EDCO 705 Marriage and Family Intervention Paper
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Liberty University *
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705
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Communications
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Apr 3, 2024
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15
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MARRIAGE AND FAMILY INTERVENTION 2 Abstract ? Marital well-being plays an important role in not only the lives of the couple, but it affects the entire well-being of each family member. The paper would address the correlation between lack of education, material counseling and intervention with negative outcomes in marriages and familial relationships. The paper will address the effects on minorities living underprivileged communities. Study shows that those who are inadequately prepared for marriage and family life results in marital discord and disharmony, experiences financial difficulties and children’s chances of a healthy emotional development becomes at risk (Ningrum, Latifah, & I:risnatuti, 2021). Moreover, the paper would address the effectiveness of premarital counseling, education, and intervention on reducing divorce rates, domestic violence, increase emotional intelligence, improve communication, and produce happy healthier outcomes for children involved. The effects of community actions and how it can improve relationship and family skills, through identification of needs and challenges, intervention, advocacy resulting in healthy marriages and stronger family development reducing further negative impact through gained skills. Key Word¥ Underprivileged, education, communication, family, marriage, advocacy, community
MARRIAGE AND FAMILY INTERVENTION 3 . Positive Effects of Community Intervention on Marriage and Family We all are familiar with the saying, “children live what they learn”. This saying rings true as we discuss the impact that can occur when children are subjected to negative family patterns. Positive effects on marriage and family can be manifested through the efforts of caregivers and community intervention. One of the ways in which the community can achieve healthier interpersonal relationships and strengthening of our families is to increase access to marriage, relationship and family counseling and education. The overall goal would be collaboration from schools, mental health facilities, counselors, social workers, churches, and other community resources to provide and achieve widespread access to those in the community at a reduced rate, through the Medicaid system and or for free. Community intervention for family and marriages aim to bring awareness to common issues that maybe overshadowing the growth and health of our families who are underprivileged and have limited access to these resources. This can include support for those who may have loved ones with mental health disorder, providing rehabilitation, reducing institutionalization, reducing domestic violence rates, decreased relapse rates, providing better job opportunities and promoting hope and strong sense of self. Description of the Population A population can be defined as groups of individuals of the same species living within a particular area together. They often rely on the same types of resources but can face similar ecological limitations that can affect their ability to thrive within their own environment. When we think of the term “underprivileged” we can equate the word to having less than or the opportunities or advantages to become successful. Approximately 37.2 million Americans are currently living in poverty which equates to 11.4% of Americans (U.S, Census Bureau, 2021).
MARRIAGE AND FAMILY INTERVENTION 4 Poverty-stricken persons face remarkable adversities in essentially all aspects of life. Access to effective resources and programs are no stranger to this fight. Some of the hardships that they face are not limited to financial security, access to resources and helpful information, adequate job opportunities, limited access to proper education, social prejudice, and exclusion among others. St'udy conducted in late 2019 showed that approximately 6 million people in low income families were at risk due to reduced access to basic needs such as health care, lack of advocacy, limited transportation, increased physical and social isolation, family planning service and other preventative screening programs in addition to other services (Dobis, Thomas P. Krumel, Cromartie, Kelsey L. Conley, & Ortiz, 2021) Consequently, impoverished communities experience limitations that may affect increase risks of mental health issues, domestic violence, drug and alcohol abuse, likelihood of being incarcerated, increased mortality rates and chronic diseases which ultimately reducing the health and wellbeing of the family unity. Families play a distinct role in influencing the outcome of a child’s life as well as providing meaning, subsequently, communities also influence one’s successes. Thus, the cultural aspects can be very complex when dealing with some of the influential factors. Some aspects to consider are ones own cultural identities, cultural and or community norms, cultural subgroups within one community, ethnic identities, geographics and even personal choices. Based on the different cultural aspects it is imperative that community workers remain culturally v knowledgeable and sensitive to the needs of the population. Additionally, based on their economic status, some issues may be confused with cultural stereotypes to include perpetual substance use, lack of value for education, being lazy, and inadequate parenting. Furthermore, we learn throughout the scriptures that we are to be kind to our neighbors and be mindful not to judge. In Romans 14.10 we are urged not to pass judgement or despise our brothers as we will all
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MARRIAGE AND FAMILY INTERVENTION 5 stand before one God (The Holy Bible, 2022). Instead, we are to show compassion and understanding for who they are and the differences they bring to the table. In efforts to assist, it is important to know about cultural needs, beliefs, or even religious practices and how these factors play a role in the overall shaping of the community and families. Identification of Need For those living in unprivileged communities, marriage and a healthy family system is often not present in their lives. In fact, research among this population, about 77 percent of parents no longer stayed together while only 7 percent eventually married sometime within the 5- year period (Ron Cox, 2017). Subsequently, in research conducted by a federal evaluation program, it showed that children in low-income minority parent homes who were unmarried proved to have more detrimental effects than those who grew up in homes where the parents were married (Moore, Avellar, Patnaik, Covington, & Wu, 2018). As a result of the evaluation, it was determined that providing a relationship program which not only educated parents on effective communication skills, understanding partner’s perspective and conflict resolution, but also provided addition work/life skills where parents would be able to learn necessary skills that may aid in finding more lucrative employment thus decreasing their financial burdens and alleviating some stress within the household. Unfortunately, statisti! indicates that most individuals who grew up in underprivileged communities and single parent household has a strongly likely to experience divorce themselves and lack the necessary skills to navigate through healthy relationship patterns (Baker, Wise, Kelley, & Skiba, 2016). Lack of proper communication skills, time spent nurturing healthy habits, financial burdens and other stressors make it difficult for children to function at an adequate level. Moreover, some children living in poorer communities lack the proper nutrition, shelter, and environment to foster healthy learning
