Custody and child symptomatology in high conflict divorce: an analysis of latent profiles / Custodia y Sintomatología de los Hijos en Divorcios Altamente Conflictivos: Análisis de Perfiles Latentes

BACKGROUND: There is much controversy about the impact of joint physical custody on child symptomatology in the context of high interparental conflict. In this study we analyzed child symptomatology with person-centered methodology, identifying differential profiles, considering post-divorce custody, parental symptomatology, and coparenting variables. We examined the association between these profiles and child symptomatology, as well as the mediating role of parenting in that association. METHOD: The participants were 303 divorced or separated Spanish parents with high interparental conflict. We used the study of latent profiles and the INDIRECT procedure in Mplus. We also controlled for the variables age and number of children, new partners, frequency of the relationship with the ex-partner, time elapsed since the divorce, and gender of the parent. RESULTS: From the parents' perspective, the profile characterized by low parental symptomatology and high coparenting, regardless of the type of custody, was related to children exhibiting less somatic, anxious, and depressive symptomatology, and aggressive behavior. The mediating role of parenting was also identified. CONCLUSIONS: Parental symptomatology, coparenting, and parenting are essential for understanding post-divorce child symptomatology and the study highlights importance of person-centered multidimensional models

ANTECEDENTES: existe una gran controversia acerca del impacto de la custodia física compartida en la sintomatología infantil en contexto de alto conflicto interparental. El presente estudio analizó la sintomatología infantil a través de una metodología centrada en la persona, identificando perfiles diferenciales al considerar las variables custodia postdivorcio, sintomatología parental y coparentalidad. Se analizó la asociación entre estos perfiles y la sintomatología infantil, así como el papel mediador de la parentalidad. MÉTODO: participaron 303 progenitores españoles divorciados o separados con alto conflicto interparental. Se empleó el estudio de perfiles latentes y el procedimiento INDIRECT Mplus, controlando las variables edad, número de hijos/as, nuevas parejas estables, frecuencia de relación entre progenitores, tiempo transcurrido desde el divorcio y género del/a progenitor/a. RESULTADOS: desde la perspectiva de los progenitores, el perfil caracterizado por baja sintomatología parental y alta coparentalidad, independientemente del tipo de custodia, se relacionó con menor sintomatología somática y ansioso-depresiva de hijos/as, y con menor comportamiento agresivo. Se confirmó el papel mediador de la parentalidad. CONCLUSIONES: se identifica la sintomatología parental, la coparentalidad y la parentalidad como variables fundamentales para comprender la sintomatología infantil postdivorcio, así como la relevancia de emplear modelos multidimensionales centrados en la persona

Custody and Child Symptomatology in High Conflict Divorce: An Analysis of Latent Profiles.

BACKGROUND: There is much controversy about the impact of joint physical custody on child symptomatology in the context of high interparental conflict. In this study we analyzed child symptomatology with person-centered methodology, identifying differential profiles, considering post-divorce custody, parental symptomatology, and coparenting variables. We examined the association between these profiles and child symptomatology, as well as the mediating role of parenting in that association. METHOD: The participants were 303 divorced or separated Spanish parents with high interparental conflict. We used the study of latent profiles and the INDIRECT procedure in Mplus. We also controlled for the variables age and number of children, new partners, frequency of the relationship with the ex-partner, time elapsed since the divorce, and gender of the parent. RESULTS: From the parents' perspective, the profile characterized by low parental symptomatology and high coparenting, regardless of the type of custody, was related to children exhibiting less somatic, anxious, and depressive symptomatology, and aggressive behavior. The mediating role of parenting was also identified. CONCLUSIONS: Parental symptomatology, coparenting, and parenting are essential for understanding post-divorce child symptomatology and the study highlights importance of person-centered multidimensional models.

Multi-Family Therapy with a Reflecting Team: A Preliminary Study on Efficacy among Opiate Addicts in Methadone Maintenance Treatment.

In this study, we evaluate the efficacy of multi-family therapy at reducing the addiction severity and at improving the psychological and family dynamics of opiate addicts receiving methadone treatment at a public treatment center. The study compares multi-family therapy with a reflecting team (MFT-RT) and a standard treatment following a methadone maintenance treatment program. The results show that multi-family therapy with a reflecting team effectively reduces the addiction severity in several of the areas evaluated and noted that this effect is superior to standard treatment. The psychotherapy patients showed improvement in the areas of employment and social support; their drug use diminished and their psychiatric condition improved. At the same time, they needed a lower daily dose of methadone. In addition, the group undergoing standard treatment showed a noteworthy deterioration in their medical condition. Both groups showed a significant increase in their alcohol use. When applied to family treatments, the systemic-constructivist approach by the reflecting team offers combined techniques that can help improve care for the families of patients with addiction problems.

