Potential Sources Of Support Research Articles

Palliative and end-of-life care for patients with pleural mesothelioma: A cohort study

Background: Pleural mesothelioma is a rare and incurable cancer, with complex physical and psychological symptoms. Despite recent advances in treatment, prognosis remains poor (average 8–15 months) with a lack of research on palliative and end-of-life care. Aim: To examine markers suggestive of quality palliative and end-of-life care, including receipt of specialist palliative care, advance care planning, fewer unplanned hospital admissions at end-of-life. To compare variables with socio-economic position to identify if inequalities exist. Design: A cohort study, retrospectively reviewing the medical notes from diagnosis to death for all patients diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma between 01/01/2016 and 31/12/2021. Setting/participants: Over 5 years, n = 181 patients were diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma across Teesside (north-east England), n = 30 were alive at study commencement and excluded. For the 151-patient cohort, demographics were as follows: 92% male, 79% aged 70–89 years and 26% in the lowest socio-economic quintile (based on area-level deprivation). Results: Median survival was 246 days. Within the final 90 days of life, 69% of patients had at least 1 unplanned hospital admission, with 20% having 3+ (range 0–7). Those with the highest socio-economic position had less admissions on average. Specialist palliative care was received by patients, at home 34%, in hospital 26%, in hospice 11%. Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR) decisions, were in the final 24 h of life for 18% of patients (median 7 days). Disease specific findings included police attendance for expected deaths and lack of signposting. Conclusion: Patients with pleural mesothelioma have unplanned admissions to hospital towards the end of life, with possible inequalities; they receive late advance care planning and face challenges unique to their disease. It is important that patients receive high quality palliative end-of-life care through accessing specialist palliative care or have guidance/signposting to other potential sources of support.

"It's the Wild West Out There": A Qualitative Study of the Views and Preparedness of Health Professionals in Helping Young Adult E-cigarette Users to Quit.

Young adults (YA) are attempting to quit vaping, with many accessing smoking cessation programs with a lack of reported efficacy, highlighting the need for targeted vaping cessation support. Young people report seeing health professionals (HPs) as potential sources of support in the quitting process. Additionally, the current changing regulatory landscape around vaping in Australia potentially increases the number of those seeking health professional help for cessation. However, limited research exists on HPs' views and preparedness to assist YA with their vaping cessation; thus, this exploratory study aimed to gain insights into their readiness to support YA in quitting vaping. Data were gathered via eight co-design workshops (two groups each of two hours duration and six semi-structured interviews of 1-hour duration), facilitated online with 12 HPs. Data underwent thematic analysis. HPs expressed a need for more information in supporting YA to quit vaping, with them presently relying on informal pathways of support and information for their practice. Participants reported a lack of evidence-based guidelines and a reluctance to prescribe nicotine vapes, expressing conflict with the changing regulatory landscape in Australia. Our findings identify a significant gap in health professional preparedness in supporting vaping cessation. HPs are working within a rapidly evolving regulatory environment and are feeling unprepared to address the widely spread issue of vaping, especially among young people. We demonstrate the critical need for guidelines and training of HPs to enable them to better support young people in quitting vaping. This qualitative study offers unique insights into the views and readiness of Australian HPs to support young people to quit vaping, specifically in the context of recent regulatory reforms. The results highlight the need for evidence-based guidance and training for HPs to inform their vaping cessation support practice.

Experiencing Pain Invalidation is Associated with Under-Reporting of Pain: A Social Psychological Perspective on Acute Pain Communication

Pain invalidation involves the dismissal or lack of understanding of another’s pain, undermining their subjective experience. Frequent exposure to invalidation negatively impacts mental and physical health as well as pain-related behaviors, potentially leading people to conceal their pain from others in the future and/or withdraw from potential sources of support. It is therefore possible that experiencing pain invalidation may also impact pain-reporting behavior in clinical settings. Across 2 separate samples of emerging adults, we examined whether exposure to invalidation of one’s pain was associated with cognizant modulation of one’s subjective acute pain ratings within routine medical and dental settings. Drawing upon social psychological theories of impression management and self-presentation, we hypothesized that exposure to pain invalidation would be associated with the under-rating of one’s pain. In Study 1, previous experiences of invalidation were associated with under-rating of one’s pain when visiting the doctor and the dentist. Study 2 found that invalidation from family and medical professionals—but not from friends—was associated with under-rating pain in both settings. Findings provide further evidence for the harmful effects of pain invalidation, particularly for emerging adults, as the dismissal of one’s subjective experience may sow self-doubt while reinforcing cultural stigmas against pain, leading to alterations in pain communication that ultimately creates barriers to efficacious clinical treatment and care and increase pain-related suffering. PerspectivePain invalidation imparts harm to those who already suffer from pain, be it mentally, physically, and/or behaviorally. We show that people who have encountered invalidation are more likely to under-rate their pain when seeking care, impeding assessment and treatment, and further highlighting the importance of clinical validation of pain experiences.

