Adrian Blow

Adrian Blow
  • Michigan State University

About

171
Publications
62,396
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3,638
Citations
Current institution
Michigan State University

Publications

Publications (171)
Article
Full-text available
The complex interplay between culture and parenting highlights the need for brief instruments that can effectively capture the richness and diversity of caregiving practices across different societies. In this study, we evaluated the factor structure and psychometric properties of a culturally adapted version of the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire...
Article
Full-text available
While parenting practices significantly influence children's developmental outcomes on a global scale, there has been limited comprehensive assessment of the cultural appropriateness of global parenting questionnaires in diverse cultural contexts by researchers. This study examined the cultural relevance of the widely used measure of parenting, the...
Article
Full-text available
Mental health capacity building is a growing priority in Ugandan healthcare systems. Despite increased governmental attention to community mental health and mental healthcare needs, no empirical assessments document qualitative perspectives from stakeholders in the Ugandan mental health system. The goal of the current needs assessment study was to...
Article
Full-text available
Emotionally focused therapy (EFT) is one of the most researched evidence-based couple therapy approaches, yet no studies have investigated the implementation of EFT (i.e., factors that facilitate the uptake of EFT into regular use by therapists) in community-based mental health agencies. This preimplementation study explored facilitators and barrie...
Preprint
Full-text available
Background Mental health capacity building is a critical need and a growing priority in Ugandan health and education systems. Despite increased governmental attention to community mental health and mental healthcare needs, no published assessments garner qualitative perspectives directly from stakeholders in the Ugandan mental health system. Addres...
Article
Full-text available
There has been an increase in the implementation of evidence‐based parenting programs from high‐income countries to several African countries. In this review, we systematically evaluated intervention studies of culturally adapted parenting programs in nine African countries with the objective of examining the quality of training for interventionist...
Article
In 2017, the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education implemented updated accreditation standards requiring course credits educating students on issues related to diversity, power, privilege, and oppression. This qualitative study explored students’ required diversity curricula experiences from accredited C/MFT master’s...
Article
National Guard soldiers experience unique reintegration challenges. In addition to managing the consequences of combat-related trauma, they also navigate multiple transitions between military and civilian life. Despite these obstacles, many soldiers report positive outcomes and personal growth due to deployment, a phenomenon most commonly referred...
Article
Full-text available
Background: The physical, psychological, social, and spiritual quality of life (QoL) may be affected by breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, with mixed findings for psychological quality of life and cognitive ability performance. The present study aimed to evaluate QoL in women over 1 year from biopsy for a breast abnormality. Methods: Self-repor...
Article
Infidelity is associated with negative effects on couples' relationships, yet some couples are able to overcome these and rebuild their relationship. Few studies have examined this process for couples who stay together after an affair. With a sample of 18 individuals (nine couples), this study explored similarities and differences between injured (...
Article
Full-text available
Communication during a combat deployment has changed significantly in current times. Couples can now communicate with each other frequently and through multiple modes. Despite this greater availability of communication options, there remain unanswered questions related to how healthy deployment communication is best achieved between couples, partic...
Article
Full-text available
The discipline of marriage and family therapy (MFT) has been established around the world. Inspired by theories and models developed in Western countries, professionals in East Asian countries over the last two decades have been dedicated to introducing the concepts of MFT to local mental health professionals. This paper presents an overview of the...
Article
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a public health crisis that concerns all couple and family therapists. With alarming prevalence rates and many negative mental and physical health consequences associated with IPV, it is paramount that therapists and clinicians recognize risk factors for IPV, are familiar with how to assess for IPV, and are aware...
Article
This chapter outlines the current state of research on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals and their partners (i.e., queer couples) and approaches to couple therapy with empirical evidence. Significant factors impacting queer couples are explored including minority stress, dating and coupling, family of origin and cho...
Article
Building on the work of Gary Birchler, this chapter uses 8 C's to categorize common presenting issues for couple therapy. The 8 C's include communication, conflict resolution, commitment, contract (expectations), caring, character features, culture, and children. In addition to looking at common issues that might arise for couples in these importan...
Article
Couple therapists and sex therapists alike have found that sexual problems reflect and exacerbate relationship problems. Sexual problems can result in increased frustration and discord in couple relationships, and therefore, couples may be prompted to enter couple therapy. The purpose of this chapter is to present ways for therapists to address sex...