Un estudio sobre personalidad, ansiedad y depresión en padre de pacientes con un trastorno alimentario / A study about personality, anxiety and depression in parents of patients with and eating disorder

Objetivo. estudiar la personalidad, ansiedad y depresión en padres de pacientes con un trastorno alimentario (TA) y un grupo control. Método: una muestra de 100 familias (padre, madre e hija) cuyas hijas presentaban un TA según criterios diagnósticos del DSM-IV [32 con anorexia nerviosa restrictiva, 31 con anorexia nerviosa bulímica y 37 con bulimia nerviosa] y un grupo control formado por 90 familias, fue evaluada conel Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, el Beck Depression Inventory y la self-RatinG Anxiety Scale. Resultados: ambos padres presentan puntuaciones superiores en ansiedad, depresión, neuroticismo y psicoticismo. Discusión: estos resultados pueden estar asociados a la carga familiar, aunque también pueden ser previos a la patología de la hija y jugar algún papel etiológico en la misma. en ambas posibilidades el tratamiento en los TA podría verse mejorado con intervenciones sobre la carga familiar y las características de personalidad de los padres

Objective: to study personality, anxiety and depression in parents of patients in an eating disorder sample (ED) compared with a control group. Method: 100 families (consisting of father, mother and daughter) with a daughter suffering from ED [DSM-IV] (32 with restrictive anorexia nervosa, 31 with bulimic anorexia nervosa and 37 with bulimia nervosa, and a control group of 90 families) were evaluated with the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, the Beck Depression Inventory and the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale. Results: parents inthe experimental group presented higher scores in BDI, SAS, neurticism and psychoticism. Discussion: these results could be associated with the family burden, even though it could be pre-existent to the daughter´s pathology and play some etiological role. ED treatment could be improved through interventions on family burden and parents´ personality

Dyadic adjustment in parents of schizophrenics.

OBJECTIVE: To study the dyadic adjustment in couples with a schizophrenic offspring. METHOD: 140 married couples, 67 with children with schizophrenia, and two control groups: 41 couples without pathology and 32 couples with pathology, were assessed with the Dyadic Adjustment Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory and the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale. RESULTS: The couples with a schizophrenic offspring evidenced significantly worse dyadic adjustment than did the normal controls, especially low consensus and cohesion in husbands, and low cohesion and satisfaction in wives. Anxiety and depression in mothers of schizophrenics is significantly higher than in mothers of controls. DISCUSSION: These findings suggest that the poor dyadic adjustment of the parents with a schizophrenic offspring could be an effect of the burden. CONCLUSION: The treatment on the schizophrenia should be supplemented by interventions aimed at parents' dyadic adjustment, and mothers' anxiety and depression, so that they can be in better conditions to help their child.

La imagen corporal en los trastornos alimentarios / Body shape in eating disorders

Estudiar las diferencias en la insatisfacción con la imagen corporal entre mujeres que presentan un trastorno alimentario (TA) con un grupo control. Método: una muestra de 145 mujeres que presentaban un TA según criterios diagnósticos del DSM-IV (APA, 1994) -36 con anorexia nerviosa restrictiva (ANR), 30 con anorexia nerviosa bulímica (ANB) y 79 con bulimia nerviosa (BN)- complementada con un grupo "control" (n=65) de similares características sociodemográficas fue evaluada con el Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ), la escala de insatisfacción corporal del Eating Disorders Inventor y el Eating Attitude Test (EAT). Resultados: Controlando el índice de masa corporal, las mujeres con TA presentan una insatisfacción con la imagen corporal significativamente mayor que el grupo control, pero no hallamos diferencias significativas entre los diferentes TA, excepto en algunos ítems del BSQ y de la escala de insatisfacción corporal del EDI. Discusión: nuestros resultados confirman estudios anteriores al resaltar la insatisfacción con la imagen corporal en los TA y la necesidad de incidir terapéuticamente en ese nivel (AU)

To study the differences in body image dissatisfaction among women with eating disorders (ED) and a control group. Method: 145 women with (ED) - according to criteria from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, IV edition, (American Psychiatric Association, 1994) - (36 with restrictive anorexia nervosa (ANR), 30 with bulimic anorexia nervosa (ANB) and 79 with bulimia nervosa (BN), and a control group (n= 65) with similar sociodemographic characteristics were evaluated with the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ), the body dissatisfaction scale of the Eating Disorder Inventor (EDI) and the Eating Attitude Test (EAT). Results: Controlling body mass index, women with ED present a higher body image dissatisfaction than controls, but we do not find significant differences between ED groups, except in some items of the BSQ and EDI subscale. Discussion: our results confirm previous studies by standing out the body image dissatisfaction in the ED and the need to intervene therapeutically at that level (AU)