MARRIAGE AND FAMILY INTERVENTION 6 styles which ultimately lead to opportunities for them to leave their communities and lifestyles for that of a better one. ’ With the above information, it is evident that the need for an effective educational program that will offer life skills, preventative measures, access to adequate health care and mental health programs play a viable role in bridging the gap. Families play a vital role in shaping the lives of our future population. Additionally, they act as the primary source in guiding children through healthy socializing skills in addition the other sources in the community such as schools and churches. Unfortunately, in less privileged communities, parental involvement decreases which makes difficult for collaboration with schools and other community programs. Moreover, the success of the child is typically determined by the involvement given by the parents (Baker, Wise, Kelley, & Skiba, 2016). Marriage and family education has been found to be a powerful tool that can assist in strengthening not only marriages but families (Lee, 2022). In addition, the community has been a pilar of providing different resources and services that offer life skills, grants and programs to assist with further bridging the gap. Another need identified would be the lack of healthy communication, problem solving skills, emotional intelligence, domestic violence, higher divorce rates, conflict resolution, identification of values. Emotional intelligence and improved communication can be improved through training and additional communication therapy (Kardan-Souraki, Hamzehgardeshi, Asadpour, Mohammadpour, & Khani, 2016). Furthermore, healthy interaction has been connected to the general wellbeing and quality of a relationship (De Netto , Quek , & Golden , 2021). Lastly, financial burdens contribute to domestic violence, drug and alcohol use, poor education, and chronic health issues. Families need a safe and secure place where they can
MARRIAGE AND FAMILY INTERVENTION 7 function adequately in environment that is conducive to their growth. Because of financial constraints, victims of domestic violence continue to live in the repeated cycle in fear. It would be beneficial to create more safe homes for victims where education and shelter can work hand in hand in reducing the rate of reoccurrence. Lack of funding has also made this impossible to maintain consistency in programs that are aimed to create these types of changes. Intervention Strategies Community intervention serves as a very integral part of building the health of our marriages and families. Therefore, the proper community needs assessment is vital in identifying a community’s unique needs and goals. Community health camps, peer groups, advocacy, programs, life skills, job skills, shelters, safe homes, financial literacy education, education on stress and mental health disorders and inclusion are just a few ways the community can become more activity in reducing the rate of families falling victims to the stressors of being underprivileged, thus, perpetuating a negative cycle. The recent pandemic has brought on so many different stresses within the community. Marriages were not immune to this. A study was done to try and find “therapeutic guidance and skill enhancement programs” (Geirge & Wesley , 2021) that can assist women of doralestic violence who liberate themselves from an abusive environment and restore their lives. Psychoeducation, counseling, and coping strategies education members on the illness and how they can effectively assist members as well as cope (Varghese, Kirpekar, & Loganathan, 2020). There are marriages and families who may have various mental health disorders. Having a loved one with a mental health disorder can create strain on the family dynamic if they are ill- equipped to navigate through the difficulties that this may bring. Support groups such as Al-Non, peer support, advocacy and in-home support services are also great interventions that will assist
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MARRIAGE AND FAMILY INTERVENTION 8 in decreasing the overall burden of the family members. Other intervention strategies could include relationship skills workshops, job and career development and advancement workshops, individual counseling, and other supplemental activities. Another great intervention that would be beneficial to this population would be psychoeducation groups. These types of groups are known for its effectiveness as they provide both instructive and therapeutic interventions received and taught by parents and other social influential factors. A systematic study and review of 20 studies were completed on the effectiveness of psychoeducation in relationship to the family, while it was mainly focused on families with more severe mental health issues, the study concluded that psychoeducation appeared to aid in the reduction and relapse of negative behaviors while promoting improved outcomes across the board with the implementation of effective strategies for continued growth (Sarkhel, Singh, & Arora, 2020) In fact, one of the community psychoeducation treatment modalities that have been proven useful and effective is the Assertive Community Treatment which assist families in developing new skills, reconnecting with other families, improving interpersonal skills, developing healthy problem-solving techniques, providing adequate resources and additional education on healthy familial relationship building skills. “Prospective studies have shown that marital discord predicts future mood, anxiety and substance use disorders” (Braithwaite & JulianneHolt-Lunstad, 2017). Groups can be aimed at providing the necessary strategies needed to worth through anxieties, mood disorder and other substance use disorders. Additionally, suggest that providing support and education can improve behavior health and improve the well-being of romantic relationships (Berli, Schwaninger, & Scholz, 2021). Similarly, preventative measures prior to marriage can reduce the rate of relationship and material issues in the future.