Article
Grief and loss are universal human experiences. Even in family therapy, the subject of death, grief, and bereavement continues to be seen as a taboo. In spite of this avoidance, research indicates that the death of a loved one is rated as one of life's top stressors, and grief is a normal and appropriate response to loss. Moreover, losing a child t...
Article
Prince Harry and Megan Markle's wedding sparked considerable interest in the area of intercultural couples. This chapter is written by four international authors, who have worked with intercultural couples from all over the world. We take a position of recognizing the strengths and resiliencies of intercultural couples, while appreciating the uniqu...
Article
In this chapter, we discuss the process of working with individuals and couples in therapy who are deciding to continue or end their marriage or committed relationship. We provide a summary of the primary theoretical foundations of research and clinical work with this population. We also present primary research on predictors of relationship dissol...
Article
Marital and relationship education (MRE) programs are educational interventions that teach couples skills aimed to enhance relationship quality and maintain long‐lasting relationships. MRE programs evolved from early premarital education interventions and have grown in popularity due to significant support from the US federal government. While init...
Article
Full-text available
Stress is an important factor in most models of individual psychopathology (see diathesis–stress model). However, the role of stress in close relationships is often neglected in understanding psychopathology and often considered as interpersonal tensions that originate inside the relationship. Research on stress as a dyadic construct highlights the...
Article
Affair recovery is one of the most difficult presenting problems to treat in couple therapy. In the wake of an affair discovery or disclosure, couples present in treatment in great desperation, and unresolved issues related to the affair can plague some couples for many years. This chapter reviews the complexities of infidelity research and treatme...
Article
Eating disorders affect individuals and families of all ages and sociocultural backgrounds, impacting biological, psychological, and relational functioning. We will provide evidence and perspective about how eating disorders can reciprocally affect and be affected by family relationships and wider relational networks through direct and indirect pat...
Article
This chapter describes couple interventions and therapy for underserved client populations in the United States and globally. The purpose of this chapter is to describe the current state of couple interventions and their implementation, as well as to describe ways in which interventions and therapy can be improved to better address the needs of und...
Article
Rates of adults who are single are increasing in many places throughout the world. Because prolonged singlehood is associated with decreased social support and increased loneliness, mental health problems, and physical health problems, adults who are single may seek psychotherapy for struggles directly or indirectly related to singlehood. Attachmen...
Article
A demographic shift in the 1970s led to an explosion in research on stepfamilies. Since that time, scholars have developed unique characteristics that stepfamilies face as they try to manage complex relational dynamics. Systemic therapists are well suited to working with these families because effective intervention often requires managing multiple...
Article
Researchers have rapidly advanced knowledge in couple therapy. Recent years have seen the development of innovations in assessment, intervention, and the specific application of couple therapy models to a number of specific couple problems. Additionally, researchers have learned a great deal about specific processes in couple relationships and coup...
Article
Couples in later life often experience a number of transitions over time, which positively impact and challenge their relationship. In this chapter, we first discuss current literature on aging couples in the areas of marital satisfaction, depression, diverse couple formations and living arrangements, and older adults’ use of mental health services...
Article
Comprehensive assessment of couple distress requires a systematic, dynamic, and culturally sensitive approach. Understanding the implications of couple distress necessitates a conceptual framework that extends beyond individual considerations and evaluates the broader relational and sociocultural context from which couple distress emerges. This cha...
Article
Traditionally, alcohol use and other substance use disorders have been viewed by the majority of treatment providers and researchers, as well as by the public at large, as problems of the “individual” that were most effectively treated by focusing on the diagnosed individual. More recently, this individual‐focused conceptualization has slowly given...
Article
Intimate couple relationship distress has high prevalence and a strong linkage to emotional, behavioral, and physical health problems in the adult partners and their offspring. The authors review findings regarding the effectiveness of couple therapy for relationship distress, as well as for mental and physical health problems. Moderators and media...
Article
Trauma affects individuals deeply and symptoms of trauma create numerous difficulties in intimate committed relationships. In spite of this, too few couple therapy interventions have been systematically evaluated for couples where one or both members are trauma survivors. There is promising evidence demonstrating that there is a strong association...