Student Support-Seeking Behaviors in General Chemistry and Introductory Physics Courses: An Exploratory Study Using Simple Ego-Network Analysis Methodology

A little studied aspect of supporting students in large introductory STEM courses is examining from whom students seek information and advice when they are struggling in or need advice about issues related to large introductory courses. The current study explores student support-seeking behavior related to academic issues or concerns in their General Chemistry and Introductory Physics courses using a simple ego-network analysis survey approach. Students (n = 1,581) were asked to list specific individuals they went to for three different categories of support: advice, help, and emotional support; the role of these individuals (peer, faculty, student mentor, etc.); and frequency of contact with those individuals. Results indicate that nearly all students consulted others for support or information related to their courses and a majority of students (67–75%) sought input from others for all three categories: advice, help, and emotional support. Peers at the same institution were the most common role category sought for any reason (by 70–75% of students). Approximately half of students surveyed listed at least one faculty member and approximately half listed at least one academic advisor as a source of support. Other potential sources of support (e.g., peer leaders, student mentors, family) were sought by fewer students. Students also reported interacting most frequently with their peers, followed by faculty, and then advisors. Implications for STEM instructors are discussed, including suggestions for classroom practices that might promote students’ use of sources with the best knowledge of effective strategies for solving course-related problems, such as faculty and upper-level students in formal course-support roles.

What matters to persons living with brain tumors and their informal caregivers? An interview study of qualities in interpersonal relations

BackgroundBrain tumor is a severe cancer that may make the person with the illness and their informal caregivers dependent on support in self-care. Social network mapping is a method to assess an individual's social relations and resources, which may help to identify high-quality relations and potential sources of support. Yet, which relations matter for individuals living with brain tumors and their informal caregivers and how social network mapping could be used in self-care need further investigation. AimTo explore how persons living with brain tumors and informal caregivers perceive the potential usefulness of a social network-mapping tool in their self-care and to describe the qualities in the interpersonal relations that they map. MethodsSeven persons living with brain tumors and 12 informal caregivers (whereof six bereaved) participated in in-depth interviews and tested a social network-mapping tool developed by an informal caregiver (CareMaps). Data were analyzed inductively using thematic analysis. The COREQ checklist was used for reporting. FindingsParticipants expressed positive opinions about the CareMaps tool but raised some questions regarding its design, how to use it in their self-care, and the optimal timing of introducing the tool. Two themes reflecting qualities in relations were found: self-care supportive relations during which daily management of the brain tumor is in focus and identity-preserving relations that allow individuals to disconnect from their brain tumor experiences. Both types of relations were described as important, were found in different contexts (e.g., social life, work life, and healthcare), and emphasized contrasting qualities. ConclusionThe CareMaps tool was helpful in elucidating qualities in interpersonal relations that contribute to individuals' self-care. Future research should investigate how social network-mapping tools that capture quality in social relations should be designed and used to support individuals in their self-care.

Psychological Well-Being and Family Functioning in Middle Childhood: The Unique Role of Sibling Relational Dynamics

Despite being the longest relationships across the lifespan, the sibling dyad is the most under-studied relationship in the family system. Researchers have documented the harmful and beneficial effects of sibling relationships and family dynamics on individual well-being. Extending this research to middle childhood, the current study examined family functioning, sibling relational dynamics, and self-reported adjustment and internalizing symptoms among 8- to 11-year-old children. Path analyses revealed significant direct effects between conflictual family functioning and children’s psychological well-being. Significant interactions between family functioning and sibling dynamics suggested that congruent relational dynamics at multiple levels of the family system had a cumulative impact on the child’s well-being. Findings from the current study highlight the role of family functioning and the unique contributions of sibling relationships to children’s functioning, suggesting that consideration of sibling relational dynamics may improve treatment planning by pointing out additional targets for intervention and/or potential sources of support.

