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Background: Marital adjustment has a positive effect on the physical and mental health of family members. The purpose of this study was to explain the process of marital adjustment in Iranian women. Methods: This research is based on qualitative data analysis using the grounded theory method. Theoretical and purposeful sampling was used for data collection. Sampling continued until theoretical saturation. A total of 15 women from Ahvaz participated in the semi-structured interview. Interviews were analyzed using the Strauss and Corbin comparative method. Results: By open coding, 17 primary codes, and axial coding, 9 major themes, related to marital adjustment were obtained. Marital adjustment: An incentive to maintain marital life were extracted as the central category influenced by contextual, causal, and confounding conditions. Contextual conditions include emotional bonding with parents and spouse. Causal conditions are an emphasis on self and relationship with another and how to express self in the relationship. Interfering conditions include a relationship with the main family, spouse, and social comparison. Strategies include defense mechanisms and empathy. The consequences of marital adjustment were also the sense of security and comfort. Conclusion: Marital adjustment can be considered in curing marital maladjustment and conflicts and help therapists to have a better understanding of marital dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploration of the patient-therapist relationship (transference work) is considered a core active ingredient in dynamic psychotherapy. However, there are contradictory findings as for whom and under what circumstances these interventions are beneficial. This study investigates long-term effects of transference work in the context of patients' quality of object relations (QOR) and therapists' self-reported disengaged feelings. Therapists' disengaged feelings may negatively influence the therapeutic process, especially while working explicitly with the transference since discussing feelings that are present in the session is an essential aspect of transference work. One hundred outpatients seeking psychotherapy for depression, anxiety and personality disorders were randomly assigned to one year of dynamic psychotherapy with transference work or to the same type and duration of treatment, but without transference work. Patients' QOR-lifelong pattern was evaluated before treatment and therapists' feelings were assessed using the Feeling Word Checklist-58 after each session. Outcome was measured with self-reports and interviews at pre-treatment, mid-treatment, post-treatment, one year and three years after treatment termination. A significant interaction of treatment group (transference work versus no transference work) by QOR by disengaged therapist feelings was present, indicating that disengaged feelings, even small amounts, were associated with negative long-term effects of transference work, depending on QOR Scale scores. The strengths of the negative association increased significantly with lower levels of QOR. The negative association between even a small increase in disengaged therapist feelings and long-term effects of transference interpretation was substantial for patients with poor QOR, but small among patients with good QOR. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Key Practitioner Message Therapists' emotional reactions to their patients (countertransference) seem to have a significant impact on both the treatment process and outcome of psychotherapy., Therapists' heightened level of disengaged feelings over a treatment period shows an adverse impact on the effect of transference work for all patients, and especially so for patients with a history of poor, non-mutual and complicated relationships., For patients with a history of reciprocal, sound relationships the negative influence of therapists' disengaged countertransference is minimal., Higher therapist disengagement is strongly related to inferior therapists' skill for patients with a history of poor relationships and/or more personality disorder pathology., Training and supervision should provide direct feedback and focus on therapists' internal thought processes and emotional reactions., Therapists need to recognize and understand their feelings and attitudes in order to use the countertransference as a tool to understand the interpersonal process in therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dysfunctional interpersonal patterns are a defining feature of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). A number of studies have aimed to determine if there are specific patterns in the interpersonal functioning of patients with BPD. The vast majority of these studies have used a widely-used rating system called the Core Conflictual Relationship Theme method [1]. To date, three main models of interpersonal functioning of patients with BPD have been developed using the CCRT [2, 3] including one model developed by our team [4]. The aim of this study was to examine to what extent these three empirically-derived models of interpersonal functioning in patients with BPD overlap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim. It is common knowledge that disturbed interpersonal functioning is a key feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD). However, it remains uncertain whether patients with BPD have specific interpersonal behaviours that can be validly and objectively identified. This study examined the interpersonal behaviours of patients with BPD. Method. The narratives of interpersonal interactions of the 66 participants were rated using the Core Conflictual Relationship Theme (CCRT) method. Results. Results showed that once other Axis II disorders were controlled for, only three CCRT components significantly predicted scores on the Borderline Personality Disorder Scale: not wishing to be good as a CCRT Wish component, others not being untrustworthy as a response of other component, and not being open to others as a response of self component. However, while these findings were significant, the percentage of variance explained remained low. Conclusions. The authors argue that future research will need to examine subgroups within BPD if specific interpersonal behaviours are to be reconsidered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]