Article
This chapter makes a case for the importance of public policy for couple therapy and other relational therapies and calls for us to use systemic skills to make unique contributions to society, government, and culture. It describes how state and federal policies, which were developed in response to broad social changes, came to regulate the professi...
Article
Divorce is often accompanied by multiple transitions that can be stressful for those involved, and the negative effects of divorce are more pronounced when there are ongoing difficulties, making this a primary area of focus for relationship‐focused therapists. Focusing on typical problems encountered at intrapsychic, interactional, and external lev...
Article
Depressive disorders are the largest contributor to global medical disability, and anxiety disorders rank sixth. There is a bidirectional relationship among depressive and anxiety disorders and couple relationship distress, thus propelling a vicious cycle of poor mental health and relationships. In this chapter, we describe the relationships among...
Article
As more couples in the United States are delaying childbearing until their mid‐30s, the experience of infertility is becoming more common. Infertility can contribute to significant psychological distress and challenges for couple relationships. There are many medical treatment options for infertility, but they can be costly and often are unsuccessf...
Article
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a public health crisis that concerns all couple and family therapists. With alarming prevalence rates and many negative mental and physical health consequences associated with IPV, it is paramount that therapists and clinicians recognize risk factors for IPV, are familiar with how to assess for IPV, and are aware...
Article
This chapter outlines the current state of research on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals and their partners (i.e., queer couples) and approaches to couple therapy with empirical evidence. Significant factors impacting queer couples are explored including minority stress, dating and coupling, family of origin and cho...
Article
As more couples in the United States are delaying childbearing until their mid‐30s, the experience of infertility is becoming more common. Infertility can contribute to significant psychological distress and challenges for couple relationships. There are many medical treatment options for infertility, but they can be costly and often are unsuccessf...
Article
Divorce is often accompanied by multiple transitions that can be stressful for those involved, and the negative effects of divorce are more pronounced when there are ongoing difficulties, making this a primary area of focus for relationship‐focused therapists. Focusing on typical problems encountered at intrapsychic, interactional, and external lev...
Article
Affair recovery is one of the most difficult presenting problems to treat in couple therapy. In the wake of an affair discovery or disclosure, couples present in treatment in great desperation, and unresolved issues related to the affair can plague some couples for many years. This chapter reviews the complexities of infidelity research and treatme...
Article
Comprehensive assessment of couple distress requires a systematic, dynamic, and culturally sensitive approach. Understanding the implications of couple distress necessitates a conceptual framework that extends beyond individual considerations and evaluates the broader relational and sociocultural context from which couple distress emerges. This cha...
Article
Traditionally, alcohol use and other substance use disorders have been viewed by the majority of treatment providers and researchers, as well as by the public at large, as problems of the “individual” that were most effectively treated by focusing on the diagnosed individual. More recently, this individual‐focused conceptualization has slowly given...
Article
Couples in later life often experience a number of transitions over time, which positively impact and challenge their relationship. In this chapter, we first discuss current literature on aging couples in the areas of marital satisfaction, depression, diverse couple formations and living arrangements, and older adults’ use of mental health services...
Article
Depressive disorders are the largest contributor to global medical disability, and anxiety disorders rank sixth. There is a bidirectional relationship among depressive and anxiety disorders and couple relationship distress, thus propelling a vicious cycle of poor mental health and relationships. In this chapter, we describe the relationships among...
Article
Rates of adults who are single are increasing in many places throughout the world. Because prolonged singlehood is associated with decreased social support and increased loneliness, mental health problems, and physical health problems, adults who are single may seek psychotherapy for struggles directly or indirectly related to singlehood. Attachmen...
Article
In this chapter, we discuss the process of working with individuals and couples in therapy who are deciding to continue or end their marriage or committed relationship. We provide a summary of the primary theoretical foundations of research and clinical work with this population. We also present primary research on predictors of relationship dissol...
Article
In this chapter we review the systemic family therapy (SFT) common factors literature. Common factors refer to all techniques and therapeutic change mechanisms that transcend models and are related to successful therapeutic outcomes. This perspective contends that psychotherapy works predominantly not because of the unique contributions of any part...
Article
Marital and relationship education (MRE) programs are educational interventions that teach couples skills aimed to enhance relationship quality and maintain long‐lasting relationships. MRE programs evolved from early premarital education interventions and have grown in popularity due to significant support from the US federal government. While init...
