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Emotionally focused therapy with African American couples: an exploratory acceptability and feasibility study
Dissertation   Open access

Emotionally focused therapy with African American couples: an exploratory acceptability and feasibility study

Marjorie A. Nightingale
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Drexel University
Jun 2021
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00000777
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Abstract

African American couples Emotion-focused therapy Racism--Psychological aspects Couples therapy Psychic trauma
Racism is a public health crisis for African Americans in the United States. Negative racial experiences compounded over the lifespan create a racial trauma resembling Post Traumatic Stress Disorder driving multiple physiological and mental disparities. Racial trauma has been linked with alarming declines in African American marriage, and increasing rates of distressed relational functioning, yet culturally relevant interventions for this population remain elusive. This exploratory study examines the feasibility of utilizing a culturally adapted Emotionally Focused Therapy with African American couple sample. Results show that the treatment was acceptable with significant improvements in relationship distress, attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance for couples. Results also show significant reductions in levels of stress, and racial stress for women from pretest to posttest. There were no significant changes in emotional regulation or relationship satisfaction for couples, and no changes in levels of stress or racial stress for men.

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