Striving to Thrive: A Qualitative Study on Fostering a Relational Perspective Through Narrative Therapy in Couples Facing Cancer

Rajaei, Afarin; Brimhall, Andrew S.; Jensen, Jakob F.; Schwartz, Abby J.; Torres, Essie

doi:10.1080/01926187.2020.1820402

Cited by 13 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Patients with cancer reported that their relationships with their major caregivers (e.g., their partners) were of supreme importance (Coyne, Wollin, & Creedy, 2012; Hagedoorn, Buunk, Kuijer, Wobbes, & Sanderman, 2000;Zebrack, Mills, & Weitzman, 2007). The findings suggest that for couples with cancer, cancer-related distress as well as relationship quality and stability are relational experiences (Rajaei, et al, 2021a(Rajaei, et al, ,2021b. As a part of the biomedical, psychological, social, and spiritual assessment common to the practice of MedFT (Hodgson, Lamson, Mendenhall, & Crane, 2014), clinicians should seek to work with both partners and consider the adaptive processes that partners use in their relationship.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, the study (Rajaei, et al, 2021a) provides an opportunity for researchers and health care providers to broaden their perspective and consider couples facing cancer from a more comprehensive approach through the VSA model (Karney & Bradbury, 1995) that attends to the relational, social, and spiritual context (i.e., the BPSS framework). These efforts are necessary to understand the complexities of the issues contributing to the relationship quality and stability among couples facing cancer.…”

Section: Research Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For the remainder of the paper, several implications are provided for clinical practice, future research, policy, and the field of medical family therapy based the above-mentioned studies (Rajaei & Jensen, 2020;Rajaei et al, 2021a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Couples Coping with Cancer: Implications of Adaptive Process and Relationship Outcomes in Recent Findings for Marriage and Family Therapists and Medical Family Therapists

Rajaei

2021

The Family Journal

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The majority of patients with cancer experience clinically significant levels of distress (Dyson et al., 2012; Kwak et al., 2013; Yanez, Garcia, Victorson, & Salsman, 2013) that varies by age at diagnosis, cancer type, and psychosocial needs. Across multiple oncology studies, it has been reported that relationships with family and friends are important sources of support throughout the cancer experience (e.g., Goodall, King, Ewing, Smith, & Kenny, 2012; Miedema, Zebrack, 2011). However, a close relationship can also be a source of distress for patients with cancer, particularly those who are emotionally unavailable or unable to handle stress (Synder & Pearse, 2010; Zebrack, Chesler, & Kaplan, 2010). Contributors to the oncology literature suggested that distress levels between patients and their partners are interrelated (Gregorio et al., 2012; Juth et al., 2015; Kim & Given, 2008; Segrin et al., 2007). Dyadic research that includes patients and their partners is necessary for developing programs and interventions better targeted at meeting patients’ and their partners’ needs. Yet, these factors and the exploration of adaptive processes have not been examined among couples who are facing cancer. In light of these facts, several implications are provided for clinical practice, future research, policy, and the field of medical family therapy based on the above-mentioned studies (Rajaei & Jensen, 2020; Rajaei et al., 2021a).

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Research Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Couples Coping with Cancer: Implications of Adaptive Process and Relationship Outcomes in Recent Findings for Marriage and Family Therapists and Medical Family Therapists

Rajaei

2021

The Family Journal

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“…These efforts are necessary in order to understand the complexities of the issues contributing to the relationship quality and stability among couples facing cancer. Patients with cancer do not usually go through cancer in isolation as they are in constant interaction with their support systems (e.g., Rajaei et al, 2020a , 2020b ), thus research from a relational and dyadic lens may provide valuable insight into the complexity of couples with cancer lived experiences. Further, the current study and its limitations and strengths may lead researchers to provide essential suggestions and considerations for issues that should be addressed when planning research studies examining couples with cancer during the pandemic (e.g., having a more diverse sample, employing multivariate statistical tests that can capture the complexity of the multidimensional factors affecting the relationship between adaptive processes and cancer-related distress or conducting qualitative studies in order to deepen our understanding of adaptive processes and/or cancer-related distress in couples with cancer).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Pandemic on Couples With Cancer: Examining the Role of Cancer-Related Communication on Cancer-Related Distress Via the Actor–Partner Interdependence Model

