ABSTRACT

Abstract

The number of individuals experiencing Alzheimer’s disease is increasing as the population ages. The majority of individuals experiencing Alzheimer’s disease receive care from a family member, most often a spouse or adult child. Adult child caregivers have unique needs and life situations that put them at increased risk for caregiver burden and burnout. While both individual therapy and family therapy have been used with family caregivers, little scholarship has explored the role of couples therapy in improving caregiver outcomes.

Abstract

Résumé
La justice doit-elle rester cantonnée aux droits ou a-t-elle un espace dans les recherches cliniques et les options thérapeutiques ? Le « siècle du psychisme » s’est focalisé sur l’inconscient et a négligé la dynamique concrète d’un « juste » équilibre du don et du contre-don propre aux échanges familiaux. L’option reste toujours écartée par la psychanalyse familiale et le courant systémique. La première assimile les attaches familiales à des fantasmes de groupe, le second à des interactions gouvernées par les règles et le mythe du système.

Using a dyadic design, we examined associations between adult attachment and relational ethics in a sample of 69 mixed-gender couples seeking therapy at a university clinic. Results showed significant variance between couples’ reports of relational ethics, explained by male partners’ attachment avoidance and anxiety styles. Overall, when attachment anxiety was high, partners themselves experienced greater relational ethics, but the other partner experienced lesser relational ethics. Additionally, some important gender differences emerged.