Family Psychology Research Research Articles

Are We Ready to Really Hear the Voices of Those Concerned? Lessons Learned from Listening to and Involving Children in Child and Family Psychology Research

A changing view of children, accelerated by the Convention of the Rights of the Child (UN in Convention on the rights of the child, UN Doc. A/RES/44/25, 1989, http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/pdf/crc.pdf) has shifted the landscape of child and family research over the last few decades. Once viewed with low credibility and operating outside the interpretive framework of adult researchers, the rights-bearing child is increasingly recognized not only as having the capacity but also the right to participate in research. More recently, this movement has transitioned from the direct engagement of children as research participants—now considered commonplace, although less so for those who are structurally vulnerable—to the involvement of children in research design, review, conduct, and dissemination. Yet, both practical and ethical challenges remain. While children have the right to participation, they also have the right to protection. In this commentary, we set out to: (i) lay forth epistemic, child rights, and child sociology arguments for doing research about, with and by children and youth; (ii) recount our own journey of including children and youth in research to demonstrate the unique knowledge and insights gained through these approaches; and (iii) offer lessons learned on how to engage children and youth in research, including the involvement of structurally vulnerable groups.

Using the factor of curves model to evaluate associations among multiple family constructs over time.

Research in family psychology often focuses on understanding how multiple familial constructs develop over time. To examine these developmental processes, researchers frequently use a multivariate latent growth model (LGM) in which univariate LGMs are specified for each individual construct and then correlations are examined between the slopes and intercepts of different pairs of constructs. However, if the developmental associations among the constructs are hypothesized to derive from a higher-order common "cause" or factor, then a more appropriate model is the factor of curves (FOCUS) model. In this paper, we describe the FOCUS model for assessing the covariation among multiple developmental measures over time. We use empirical data to illustrate the benefits of the FOCUS model for testing whether a common factor, family academic orientation, is responsible for the interrelations among parental school perception, parental educational involvement, and children's academic competence from elementary school to high school. Results support that a higher-order family academic orientation construct can be used to characterize the developmental associations among parental school perception, parental educational involvement, and children's academic competence over time. We emphasize the importance of selecting a statistical model that matches one's theory of developmental change. (PsycINFO Database Record

60 Years of Practice, Research, and Teaching in Family Psychology and Family Therapy

ABSTRACTRecent theoretical and empirical evidence as well as experimental and practical highlights from 60 years of clinical practice, research, and teaching in family therapy are summarized. This summary contains recent highlights that remain in my memory more vividly than others. I shall start with selected models of Relational Competence Theory (RCT), including variations on the theme of the Deadly Drama Triangle and their workbook applications.

The role of multiple-group measurement invariance in family psychology research.

Measurement invariance (MI) is a property of measurement that is often implicitly assumed, but in many cases, not tested. When the assumption of MI is tested, it generally involves determining if the measurement holds longitudinally or cross-culturally. A growing literature shows that other groupings can, and should, be considered as well. Additionally, it is noted that the standard techniques for investigating MI have been focused almost exclusively on the case of 2 groups, with very little work on the case of more than 2 groups, even though the need for such techniques is apparent in many fields of research. This paper introduces and illustrates a model building technique to investigating MI for more than 2 groups. This technique is an extension of the already-existing hierarchy for testing MI introduced by Meredith (1993). An example using data on father involvement in 5 different groups of families of children with and without developmental disabilities from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort dataset will be given. We show that without considering the possible differential functioning of the measurements on multiple developmental groups, the differences present between the groups in terms of the measurements may be obscured. This could lead to incorrect conclusions.

Systemic thinking in couple and family psychology research and practice.

Systemic thinking is central to the specialty of couple and family psychology (CFP). Eleven applications of systemic thinking (perceptual and cognitive structuring processes) are described to characterize the way couple and family psychologists think about research and practice. The application of systemic thinking to research is described in light of dynamic systems conceptualization and a systemic research approach that delineates six steps that identify collective variables, characterize attractor states, describe dynamic trajectories, identify points of transition, recognize control parameters, and manipulate control parameters to identify core mechanisms of change is rehearsed and detailed. Systemic thinking is applied to professional practice in CFP, recognizing that psychotherapy with multiple individuals concurrently in couple or family formats presents particular challenges. Critical elements of therapeutic process in the specialty, including the therapeutic alliance, assessment and case conceptualization, the understanding of change in systems, and treatment interventions are described in light of systemic thinking and thoughts about professional supervision in the specialty are presented.

