial support for the second. Specifically, ACEs were positively associated with anxious and avoidant attachment styles, but only avoidant attachment was significantly and positively associated with cheating frequency. As such, only avoidant attachment acted in a manner consistent with a mediator in the relationship between ACEs and infidelity. This result suggests a potential link between childhood adversity and the development of both avoidant and anxious attachment styles, but that individuals with an avoidant attachment style are more likely to engage in infidelity. These findings provide insight into the role attachment styles play in infidelity post-childhood adversity, and have the potential to guide therapeutic interventions for affected individuals.

Divorce and remarriage rates have increased dramatically in China, and more children live in stepfamilies. There remain valuable opportunities to understand the various family and school assets that support the well-being of Chinese youth amid family structural transitions, such as the transition to stepfamily life. Using latent profile analysis, the current study seeks to identify patterns of youth support using seven family-related variables and two school-related variables as indicators among a sample of Chinese youth (N = 269;  = 14 years; 129 females and 117 males) residing with a parent and stepparent. Four profiles were identified: low support, academic focus/low support, moderate support, and high support. Results further demonstrated that youth in the moderate support profile had significantly better well-being outcomes compared to youth in the low support or academic focus/low support profiles; demographic characteristics such as low SES families and parents with lower education backgrounds were associated with the low support profile; and stepfamilies with stepfathers were overrepresented in the moderate support profile, whereas stepfamilies with stepmothers were overrepresented in the low support and academic focus/low support profiles. These findings can inform the development of interventions intended to bolster the well-being of Chinese adolescents in stepfamilies.

This scoping review provides an overview of empirical research concerning the association between parents' mentalization and child mental health (0-12 years of age). Specifically, it aims at synthesizing the evidence regarding to what extent mentalization (a) is a protective factor for child mental health, and (b) moderates the transgenerational transmission of psychopathology. A total of 73 studies were selected out of 5112 identified (duplicates excluded). The results hint at a relation between parent's mentalization and child mental health: 88% of the studies showed significant associations between predictor and outcome dimensions across a variety of samples, research procedures, and assessment measures. About the direction of the associations, almost all of them behave as expected, supporting the statement that children of parents with healthy mentalization skills tend to have better functioning and show less psychopathology. The evidence indicates that parents' healthy mentalization strengthens children's well-being and helps them cope with stressors more effectively so it is acting as a protective factor against mental health problems. Eleven studies found moderating roles of parents' mentalization in the transgenerational transmission of psychopathology. In a context where mental ill-health is mostly addressed only once there is a problem, these results suggest that fostering parents' mentalization in clinical but also in non-clinical settings could help to improve child mental health in terms of symptoms, functioning, and well-being, and stop the growing incidence of mental disorders across development.

Clinicians working with people suffering from psychological disorders involving emotional dysregulation often focus on treating the patient. To some extent, this is logical given the urgency and severity of the patient's problems. However, caregivers of these patients experience high levels of burden, depression, and other types of distress. Therefore, not caring for family members means first, neglecting these people who are also suffering, and secondly missing the opportunity to help patients from other perspectives focused on the context around them that can be very helpful. Currently, there is growing interest in studying interventions to help relatives of people with severe mental disorders. This special section presents some studies that analyze several variables that may influence the course of treatment, such as the influence of personality traits of parents of people with eating disorders and affective disorders or the family alliance for therapeutic change, and the level of hopelessness in family members of people with borderline personality disorders. Second, empirically supported interventions are presented for psychological disorders involving emotional dysregulation, for example, in relatives of people with borderline personality disorder and eating disorders. It is essential to make progress in the psychological care of people with psychological disorders and we think a good way to do this is to integrate into our clinical practice the possibility of offering skills training and psychoeducation to family members. So far, good results have been obtained, and we believe it is essential to disseminate these interventions among clinicians and researchers.