The role of classroom relationships as sources of academic resilience and hope

ABSTRACT Framed by relationships motivation theory, this study examined students’ interpersonal relationships with instructors and peers as potential sources of support that would inspire academic resilience and hope in the face of an academic challenge. Participants (N = 213) reported on a specific academic challenge they had experienced within the first 10 weeks of class, and reported on instructor rapport, classroom connectedness, academic resilience, and hope. Results revealed that when both instructor and peer relationships were considered together, only peer connectedness was significantly and positively associated with academic resilience and student hope when faced with an academic challenge.

Intercultural competence development via online social networking: the Japanese students’ experience with internationalisation in U.S. higher education

ABSTRACTThis study examines the possibility that interaction through social network platforms can serve as an informal means of developing intercultural competence among international students in higher education settings. Japanese students studying in the United States at a university in the Northwestern US were invited to participate in a mixed-method study involving interviews about their social network use and interactions, and a structured questionnaire measure of intercultural competence development. Overall, the results indicate that those in the top tertile of intercultural competence development tended to describe more proactive social ways and benefits of interacting with potential sources of support over social media, whereas those in the bottom tertile tended to describe the importance and use of social media for passive consumption of information. The implications for the incorporation of social network platforms into higher-education programs for internationalisation and intercultural competence development are discussed.

The Life Experiences of Refugees in Canada: A Comprehensive Scoping Review to Identify Unmet Needs and Barriers

Although resettlement allows for refugees to live in a safer place, there are many issues that accompany this drastic life change. The purpose of this study was to comprehensively examine the literature on the life experiences of refugees in Canada to identify the challenges that they face and their unmet needs, as well as potential sources of support. Five databases were systematically searched for articles published in the last decade that included data on the life experience of refugees in Canada. Findings were analysed in depth to generate emergent themes and synthesize common findings across studies. The review found 26 articles on the life experiences of refugees, 23 of which were qualitative studies, as well as 1 quantitative and 2 mixed methods studies. The main challenges experienced by refugees included loss or change in identity, gender role conflicts, language barriers, lack of recognition of previous education or experience, and perceived lack of support and discrimination. This comprehensive review highlights the unmet needs and complex barriers that are experienced by refugees in Canada and directs attention to priorities for future research. Differences in language, culture, and social support lead to challenges in integration and accessing services among refugees in Canada, which may have potential policy implications.

THE IMPACT OF AN EARLY-STAGE DYADIC CARE PLANNING INTERVENTION ON CAREGIVER BURDEN

Evidence supports the development of proactive, dyadic interventions for used in early-stage dementia. This type of intervention leads to more effective decision making which can reduce subsequent caregiver stress and burden. SHARE (Support, Health, Activities, Resources, Education), a six-session counseling-based intervention, encourages and supports care dyads to have important discussions about health care preferences that are often delayed or avoided until later-stage dementia. Typically, both the PWD and caregiver assume that most of the help will be delivered by the caregiver. SHARE aims to expand the network of care by evenly distributing care task responsibilities from the caregiver alone to other potential sources of support: family/friends and paid service providers. Early-stage dyads (n=63) successfully created a balanced and manageable plan of care with the help of their SHARE Counselor over a 6-month period. Follow-up interviews assessed care dyads from 1.5 to 2 years after their participation in SHARE ended. Analyses determined change in PWD ADL needs from enrollment (T1) to two years later (T2) and impact on caregiver task burden. Paired samples t-tests indicated a significant increase in PWD need for assistance with 18 ADLs, from a T1 mean of 8.76 to a T2 mean of 11.34 (t=-6.72, p=.000). This paper examines: 1) the benefits and challenges of creating a Care Plan in the early stages of dementia, 2) how SHARE dyads utilized their Care Plans when PWDs needed assistance, and 3) if reliance on family/friend and paid service provider options were realistic over time.

