Faculty Bibliography

Using a sample (N = 453) drawn from a representative sampling frame of couples who are married or living together and have a 3 to 7 year-old child, this study investigates (a) the amount and specific areas of change desired by men and women, (b) the relation between relationship adjustment and desired change; and (c) the ways in which partners negotiate change. On the Areas of Change Questionnaire, women compared with men, wanted greater increases in their partners' emotional and companionate behaviors, instrumental support, and parenting involvement; men wanted greater increases in sex. Using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (Kenny, 1996), both men's and women's relationship adjustment predicted desired change (i.e., actor effects), over and above the effects of their partners' adjustment (i.e., partner effects); partner effects were not significant. Each couple was also observed discussing the man's and the woman's top desired change area. Both men and women behaved more positively during the partner-initiated conversations than during their own-initiated conversations. Women, compared with men, were more negative in their own and in their partners' conversations.

Although research supports the negative sequelae of the "demand/withdrawal" pattern, research is scant on the impact of "nondemanding" change requests (e.g., specific, increasing, "we" requests). We hypothesize that such change requests will be associated with less partner withdrawal/resistance, better problem resolution, and greater relationship satisfaction. Seventy-two conversations between couples who were recruited through random digit dialing were coded for change request qualities. Results indicate that wife specific and "we" requests led to less husband resistance, and husband increasing and "we" requests led to less wife resistance. Greater percentages of wife and husband specific and "we" requests were related to better problem resolution in the conversation, and greater percentages of wife specific and "we" requests were related to greater wife satisfaction. Research and clinical implications are detailed.

Relational problems are clinically significant behavioral or psychological syndromes or patterns that occur between or among individuals and that are associated with present distress or disability or with a significant increased risk of suffering death, pain, disability, or an important loss of freedom. Relational problems (e.g., partner relational problems, partner abuse, child maltreatment) are included as Axis I disorders in the DSM-IV as V-codes (i.e., "Other conditions that may be a focus of clinical attention"). However, there are no criteria provided in the DSM-IV for these codes. In this article, we briefly review literature that incontrovertibly documents both relational problems' syndromes/patterns and their serious sequelae. We then review a series of studies that provide evidence of content validity and inter-rater agreement for criteria to determine presence versus absence of relational problems. The most studied subset of relational problem criteria, those for partner and child maltreatment, have been shown to have remarkably high levels of reliability when disseminated broadly in the field (kappa = .66-.89), at agreement levels never reached by DSM diagnoses for individuals. We conclude by arguing that science, service, families, individuals, and the DSM itself, would be well served to include diagnostic criteria for relational problems and to consider the various options for placement of relational problems/processes in the DSM-V.

We discuss translational research and its application in family violence research by (a) discussing what translational research is, (b) describing a six-stage model of the translational research cycle, (c) pondering the implication of each stage for family maltreatment research, and (d) providing examples of areas ready for translational research relevant to family violence.

The authors review recent trends within the family maltreatment research field toward a public health approach, discuss the rationale for community-level interventions for family maltreatment, and sketch the history and development of community-level prevention approaches. Next, to illustrate the both the logistic and the scientific challenges of such work, the authors discuss the development and testing of an empirically guided, research-community partnership for the prevention of family maltreatment, the United States Air Force's NORTH STAR initiative (New Orientation to Reduce Threats to Health From Secretive Problems That Affect Readiness). Finally, recommendations are made for effective and disseminable family maltreatment prevention interventions.

This article addresses the following questions: (a) How common is child abuse among domestically violent families? (b) Are there specific patterns of child abuse among domestically violent families? (c) What may explain occurrences of child abuse in domestically violent families? (d) How might domestic violence affect treatment for child abuse? We review research on child abuse in the context of domestic violence. We discuss implications of this research for service-delivery programs for domestically violent families.

This paper addresses issues in the literature regarding the co-occurrence of partner and child physical maltreatment in the United States and in Europe. Design issues including operationalizations, representativeness of samples, data collection methods, and reference periods are discussed in the context of prevalence studies. Next, possible explanations for the pervasiveness of co-occurring maltreatment are explored with an emphasis on theoretical models and mechanisms of co-occurrence. Finally, we offer assessment implications for clinicians and agencies dealing with partner and child maltreatment

Convenience sampling methods predominate in recruiting for laboratory-based studies within clinical and family psychology. The authors used random digit dialing (RDD) to determine whether they could feasibly recruit generalizable samples for 2 studies (a parenting study and an intimate partner violence study). RDD screen response rate was 42-45%; demographics matched those in the 2000 U.S. Census, with small- to medium-sized differences on race, age, and income variables. RDD respondents who qualified for, but did not participate in, the laboratory study of parents showed small differences on income, couple conflicts, and corporal punishment. Time and cost are detailed, suggesting that RDD may be a feasible, effective method by which to recruit more generalizable samples for in-laboratory studies of family violence when those studies have sufficient resources.

The authors provide a description of the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) and its limitations, as well as empirical connections between relational processes and mental health. Four types of relational processes are identified, with each type clearly distinguished in terms of its pattern of association with psychopathology. For illustrative purposes, examples are provided along with suggestions of how each might be accommodated in the DSM-V. In view of the importance and complexity of the connections between relational processes and mental health, the authors argue that reliable and standardized assessments of relational processes are needed and suggest 6 possible approaches for providing better coverage of relational processes and relational disorders in the DSM-V. The article concludes with a discussion of potential concerns about expansion of attention to relational processes in the DSM-V.