Romantic relationships are normative in adolescence, and parents can play a role in supporting or restricting adolescents' romantic experiences. This study examined parents' involvement in adolescents' romantic relationships in a sample of 226 Mexican-origin families. Findings indicated that, on average, mothers were more supportive of adolescents' romantic relationships than fathers, and parents were more supportive of daughters than of sons. Fathers' (but not mothers') Mexican cultural orientations were associated with greater restrictions on adolescents' romantic relationships. For mothers of boys, higher levels of familism values were linked to lower levels of support, and for fathers of boys, more traditional gender role attitudes were associated with less support. Also, more parent-youth conflict was associated with greater support from mothers but greater restrictions from both mothers and fathers. Finally, less granted autonomy in early adolescence was associated with greater parental restrictions. Discussion focuses on the nature of mothers' and fathers' involvement in adolescents' romantic relationships. Implications for research and practice highlight the importance of recognizing cultural and relational factors that shape mothers' and fathers' parenting around adolescent dating.

Veteran and intimate partner perceptions of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may differ, and little is known about how agreement or disagreement on symptom severity is related to relationship satisfaction. Veterans and their partners (N = 199 couples) completed a baseline assessment for a clinical trial evaluating two couple-based PTSD interventions. Veterans completed the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). Partners completed the collateral PCL-5 (PCL-5-C), which asked them to rate the severity of the veteran's PTSD symptoms. Both partner and veteran completed the Couples Satisfaction Index (CSI-32). Intraclass correlations (ICC) assessed agreement between PCL-5 and PCL-5-C total and subscale scores, which was low for total PCL and for all subscales (ICC = 0.15-0.46). Actor-Partner Interdependence Models (APIMs; actor-only pattern) tested associations between relationship satisfaction and PTSD symptom severity (total PCL and subscales), and the magnitude and direction of difference between PCL-5 and PCL-5-C (total and subscales). For veterans, more severe total PTSD and negative cognition/mood scores were associated with lower relationship satisfaction, and the direction of discrepancy for negative cognition/mood (i.e., higher veteran-rated PTSD symptoms relative to partner's collateral report) was also associated with lower satisfaction. For partners, more severe collateral-reported symptoms for total PTSD and all four subscales were associated with lower relationship satisfaction; further, a larger discrepancy between veterans' and partners' reports of total PTSD, negative cognition/mood, and hyperarousal were associated with lower satisfaction. These results suggest that partners may have different perceptions of PTSD symptoms, and support the potential of fostering a shared understanding of PTSD symptom severity in couples.

In 2015, the United States Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, setting in motion a sweeping social change for sexual minority people and their romantic relationships. The United States Census Bureau collects demographic data on same-sex couple households, offering an opportunity to better understand the demographic makeup of same-sex marriage today. This knowledge is essential for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers who aim to understand and support same-sex couples' relationships. We used national probability data from the American Community Survey collected in 2021 (the most recent year these data are available) on married and unmarried, cohabiting same-sex and opposite-sex households. Respondents reported their own age, race, ethnicity, education, employment, income, home ownership, and whether they had children living with them in their household. Differences between married and unmarried opposite-sex couples were observed in race, ethnicity, age, and socioeconomic status, consistent with prior research. Many of these demographic gaps also existed for same-sex couples, although these were often smaller. Several of these differences further varied between male and female same-sex couples. Same-sex married couples appear to be more demographically diverse than opposite-sex married couples. However, like opposite-sex couples, same-sex couples from multiple minoritized groups were less likely to be married. Future research is needed to understand drivers of these differences (e.g., different attitudes about marriage or lack of access to marriage) and their impact. Policymakers and clinicians will need to bear these group differences in mind when designing policy and delivering services to support the well-being of sexual minority couples.