Article
This chapter describes couple interventions and therapy for underserved client populations in the United States and globally. The purpose of this chapter is to describe the current state of couple interventions and their implementation, as well as to describe ways in which interventions and therapy can be improved to better address the needs of und...
Article
Trauma affects individuals deeply and symptoms of trauma create numerous difficulties in intimate committed relationships. In spite of this, too few couple therapy interventions have been systematically evaluated for couples where one or both members are trauma survivors. There is promising evidence demonstrating that there is a strong association...
Article
Researchers have rapidly advanced knowledge in couple therapy. Recent years have seen the development of innovations in assessment, intervention, and the specific application of couple therapy models to a number of specific couple problems. Additionally, researchers have learned a great deal about specific processes in couple relationships and coup...
Article
A demographic shift in the 1970s led to an explosion in research on stepfamilies. Since that time, scholars have developed unique characteristics that stepfamilies face as they try to manage complex relational dynamics. Systemic therapists are well suited to working with these families because effective intervention often requires managing multiple...
Article
This chapter makes a case for the importance of public policy for couple therapy and other relational therapies and calls for us to use systemic skills to make unique contributions to society, government, and culture. It describes how state and federal policies, which were developed in response to broad social changes, came to regulate the professi...
Article
Stress is an important factor in most models of individual psychopathology (see diathesis–stress model). However, the role of stress in close relationships is often neglected in understanding psychopathology and often considered as interpersonal tensions that originate inside the relationship. Research on stress as a dyadic construct highlights the...
Article
Intimate couple relationship distress has high prevalence and a strong linkage to emotional, behavioral, and physical health problems in the adult partners and their offspring. The authors review findings regarding the effectiveness of couple therapy for relationship distress, as well as for mental and physical health problems. Moderators and media...
Article
Prince Harry and Megan Markle's wedding sparked considerable interest in the area of intercultural couples. This chapter is written by four international authors, who have worked with intercultural couples from all over the world. We take a position of recognizing the strengths and resiliencies of intercultural couples, while appreciating the uniqu...
Article
Grief and loss are universal human experiences. Even in family therapy, the subject of death, grief, and bereavement continues to be seen as a taboo. In spite of this avoidance, research indicates that the death of a loved one is rated as one of life's top stressors, and grief is a normal and appropriate response to loss. Moreover, losing a child t...
Article
Couple therapists and sex therapists alike have found that sexual problems reflect and exacerbate relationship problems. Sexual problems can result in increased frustration and discord in couple relationships, and therefore, couples may be prompted to enter couple therapy. The purpose of this chapter is to present ways for therapists to address sex...
Article
Eating disorders affect individuals and families of all ages and sociocultural backgrounds, impacting biological, psychological, and relational functioning. We will provide evidence and perspective about how eating disorders can reciprocally affect and be affected by family relationships and wider relational networks through direct and indirect pat...
Article
Building on the work of Gary Birchler, this chapter uses 8 C's to categorize common presenting issues for couple therapy. The 8 C's include communication, conflict resolution, commitment, contract (expectations), caring, character features, culture, and children. In addition to looking at common issues that might arise for couples in these importan...
Article
Infidelity is an attachment injury as it shatters basic assumptions about one’s relationship. This study investigated the role of the attachment bond in affair recovery. Individual qualitative interviews were conducted with couples (both partners; N = 20) who stayed together after an affair. Thematic analysis revealed important aspects of the recov...
Chapter
Infidelity is relationally defined. Each couple defines the boundaries between their relationship and other people, whether they choose to be monogamous or non-monogamous. However, boundaries are sometimes assumed and unspoken. Partners may not recognize the gray areas of infidelity until they experience a betrayal. What one person thinks is “no bi...
Article
Deployment and reintegration can be a source of significant stress for military service members and their families. In particular, military fathers’ mental health can have a significant impact on their children’s well-being. To examine this phenomenon during the postdeployment period, this study sampled 208 National Guard fathers and their partners...
Article
Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFT) is an effective approach to working with distressed couples. It is not only effective in reducing relationship distress, but also in successfully maintaining gains over time. In the current study, we sought to understand the therapy processes that result in the creation of safety during stage one of EFT. Saf...

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