Old Wine in New Bottles: Decanting Systemic Family Process Research in the Era of Evidence‐Based Practice1. Issue 3 (6th June 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Rohrbaugh, Michael J.
• Is Part Of: Family process. Volume 53:Issue 3(2014)
• Page Start: 434
• Page End: 444
• Publication Date: 2014-06-06
• Subjects: Family psychotherapy -- Periodicals; Families -- Periodicals; 616.8915
• DOI: 10.1111/famp.12079
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0014-7370

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" xml:lang="en" id="famp12079-abs-0001"> <title> <x xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <p>Social cybernetic (systemic) ideas from the early <italic>Family Process</italic> era, though emanating from qualitative clinical observation, have underappreciated heuristic potential for guiding quantitative empirical research on problem maintenance and change. The old conceptual wines we have attempted to repackage in new, science‐friendly bottles include <italic>ironic processes</italic> (when "solutions" maintain problems), <italic>symptom‐system fit</italic> (when problems stabilize relationships), and <italic>communal coping</italic> (when we‐ness helps people change). Both self‐report and observational quantitative methods have been useful in tracking these phenomena, and together the three constructs inform a team‐based family consultation approach to working with difficult health and behavior problems. In addition, a large‐scale, quantitatively focused effectiveness trial of family therapy for adolescent drug abuse highlights the importance of <italic>treatment fidelity</italic> and qualitative approaches to examining it. In this sense, echoing the history of family therapy research, our experience with juxtaposing quantitative and qualitative methods has gone full circle—from qualitative to quantitative observation and back again.</p> </abstract>