This study aims to investigate the associations of caring for grandchildren and/or great-grandparents with depressive symptoms, as well as life satisfaction in Chinese grandparents, and analyze the moderating roles of urban-rural residence and social participation. A nationally representative sample of 2973 grandparents in families with great-grandparents and grandchildren were selected from the 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CESD-10) and the single-item were used to measure depressive symptoms and life satisfaction. Social participation included participation in social and intellectual activities. The binary logistic regression model was employed to explore the relationship between caring and depressive symptoms, as well as life satisfaction in the whole participants, different urban-rural residence, and social participation groups, respectively. Caring was associated with depressive symptoms and life satisfaction (p < 0.05). A significant interaction existed between caring and urban-rural residence for depressive symptoms (interaction p = 0.029) and life satisfaction (interaction p = 0.027). Significant interactions were also found among caring, urban-rural residence, and social activities with depressive symptoms (interaction p = 0.025). In urban, caring for both was negatively related to depressive symptoms for the non-social activists, while in rural, caring for great-grandparents was positively associated with depressive symptoms for social activists (p < 0.05). Any new policy design related to preventing and reducing the possibility of mental disorders in Chinese grandparents should be tailored to heterogeneous subgroups who live in different rural-urban and social activities participation.

Despite the extensive body of evidence documenting how pandemic-related stressors (e.g., disruptions in daily routine) impact individuals' mental health, research examining family mechanisms through which stressors impact parental stress remains insufficient. The present study aims to address this gap by exploring a moderated mediation model that predicts parental stress resulting from the accumulation of pandemic-related stressors. Specifically, we hypothesized a second-stage moderated mediation model in which family resilience beliefs moderated the second-stage indirect paths through family relationships and marital satisfaction, resulting in conditional indirect effects. Study data were collected from American parents (n = 1386). There was no evidence that family relationships and marital satisfaction mediated the association between stressor pile-up and parent stress. In addition, family resilience beliefs did not significantly impact how marital satisfaction or family relationships affect parental stress. However, marital satisfaction mediated the relationship between stressor pile-up and parental stress across all levels of family resilience beliefs. The findings of this study carry significant implications for post-pandemic family interventions, suggesting the incorporation of resilience belief training and stress management strategies to improve intrafamilial communication.

Emotion regulation is central in many therapy models, including couple and family therapy models. This article draws on poststructuralist governmentality studies and processual affect theory to offer insight into how the therapeutic concept of emotion regulation may reflect and support neoliberal affective forms of self-governance. We suggest that couple and family therapy-through using professional discourses and affect-oriented techniques or interventions-may be another site wherein neoliberal governmentality is implemented and extended in contemporary westernized neoliberalized societies. In facilitating emotion regulation, we argue that there is a risk that therapists may implicitly promote a neoliberal worldview that encourages clients to mobilize neoliberal techniques to become self-improving, entrepreneurial subjects, responsible for their happiness and well-being. Conditions of precarity associated with individualist, neoliberal capitalist ideologies and policies (e.g., unemployment, job insecurity, forced migration, wealth inequalities, mass incarceration, social isolation) generate emotional burdens for people to manage that professional techniques or interventions may normalize as clients' self-management tasks. We theorize emotion regulation as an affective governmentality tactic of power and suggest that couple and family therapy can offer points of resistance to individualization and responsibilization and opportunities for creating or affirming alternative subjectivities and affectivities.

Although parents' parenting stress has been found to be related to coparenting, existing research has mostly focused only on one parent or examined the unidirectional effects between the two factors. The present study investigated the actor and partner effects as well as the bidirectional association between parents' parenting stress and coparenting in Chinese society. The study participants were 522 Chinese father-mother dyads with elementary school-aged children who followed for two measurement occasions (half a year apart). The cross-lagged actor-partner interdependence model (APIM) was used to examine the actor effects and partner effects in the bidirectional associations between both parents' parenting stress and coparenting. The findings revealed that both fathers' and mothers' parenting stress significantly negatively predicted their spouses' coparenting (partner effects), and mothers' coparenting significantly negatively predicted their spouses' parenting stress (partner effects). However, the actor effects between parents' parenting stress and coparenting were not significant. Furthermore, there were significant bidirectional associations between fathers' parenting stress and mothers' coparenting. Findings from the present study reveal the dynamic interaction between parenting stress and coparenting. The results point to the need for providing preventive interventions to parents with high levels of parenting stress and establishing a collaborative interaction framework between parents.

