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Smith, B.S., M.A. ***** The Ohio State University 1996 Dissertation Committee: Approved by Steven Beck Jean Clement JoLJeJ Adviser Elizabeth Menaghan Department of Psychology Andrew Schwebel David Smith UNI Number: 9620071 UMI Microform 9620071 Copyright 1996, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS To my adviser, Dr. Andrew Schwebel, I express my deepest gratitude for your tireless help, advice, and encouragement through all phases of this dissertation. I also thank Dr. Charles Merrifield of Kansas Newman College for his assistance with the statistical analyses. ii VITA October 3, 1965 ................ Born, Chattanooga, Tennessee 1987 .......................... B.S., Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 1990 ..........................M.A. , The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 1994-Present ................. Assistant Professor of Psychology, Director of Counseling Services, Kansas Newman College, Wichita, Kansas PUBLICATIONS Cacioppo, J.T., Uchino, B.L., Crites, S.L., Snydersmith, M.A., Smith, G . , Berntson, G.G. & Lang, P.J. (1992). The relationship between facial expressiveness and sympathetic activation in emotion: a critical review, with emphasis on modeling underlying mechanisms and individual differences. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 62, 110-128. Mclver, S.D., Schwebel, A.I., Smith, G.B., Dunn, R.L. & Zwissler, M.M. (1994) . Views of hospitalized severe mentally disabled (SMD) patients. New Research in Mental Health. Columbus, OH: Ohio Department of Mental Health. iii Smith, G.B. (1990). The effects of self-focused attention on the induction of affect in depressed college students: facilitation or inhibition? Unpublished master's thesis. Smith, G.B. & Rosenberger, P.H. (1990, May). The effects of self-focused attention on the induction of affect in depressed college students: facilitation or inhibition? Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago, IL. Smith, G.B. & Schwebel, A.I. (1995). Using a cognitive behavioral family model in conjunction with systems and behavioral family therapy models. American Journal of Family Therapy. 23, 203-212. Smith, G.B., Schwebel, A.I., Dunn, R.L., & Mclver, S.D. (1993). The role of psychologists in the treatment, management, and prevention of chronic mental illness. American Psychologist. 48, 966-971. FIELD OF STUDY Major Field: Psychology iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ....................................... ii VITA ...................................................... iii LIST OF TABLES .......................................... viii CHAPTER PAGE I. INTRODUCTION .................................. 1 Three Approaches to Marital and Family Theory 2 The behavioral approach ............... 3 The systems approach ................. 6 The cognitive approach ............... 9 The Cognitive Behavioral Family (CBF) Approach 12 Describing the family . ............. 16 Explaining behavior in families .... 21 Prescribing the behavior of family m e m b e r s ................................ 23 Evaluating satisfaction with family life 25 Coping with conflict and dissatisfaction 27 The Role of Cognitive-Behavioral Processes in Family Life C h a n g e s ........................ 31 Predictable changes in family life. 31 Parental loss, divorce and remarriage . 33 Description of the Present Study ........... 38 Investigating the effects of family type 38 Investigation cognitions in the family schema ........................... 4 0 Experimental Hypotheses..................... 43 The assessment of cognitions ........ 44 The effects of early experiences of different family types on cognitions about family .......................... 44 v II. METHODS 47 Participants ................................ 47 M a t e r i a l s ................................... 48 Demographic Questionnaire ............. 4 9 Self-Report of Family Functioning . 49 Family Assessment Device .............. 53 Dyadic Adjustment Scale .............. 56 Intimacy Scale Questionnaire ........... 59 P r o c e d u r e ................................... 59 III. R E S U L T S ..................................... 64 Individual Scale Results ................... 65 Self-Report of Family Functioning . 65 Family Assessment Device .............. 68 Dyadic Adjustment Scale .............. 70 Relationship Intimacy Scale Questionnaire 72 Summary of Results According to Hypotheses . 72 IV. DISCUSSION ................................... 76 Description of Family Functioning: The Effects of Early Experience of Family Types on Cognition in the Family Schema ............. 77 Ideals and Expectations in the Family Schema: Optimism and Pessimism ............. 85 Latent Cognitions and Maladaptive Coping . 88 Implications for Intervention ............... 91 A psychoeducational model ............. 91 The limits of adaptability............ 94 The role of cognitive complexity in cognitive-behavioral family intervention ............................ 95 Suggestions for Future Research ............. 96 LIST OF REFERENCES ................................... 102 vi APPENDICES ...............................................115 A. Instructions for administration in experimental c o n d i t i o n s ........................................ 115 B. Demographic Questionnaire ....................... 116 C. Self-Report of Family Functioning .............. 120 D. Family Assessment Device ....................... 125 E. Dyadic Adjustment Scale ......................... 12 9 F. Relationship Intimacy Scale Questionnaire .... 135 vii LIST OF TABLES TABLE PAGE 1. Frequencies of Race by Family T y p e ................138 2. Multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVA's) of scale scores by gender, family type, and c o g n i t i o n ...................................... 13 9 3. Analyses of variance for CSRFF scores by family type and cognition t y p e .................... 140 4. Mean CSRFF subscale scores for family type and cognition t y p e .............................. 14 5 5. Analyses of variance for FAD scores by family type and cognition t y p e .................... 148 6. Mean FAD scores for family type and cognition t y p e ................................................151 7. Analyses of variance for DAS scores by family type and cognition t y p e .......................... 153 8. Mean DAS scores for family type and cognition t y p e ................................................155 9. Analysis of variance for ISQ scores by family type and cognition t y p e .......................... 156 viii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION The field of psychology seeks to understand, explain, and treat abnormal behavior in individual human beings. Historically, clinical psychologists and others studying abnormal behavior have always, in one way or another, acknowledged the influence of the family on individual functioning. However, over the past 50 years, three major theoretical approaches have been developed that have been applied specifically to understanding and treating couples and families themselves, rather than focusing only on individual clients. These approaches include behavior theory, systems theory, and, more recently, cognitive- behavior theory. This paper will briefly review each of these approaches and explain how they apply to families, with particular attention given to the Cognitive Behavioral Family Therapy (CBF) model {Schwebel, 1994). The CBF model is unique in 1 2 its power to integrate contributions from all three models of family functioning (Smith & Schwebel, 1995). After discussing how the CBF model can be applied to the understanding of intact, single-parent, and stepfamilies, the paper describes an investigation of college students' cognitions