A Qualitative Inquiry of Social and Emotional Support for Students with Persistent Concussion Symptoms

ABSTRACTStudents who sustain concussions often struggle with social and emotional symptoms. Such symptoms can interfere with students’ academic performance, relationships, and overall sense of well-being. This qualitative study involved interviews with eight adolescents and young adults who sustained concussions as youths and experienced significant social and emotional symptoms; six of the participants’ parents were also interviewed. Grounded theory methodology was used to code the data, construct categories and identify themes, and develop a theoretical model of students’ post-concussion social and emotional issues and potential sources of support. Categories of issues emerging from the interviews included anxiety/stress, depression/sadness, interpersonal difficulties/isolation, and irritability/moodiness. An exploration of barriers and facilitators of recovery revealed themes related to: factors at school, factors at home, medical care, and level of involvement with sports and athletic personnel. The theoretical model highlights important areas for development in school-based consultation to ameliorate students’ post-concussion social and emotional symptoms.

Preferring to manage by myself: A qualitative study of the perspectives of hardly reached people with type 2 diabetes on social support for diabetes management.

To explore the perspectives of hardly reached people with type 2 diabetes on social support for diabetes management from their formal and informal networks. People with low socioeconomic status and poorly controlled type 2 diabetes may be categorised as hardly reached. Social support is increasingly perceived to be a cornerstone in the management of type 2 diabetes. Few studies have, however, explored social support for diabetes management from the perspective of hardly reached people. A qualitative design with individual semi-structured interviews captured the unique perspectives of hardly reached people. Data from 14 participants were analysed using conventional content analysis. The article adheres to the COREQ guidelines for reporting qualitative research. Participants preferred not to involve family and friends (the informal network) in diabetes management due to dysfunctional or lacking networks, existing norms and not wanting to burden vulnerable relationships. Others simply did not perceive themselves as sick and therefore saw no need for support. Opposed to this, participants wished for continuity and a personalised relationship with health professionals (the formal network). This entailed consultations that facilitated discussion of issues of importance to the participants. Hardly reached people with type 2 diabetes preferred to spare their informal networks from diabetes management. Instead, they wished for more presence and individualised support from health professionals. It appears timely to rethink the current "one-size-fits-all" approach for people with type 2 diabetes in order to allocate resources to those most in need. It is important that health professionals elicit perceptions of support needs and potential sources of support in hardly reached people with type 2 diabetes both from the formal and from informal networks in regard to managing their diabetes. To better reach hardly reached people with type 2 diabetes, specialised education of health professionals may be necessary to capture the complex underlying dynamics influencing disease management.

‘I put my “police head” on’: Coping strategies for working with sexual offending material

This paper explores the coping strategies of UK police staff who are exposed to sexual offence material (SOM). Eleven police staff completed a questionnaire then took part in semi-structured interviews. Themes were identified using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). This paper explores the theme ‘Coping strategies for working directly with material’, focusing on the most common strategies employed: ‘Detachment’, ‘Avoidance’ and ‘Process-driven’ approaches. Links between coping and different features of SOM are examined, including victim characteristics and audio content. The impact of organisational factors which make coping strategies more or less effective are also explored, along with potential sources of support.

Investigating the Reliability and Validity of an Intimate Partner Violence Screening Tool for Use in Physical Therapy Practice

We conducted a study to investigate the reliability and validity of a newly developed IPV screening tool. The literature shows that victims of intimate partner violence identify health-care practitioners as potential sources of support. Meanwhile health care professionals are often unprepared to identify and help victims appropriately. Our survey addressed psychosocial, socio-economic and physical constructs influencing prevalence and screening accuracy for IPV. Four experts in the fields of social sciences, education, and physical therapy gave feedback on the survey content validity. A rubric was designed to determine construct validity and inter-rater reliability. The new IPV screening tool was shown to have strong inter-rater reliability (ICC=0.71,p<0.001), internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha=.80-1.0 for all constructs,p<0.001), construct validity, concurrent validity, and percent agreement (88.9-100%) among a expert panel of four qualified health professionals, including two licensed physical therapists and two licensed social workers with expertise in women’s health issues.

Nurses' response to parents' 'speaking-up' efforts to ensure their hospitalized child's safety: an attribution theory perspective.