Emotionally focused therapy (EFT) is an evidence-based treatment for relational distress based on experiential, humanistic, and attachment theories. Despite the empirical support for EFT, there are no studies on EFT delivered via teletherapy. In this study, we aimed to understand therapists' experiences delivering EFT through teletherapy using open-ended questions on a web-based survey of certified EFT therapists (n = 69). Reflexive thematic analysis identified five themes: (1) Delivering EFT via teletherapy is similar to in-person therapy, (2) Delivering EFT via teletherapy is more challenging than in-person therapy, (3) Delivering EFT via teletherapy is more challenging with certain clients, (4) therapists adapted EFT for teletherapy, and (5) teletherapy and the COVID-19 pandemic changed therapy practice. The themes illustrated the mixed experiences of EFT therapists using teletherapy. Whereas some found it straightforward to use EFT via teletherapy with couples, others experienced exhaustion and barriers. Practice recommendations for delivering EFT via teletherapy are outlined, including modifying assessment strategies, implementing new safety protocols, and providing additional psychoeducation.

This article aims to present the basic tenets of contextual therapy and its treatment goals, methodology, and theory of change. It provides an orientation for readers who are new to the approach and should serve as an updated frame of reference for readers already familiar with it. An important contribution of this article is that it clarifies the place of contextual therapy in the vast field of family therapy and dispels some common misunderstandings about the path of its founder, Ivan Boszormenyi-Nagy (1920-2007). Additionally, it demonstrates why contextual therapy should be counted among the postmodern, collaborative approaches to family therapy, which contradicts the usual view that it belongs to the earlier modern models of family therapy. Furthermore, it shows that contextual therapy is well-equipped to incorporate the current and future contributions of human sciences and offers unique therapeutic resources to address the individual and relational consequences of injustices that should remain relevant for the foreseeable future.

Contextual family therapy offers a unique explanatory and clinically valuable framework to address complex multigenerational processes in families of immigrants who experience cumulative migration-related traumas. In this paper, we offer a new extended, specific conceptualization of immigrant families' generational dynamics using existing literature within the five-dimensional contextual therapy framework illustrated with a clinical example. We highlight the importance of social and relational justice, loyalty, entitlement, and parentification in transgenerational processes in addressing manifestations of these traumas that are frequently overlooked in clinical practice with different generations of immigrant families. Clinical guiding principles include acknowledgment of the social nature of situational injustices and their consequences for relational justices, exploration of loyalty conflicts (familial, cultural, and national), active dialogue of mutual care, exoneration, and stimulating constructive entitlement through active giving. This paper contributes to further development of contextual therapy theory and provides practical guidance for clinicians working with international migrants including second and third generations.

Depressive symptoms are one of the mental health problems among Korean American (KA) youth. Although several studies examined mental distress among KA youth, few have examined the associations between different familial factors, negative emotionality, and depressive symptoms among them, especially using longitudinal data. Drawing on the Triadic Model of Family Process (TMFP), this study examined the longitudinal associations between Korean-specific aspects of familial factors and depressive symptoms among KA youth and the mediation role of negative emotionality in the relationships. Using KA youth and parent data from the Midwest Longitudinal Study of Asian American Families (MLSAAF) project, path analyses revealed that family enmeshment and youth-reported intergenerational conflict were associated with youth depressive symptoms, with negative emotionality serving as a mediator. The findings suggest that interventions aimed at reducing negative emotionality and improving parent-youth relationship quality and family boundaries could be helpful in reducing youth depressive symptoms.

The cornerstone of the contextual family therapy model is predicated on the belief that all family members benefit from trustworthy relationships, which result from (a) acknowledging the contributions of deserving family members, (b) engaging in responsible interactions, and (c) ensuring a fair distribution of relational burdens and benefits. Nonetheless, conflicts may arise when one partner asserts a claim to relational resources based on need, while the other believes they are entitled to such resources based on merit. Based on relational ethics and the development of trust, this paper focuses on the therapist's role in facilitating the conflict-resolution process to assist couples in reestablishing individual responsibility and accountability within the systemic framework of couple therapy. It elucidates several clinical strategies, including (a) cultivating trust through fairness and focusing on the importance of reciprocity and equitable give-and-take, (b) detecting destructive entitlement, and (c) marital relationships and ethics of care. Several clinical examples are discussed, as well as common couple relational issues associated with horizontal and vertical relationships, partnership, and fusion, and the impact of gender and power dynamics and trustworthiness based on the feminist lens.