Rajaei

2021

The Family Journal

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The present study draws attention to the significance of considering cancer-related communication on cancer-related distress through the vulnerability–stress–adaptation model among couples with cancer during the pandemic. This is a quantitative dyadic study with a sample of 80 couples ( N = 160). Dyadic data were analyzed among couples with cancer to examine the within-person (actor effects) and between-partner (partner effects) associations among links between cancer-related communication and cancer-related distress through the use of actor–partner interdependence models. Significant actor and partner effects were found for cancer-related communication in partners facing cancer, a factor that predicted cancer-related distress. The findings underscore the need to adopt a systemic perspective that accounts for multiple, simultaneous adaptive processes including cancer-related communication as influences on cancer-related distress in the time of COVID-19.

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“…Empirical studies (e.g., Kayser et al, 2007) and case illustrations (Johannessen, 2013; Raque, 2019; Sormanti et al, 1997) have documented how relational-cultural theory may be meaningful in the context of working with people with cancer. Further, case examples have demonstrated the relevance of relational-cultural theory for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV; e.g., Joe et al, 2020) and of narrative therapy among couples navigating cancer (e.g., Rajaei et al, 2021). Studies assessing these theories and their application to a wide range of health conditions will be meaningful moving forward.…”

Section: Personalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Addressing health in psychotherapy: Future directions from a community wellness lens.

Mitchell¹,

Raque²

2022

Psychotherapy

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Building off insight provided by authors in this special section and in the broader literature, this closing article describes future directions in health in psychotherapy. We use the community wellness model (CWM; Prilleltensky, 2005) sites of personal, relational, and collective to highlight psychotherapy constructs that offer future directions for more fully embracing a community and social justice perspective in health in psychotherapy. Within each level, we describe implications for researchers and clinicians: the personal level focuses on individual psychotherapy, including theoretical orientation, interventions, and feedback-informed treatment; the relational level covers clinician-client dynamics and group psychotherapy; the collective level addresses the scope and innovation of our interventions as well as advocacy efforts. Our hope is that these psychotherapy constructs and processes offer researchers and clinicians future directions for more fully integrating health into psychotherapy in a way that embeds a social justice perspective. Clinical Impact StatementQuestions: What are relevant psychotherapy constructs and processes for addressing health in psychotherapy? How is health in psychotherapy relevant at the personal, relational, and collective levels of the community wellness model (CWM; Prilleltensky, 2005)? Findings: Psychotherapy constructs and processes relevant to the future of health in psychotherapy include, but are not limited to, theoretical orientation, individual psychotherapy processes and interventions, group psychotherapy processes and interventions, clinician-client dynamics, the scope and innovation of our interventions, and advocacy efforts. Meaning: Using the CWM (Prilleltensky, 2005), we describe psychotherapy constructs and processes relevant to the future of health in psychotherapy at the personal, relational, and collective levels. Next Steps: Psychotherapy researchers and clinicians must consider the ways in which a holistic conceptualization of health more fully embraces community and social justice perspectives in their work.

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Striving to Thrive: A Qualitative Study on Fostering a Relational Perspective Through Narrative Therapy in Couples Facing Cancer

Cited by 13 publications

References 43 publications

Couples Coping with Cancer: Implications of Adaptive Process and Relationship Outcomes in Recent Findings for Marriage and Family Therapists and Medical Family Therapists

Couples Coping with Cancer: Implications of Adaptive Process and Relationship Outcomes in Recent Findings for Marriage and Family Therapists and Medical Family Therapists

The Impact of Pandemic on Couples With Cancer: Examining the Role of Cancer-Related Communication on Cancer-Related Distress Via the Actor–Partner Interdependence Model

Addressing health in psychotherapy: Future directions from a community wellness lens.

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