To understand how attribution processes (control and stability), which the nurse attributes to parental involvement in maintaining child safety, determine the nurse's response to a safety alert. Participation of parents in maintaining their child's safety is shown to reduce the incidence of and risk of clinical errors. Unless nurses respond appropriately to parents' safety alerts, this potential source of support could diminish. A 2 (controllability: high vs. low)×2 (consistency: high vs. low) factorial design. Data were collected during the period 2013-2014 in paediatric wards. Four variants of scenarios were created corresponding to the different combinations of these variables. A total of 126 nurses read a scenario and completed self-report questionnaires measuring their response to the parent's safety alert. Additional data were collected about the manipulation check, safety norms in the ward and demographic variables. Data were analysed using analysis of variance. Results showed a main effect of stability and a significant two-way interaction effect of stability and controllability, on a nurse's tendency to help the parent and fix the safety problem. Furthermore, safety norms were significantly related to nurses' response. These findings contribute to the understanding of antecedents that affect nurses' responses to parents' speaking-up initiatives: whether nurses will reject or heed the alert. Theoretical and practical implications for promoting parents' engagement in their safety are discussed.

Investigating the Reliability and Validity of a Newly Developed Intimate Partner Violence Screening Tool for use in Physical Therapy Practice

We conducted a study to investigate the reliability and validity of a newly developed Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) Screening Tool. The literature shows that victims of intimate partner violence identify health-care practitioners as potential sources of support. Meanwhile health care professionals are often unprepared to identify and help victims appropriately. Our survey addressed psychosocial, socio-economic and physical constructs influencing prevalence and screening accuracy for IPV. Four experts in the fields of social sciences, education, and physical therapy gave feedback on the survey content validity. A rubric was designed to determine construct validity and inter-rater reliability. The new IPV screening tool was shown to have strong inter-rater reliability (ICC=0.71, p<0.001), internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha=0.80-1.0 for all constructs, p<0.001), construct validity, concurrent validity, and percent agreement (88.9-100%) among an expert panel of four qualified health professionals, including two licensed physical therapists and two licensed social workers with expertise in women’s health issues. The results of this study suggest the newly developed IPV Screening Tool for Physical Therapists to hold a strong content and construct validity, strong internal consistency, and strong inter-rater reliability and percent agreement between experts. Future research should focus on pilot testing for clinical utilization with feedback from both clinicians and patients regarding application.

Social Media Use by Transplant Recipients for Support and Healing

Transplant recipients use a diverse support network that now includes transplant-related social media support groups. The purpose of this study is to explore the use of social media sites by transplant recipients as a potential source of support and healing and the usefulness of Internet postings as a source of rich qualitative data. A qualitative descriptive design was used for the study. A total of 126 retrospective postings from 58 participants were analyzed as they existed on this open publically available Web site over a 20-month period from the selected discussion threads. Two major themes emerged from the data: sharing overwhelming gratitude and finding sanctuary. Sharing overwhelming gratitude was expressed in emotional postings about feelings and letters to donor families. Finding sanctuary described the recipients' perception of the online community as a safe and nonjudgmental environment to discuss sensitive issues and feelings. This study adds to what is known about the unique psychological and emotional needs of transplant recipients. Transplant-related support Web sites offer the opportunity to learn what matters most to transplant recipients and identify gaps in care related to calls for nursing.

Teen Depression Groups on Facebook: A Content Analysis

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most frequently diagnosed disorders in early adolescence and can lead to a multitude of negative life outcomes, highlighting the need for early and effective intervention to mitigate depressive symptoms. Recognizing the preference of youth to seek informal sources of help for mental health issues, which may include the Internet, the social networking site Facebook was investigated as a potential source of support and help for youth suffering depressive symptoms or disorder. This study examined the content of online Facebook support groups targeting adolescents with depression. A total of 508 posts from six Facebook groups were analyzed. The majority of post content on these Facebook groups consisted of self-disclosure (32.48%), feedback between posters (24.80%), and offers and recommendations of help (24.61%). Posters seem to utilize adolescent Facebook depression groups mainly to connect with those who might share a similar experience and to share information about mental health resources. Future studies should investigate the potential to use the information exchange that occurs in these groups to promote traffic to online and offline evidence-based mental health resources.