Couples appear to frequently experience relationship problems, yet estimates of the prevalence and prediction of three distinct help-seeking steps, (1) recognition of serious relationship dissatisfaction, (2) considering help, and (3) receiving relationship help, are unknown for representative population samples. This is unfortunate as such knowledge may inform policy makers in the development of strategies to motivate couples to seek help. The prevalence of these steps along with reasons for not acquiring help was studied in a representative population sample of 1014 Dutch heterosexual couples. Multilevel Actor-Partner Interdependence Modeling (APIM) analyses estimated the extent to which static socio-demographic factors were predictive of help-seeking behaviors. Of all partners, 28.6% reported having ever been seriously dissatisfied with their relationship (step 1), of which 86.2% had told their partner they were dissatisfied, on average 1.5 years after onset of the dissatisfaction. Of the seriously dissatisfied partners 36.4% considered professional relationship help (step 2) and 19.5% eventually received help (step 3), on average 3.7 years after the onset of dissatisfaction. Of these, 88.5% consulted a (couple) therapist. Main reasons for not acquiring help were that "things got better" (48.8%) and "the partner did not want relationship help" (35.4%), whereas financial considerations and shame were rarely endorsed. Although serious relationship dissatisfaction was common (i.e., 40.1% of all couples consisted of at least one partner who was ever dissatified), few couples sought help and they did so rather late. Waxing and waning of dissatisfaction often guided the decision to not seek help. Women and younger partners were more proactive in help-seeking. Marital status, having children, and education were largely unrelated to help-seeking.

Asian Americans, historically oppressed and influenced by White supremacist norms, may internalize anti-Blackness (beliefs of behaviors that minimize, marginalize, or devalue Black individuals) as they navigate White-dominated environments to survive and seek acceptance. However, there is limited research addressing the intergenerational socialization of anti-Blackness within Asian American communities and its impact as a barrier to cross-racial solidarity and involvement in anti-racism efforts. Thus, we tested whether parents' anti-Black messages were associated with fear of Black individuals and lack of empathic reactions to anti-Black racism, and in turn, related to hindrance in the perceived ability to engage in anti-racism advocacy among Asian American emerging adults. With data from 205 participants (Mage = 19.92, SD = 2.64, online convenience sample), we conducted a path analysis of parents' anti-Black messages indirectly associated with perceived ability in advocacy against anti-Black racism through fear of Black individuals and empathic reactions to anti-Black racism. Parents' anti-Black messages were associated with greater fear of Black individuals, which was associated with lower empathic reactions to racism, and in turn, ultimately associated with a lower perceived ability to engage in advocacy against anti-Black racism. This pathway was the best-fitting model compared with an alternative parallel model (fear and empathy as separate mediators) and a model with empathy as the first mediator. Our study suggests that clinicians, educators, and researchers should target parents' anti-Black messages and Asian American emerging adults' emotional responses (fear, empathy) to anti-Black racism in disrupting anti-Blackness at parental/family and individual levels.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the mental health and well-being of families worldwide, with parents particularly at risk for stress and other psychological symptoms. In this study, we sought to understand the factors contributing to parent stress symptoms during the early stages of the pandemic in 23 European countries (N = 40,138) using the double ABC-X model. We examined whether the relationship between stressor pile-up and perceived stress was mediated by family satisfaction and relationship satisfaction and whether family resiliency beliefs impacted these mediated relationships. Our results showed a direct association between stressor pile-up and parent stress symptoms, but we did not find evidence for the mediating role of family satisfaction or relationship satisfaction in this relationship. We also found that family resiliency beliefs did not moderate the indirect effects of family satisfaction and relationship satisfaction on parent stress symptoms. These findings suggest that the ABC-X model may not fully capture the processes affecting parents' experience of stress during the pandemic and that alternative models such as the vulnerability-stress-adaptation model may be more relevant. Future research should also consider the potential negative impact of resiliency beliefs on mental health and other risk and protective factors such as self-compassion.