Strengthening couple relationships through a digital connection

The proliferation of technology has accelerated exponentially over the past 50 years. Contemporarily, researchers have explored the influences technology use is having on individuals and relationships. Theoretical frameworks such as the couple, family, and technology (CFT) Framework have been applied to individuals and couples in committed relationships to better understand the implications of technology adoption and use within this relational subsystem. Research examining technology's impact on couple relationships recognizes the potential for technology use to be either helpful or unhelpful to the relationship but fails to fully examine the helpful aspects of technology use. This study addresses this gap with the creation of a theory grounded in data from N = 45 couples (n = 90 individuals) in committed relationships. Results indicate couples' technology use can augment emotional connection and unity within the relationship as couples manage the influence of technology in a way that is relationally helpful.

Early Trauma and Later Sexual Victimization in College Women: A Multiple Mediation Examination of Alexithymia, Impulsivity, and Alcohol Use

Childhood abuse and sexual violence against women are prevalent in the United States. However, researchers have not fully explored the intersection among important predisposing factors that predict recent sexual violence experienced by women who are also survivors of childhood abuse. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among early childhood trauma, alexithymia, impulsivity, alcohol use severity, and sexual victimization in later life among female college students from the United States (n = 1,178). Participants were part of a larger cross-cultural study, conducted between 2012 to 2014, which examined sexual aggression and victimization in the context of alcohol use. The current study aimed to examine if: (a) early trauma, impulsivity, alexithymia, and alcohol use severity impact sexual victimization in later life, and (b) if impulsivity, alexithymia, and alcohol use severity mediate the relationship between early trauma and victimization in later life. It was hypothesized that impulsivity, alexithymia, and alcohol use severity would significantly mediate the relationship between early trauma and sexual victimization in later life. Using a multiple mediation path analysis, results indicated that early childhood trauma was significantly linked with impulsivity, alcohol use severity, and sexual victimization in later life. A partial mediation through impulsivity and alcohol use severity was observed. Alexithymia did not produce mediation effects. These findings align with previous research examining how early childhood trauma influences the occurrence of sexual victimization in later life and provides further recommendations for helping professionals as they attempt to stifle the sexual victimization rates among female college students.

Alexithymia, Prior Trauma, Alcohol Use, and Sexual Aggression Perpetration: A Cross-Cultural Comparison of a Moderated Mediation Model

In this study, we examined the relationships between prior trauma, alexithymia, and sexual aggression perpetration among 610 U.S. college students and 107 college students from the Philippines utilizing a cross-sectional retrospective design. We tested a moderated mediation model with alexithymia as the mediator between prior trauma and sexual aggression perpetration, and alcohol use as a moderator of the alexithymia-sexual aggression link. Moreover, given that cultural norms may influence these relationships, we also examined the structural invariance of the proposed moderated mediation model. Path analyses and multiple group analysis were used to examine the moderated mediation model, and examine model differences between samples. We did not find evidence for alexithymia as a mediator, but there was a significant interaction between alcohol use severity and alexithymia on sexual aggression perpetration across both samples. Alexithymia is a key variable in understanding the alcohol use-sexual aggression perpetration relationship. Clinical implications and recommendations for future research are also discussed.

Microlevel Advocacy: A Common Process in Couple and Family Therapy

Advocacy is an essential element to mental health practitioners' professional identity. Some scholars contend that many couple and family therapists lack the skill set needed to effectively advocate. However, these researchers often discuss advocacy solely on the macrolevel, which makes advocacy appear unidimensional and may feel out of reach for many practitioners. In this article, we argue that advocacy is not unidimensional, but consists of two levels: macro- and microlevel advocacy. Microlevel advocacy is client-centered and is effectively performed by couple and family therapists on a regular basis. By broadening the definition of advocacy to include the microlevel, we argue that advocacy is a common process of couple and family therapy that cuts across therapy models and is interwoven into the very being of a couple and family therapist. We present in this article a comprehensive case vignette to illustrate how microlevel advocacy may be performed by CFTs. Clinical and training implications are offered to help clinicians begin to bridge the gap between micro- and macrolevel advocacies.

Psychometric properties of the perceived stigma towards substance users scale: factor structure, internal consistency, and associations with help-seeking variables

Background: Stigma toward substance users is a barrier to seeking treatment.Objective: The aim for this paper was to examine the psychometric properties of the Perceived Stigma Toward Substance Users (PSAS) and its relationship with help-seeking variables.Methods: College students (N = 791; n_females = 557, 70%) responded to the PSAS and other help-seeking-related measures in an online study.Results: Confirmatory factor analysis supported a unidimensional factor structure and acceptable model fit after modifications (CFI = .961; TLI = .937; RMSEA = .067, 90% C.I. = .050 to .085; SRMR = .035). Results indicated good internal consistency estimates (α = .80; ω = .80). The PSAS was negatively associated with intent to seek treatment for substance issues and willingness to self-disclose negative emotions. The PSAS was also positively correlated with stigma associated with seeking help for mental health issues, attitudes concerning risk associated with help-seeking, self-concealment, anticipated risks associated with seeking treatment. When embedded within a larger path model that predicts intent to seek treatment for substance use issues (CFI = .925; TLI = .895; RMSEA = .061, 90%C.I. = .052 to .069; p _{close fit} = .019; SRMR = .049), the PSAS had an incremental contribution to predicting the criterion variable even after accounting for frequency of alcohol use-related problems, and stigma and attitudes associated with seeking help for general mental health issues.Conclusion: These findings provide further reliability and validity evidence for PSAS, especially in relation to help-seeking variables. Reducing stigma toward substance users can help increase treatment utilization.