Clergy Work Orientation Profiles and Wellbeing at Work: A Study of the Lutheran Clergy in Finland

This study examines work orientation and its connections to wellbeing at work among the clergy. Using k-means clustering, the article aims to build a typology of clergy members’ work orientation and analyze wellbeing at work among different types of clergy members. The study is based on a survey conducted in 2014 among the clergy in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (N = 562). The results of the study show that the clergy have clear and distinctive work orientation profiles and that these profiles also have a clear linkage to wellbeing at work. Four clergy profiles were identified: clergy with a multifaceted orientation (47 %); clergy oriented towards worship life (29 %); clergy oriented towards promoting justice and helping (19 %); and clergy with a passive orientation (6 %). The study strongly suggests that clergy members with the broadest orientation and interests are most able to deal with the multifaceted demands of church work. A multiple orientation seemed to serve as a strong supporting factor at work, and by being oriented to a broad range of activities, this group also enjoyed more potential sources of support and more joyful experiences at work. Those oriented towards worship life drew their main support from the spiritual aspects of work, but they were most likely to suffer from a lack of social competence. Those oriented toward promoting justice and helping received most support from encountering people. At the same time those who were passively oriented in their work experienced the least satisfaction and the least support.

The Interdependence of Relationships with Adult Children and Spouses

Notable shifts in life expectancy over the past century have brought many changes in family ties, including longer parent-child and marital relationships. Enduring family ties are characterized by new expectations and potential sources of support as well as conflicts among family members (Clarke, Preston, Raksin, & Bengtson, 1999; Fingerman, 1996; Shaw, Krause, Chatters, Connell, & Ingersoll-Dayton, 2004). These relationships are not static features of individuals' lives; instead, they change over time, as individuals age and as they face challenges throughout life (Umberson & Reczek, 2007). Indeed, life course perspectives emphasize the importance of linked lives, including that relationships with children interact with and influence the relationship between parents as they age (Elder, Johnson, & Crosnoe, 2003). This has led researchers to examine the interrelatedness of parent-child and spousal relationships.Research on family relationships in adulthood highlights their importance for individual well-being. Studies of marital relationships have consistently found that a satisfying marriage is associated with well-being and successful aging for middle-aged individuals (Ko, Berg, Butner, Uchino, & Smith, 2007; McNulty & Fincham, 2012). In addition, researchers have found that parent-child relationships have important implications for the well-being of middle-aged parents (Birditt, Fingerman, & Zarit, 2010; Greenfield & Marks, 2006; Fingerman, Pitzer, Lefkowitz, Birditt, & Mroczek, 2008). Despite the emphasis on both parent-child and marital relationships once children reach adulthood, little work has explored how these relationships are associated at this stage of family development. Using data from the Family Exchange Study (Fingerman, Miller, Birditt, & Zarit, 2009), in the present study we examined the interdependence of marital satisfaction and parent-child relationships with adult children.Family Systems as a Framework for Understanding Family ProcessesFamily systems theory posits that marital and parent-child relationships are important subsystems, each of which influences the other (Belsky, 1981; Cox & Paley, 1997; Minuchin, 1985). In recent decades, several processes have been proposed to explain how each of these subsystems influences the other (Engfer, 1988; Erel & Burman, 1995; Fauchier & Margolin, 2004; Umberson, 1992).The spillover hypothesis suggests that affect or behavior transfers directly from one relationship to the other within a family system (Easterbrooks & Emde, 1988). The transfer occurs in the same valence, such that negative affect in one subsystem is linked to negative affect in another. For example, one's own negative mood or affect carries over and increases the negative mood in other relationships (Cowan, Cowan, Heming, & Miller, 1991; Fauchier & Margolin, 2004). Conversely, warm and affectionate relationships between parents and children are associated with higher marital satisfaction (Easterbrooks & Emde, 1988). Indeed, previous research has found that families with more marital conflict tend to have more negative parent-child relationships, whereas parents in more affectionate marriages tend to maintain positive relations with their children and give their children more approval and affection (Grych, 2002; Miller, Cowan, Cowan, Hetherington, & Clingempeel, 1993). In addition, research has shown that a good parent-child relationship is associated with a couple's relationship quality (Carlson, Pilkauskas,McLanahan, & Brooks-Gunn, 2011; Nomaguchi & Milkie, 2003). Most studies on this topic, however, have focused on relatively young parents with young children.An alternate view is the compensatory hypothesis, which proposes that a transfer between subsystems in a family occurs in the opposite valence; that is, for example, when the marital subsystem boundary is not maintained, parent-child coalitions form and marital dysfunction ensues (Engfer, 1988; Minuchin, 1985). …