Bridging systemic research and practice: Evidence-based case study methods in couple and family psychology.

University of Texas at AustinAppreciating the complexity of family psychology research and clinical practicerooted in a systemic epistemology, multiple types of evidence are acknowledged tocontribute meaningfully to evidence-based practice (EBP), including systematiccase studies and single-case designs. Family psychology is replete with casestudies; however, most lack the methodological rigor essential to EBP, and themethodologically rigorous single-case design is underutilized. The article recom-mends a shift in family psychology clinical research to include evidence-based casestudies and single-case designs that are both methodologically rigorous and feasiblewithin clinical practice. Implications for lessening the research practice gap andinforming EBP are discussed.Keywords:

Introduction to special section of the Journal of Family Psychology, advances in mixed methods in family psychology: Integrative and applied solutions for family science.

Mixed methods in family psychology refer to the systematic integration of qualitative and quantitative techniques to represent family processes and settings. Over the past decade, significant advances have been made in study design, analytic strategies, and technological support (such as software) that allow for the integration of quantitative and qualitative methods and for making appropriate inferences from mixed methods. This special section of the Journal of Family Psychology illustrates how mixed methods may be used to advance knowledge in family science through identifying important cultural differences in family structure, beliefs, and practices, and revealing patterns of family relationships to generate new measurement paradigms and inform clinical practice. Guidance is offered to advance mixed methods research in family psychology through sound principles of peer review.

Cluster Analysis in Family Psychology Research.

This article discusses the use of cluster analysis in family psychology research. It provides an overview of potential clustering methods, the steps involved in cluster analysis, hierarchical and nonhierarchical clustering methods, and validation and interpretation of cluster solutions. The article also reviews 5 uses of clustering in family psychology research: (a) deriving family types, (b) studying families over time, (c) as an interface between qualitative and quantitative methods, (d) as an alternative to multivariate interactions in linear models, and (e) as a data reduction technique for small samples. The article concludes with some cautions for using clustering in family psychology research.

Journal of Family Psychology: Call for papers: Family psychology research methodology.

Journal of Family Psychology: Call for papers: Family psychology research methodology.

Call for Papers: Family Psychology Research Methodology.

Call for Papers: Family Psychology Research Methodology.

The role of measurement, some statistics, and some factor analysis in family psychology research.

The role of measurement, some statistics, and some factor analysis in family psychology research.

The role of measurement, some statistics, and some factor analysis in family psychology research.

Family psychologists primarily use descriptive research methods. Important measurement principles involved include the Spearman-Brown formula and the following principles: measurements do not combine simply, reliabilities and restrictions in the range of variables set limits on correlations, regression toward the mean is inherent, and correlations must be corrected for attenuation to be compared. The author notes that all predictions should be made using regression equations; gain scores and quotients of variables pose problems. Covariances (i.e., partial and multiple correlations to control variables) usually are underadjustments. Statistical tests of significance are flawed, and the use of factor analyses of test items is generally not a good practice. Sample size and the ratio of the number of participants to the number of variables are important.

Multivariate statistics for family psychology research.

The application of selected multivariate statistics is illustrated for use in family psychology research. The use of multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and discriminant analysis in factorial designs and profile analysis is discussed. Profile analysis provides a method for dealing with unit of analysis issues in family psychology research. Applications of confirmatory factor analysis are also discussed as useful methods for researchers examining multiple components of families and handling multiple perspectives of various family members. Limitations and applications of these methods in family psychology research are reviewed.

Methodological advances in family psychology research: Introduction to the special section.

Methodological advances in family psychology research: Introduction to the special section.

Multivariate statistics for family psychology research.

Multivariate statistics for family psychology research.

Toward programmatic research in family psychology.

Toward programmatic research in family psychology.

Toward programmatic research in family psychology.

Toward programmatic research in family psychology.

Toward programmatic research in family psychology.

Toward programmatic research in family psychology.