MARRIAGE AND FAMILY INTERVENTION 9 Resiliency Factors Resiliency factors can be described as the ability to overcome adversity in difficult times. These factors can be seen as effective coping skills, support from families, friends, and community. Social support factors are shown to be instrumental with resiliency when children are subjected social difficulty (Gartland, et al., 2019). Moreover, when families have positive outlooks, engage in programs that promote change, creative positive habits, and life changes, they increase their capacity for growth and long-term change. One major way in which one can promote change is to empower an individual by allowing access to proper education, information, access to resources, creation of jobs, counseling, and advocacy. It is important that this community understands that they are being heard and that they matter. Sadly, some does not have access to primary needs such as housing, food, or even clean water. By providing a pathway to these things, it also promotes the desire and need for change. Financial s!curity and a safe and secure place to live has also been shown to alleviate stressors and increase the resiliency within this group. The opportunity to learn from others, reflect on difficulties, focusing on the changes needed to make and hope towards breaking negative patterns are all consider to be additional resiliency factors among this group. Coalition Community coalitions are known for preventative and maintenance potentials within the community. Importantly, services provided to these communities should be inclusive and culturally appropriate for effectiveness. Rebuilding Healthy Happy Families will strive to ® provide the adequate services needed to assist families in need by effectively assessing community needs and identifying deficiencies that can be corrected resulting in the overall well- being of the family unit. While working with Families in underprivileged communities, this is
MARRIAGE AND FAMILY INTERVENTION 10 equally important to have and maintained as it would be in less privileged communities. Unfortunately, the driving force behind this looks a little different than it would potentially look like in communities that are more fortunate. As such, it is important to form coalitions which can assist in creating a stronger alliance between both private and public organizations within the communities, reducing the overall risks associated with families in less fortunate communities to include domestic violence, the impact of single parenting, decreased emotional intelligence, poor communication habits, perpetual financial struggles, and homelessness. As we further analyze and address the needs of our families and marriages within the community, we recognize that there is a great need for prevention, maintenance, education, and rehabilitation programs within this community. Working as a team to ensure that the community needs are met is vital to the success of any program. Local social workers, licensed professionals, nurses, teachers, peer support, government insurance representatives, spiritual leaders and other volunteer and support staff will all work together to ensure the successful implementation of services. Additionally, they will all play different roles such as educating, providing resources to include job opportunities, affordable housing opportunities, prayer, and advocacy among others to families within the community. Stakeholders will include other community agencies and therapists, public health agencies, local businesses, both public and private schools, churches, health centers and other non-profit organizations will work hand in hand providing different program interventions to families in need. Meetings will be held quarterly to continue access and analyze needs and effectiveness of program.
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MARRIAGE AND FAMILY INTERVENTION 11 Advocacy Program Building a strong community alliance can enhance the impact that your advocacy efforts may have on the community. One way to improve advocacy is to start with ensuring that you are connecting with likeminded individuals, companies and agencies within the community who are as passionate as you may be about the changes you would like to see implemented. Likewise, raising the public’s awareness on the community concerns while outlining the benefits and values of services that these intervention programs. Importantly, raising awareness and providing educational and factual data about the program is crucial for community workers and families alike to feel comfortable and hopeful that these services can make a positive impact in the community. Meeting with other community experts to further discuss the needs of the community, volunteering, hosting town hall meetings, client advocacy, fundraising, implementation of mental wellness courses, job skills training, financial literally courses, communication and relationship wellness programs among others will be advertised locally, state-wide, and nationally. However, the goal is to commence with implementation of program on the local level, reassess its efficacy after a year and then provide data to other statewide and national agencies in hopes of implementing these services elsewhere. Challenges and Barriers to Services Family/marriage therapy and other community interventions has been proven to assist with the restoration and positive changes that lead to stability and growth within the family unit for ages. Unfortunately, there are still some challenges and barriers to effective implementation to community services and interventions. For instance, for those living in underprivileged communities, services may be inaccessible, unfamiliar, and underutilized. Moreover, low family
MARRIAGE AND FAMILY INTERVENTION 12 involvement and engagement is another significant factor that may increase the chances of the success of any given intervention. In fact, research suggests that families living in underprivileged communities have a higher chance of poorer outcomes (Gartland, et al., 2019), therefore, the challenges of creating a program and intervention for these families become more difficult for community workers to maintain. Another noted challenge appears to be the over involvement with families. The literature suggests that being overzealous may deter families from being willing to participate in services (Varghese, Kirpekar, & Loganathan, 2020). One can only assume that this is due to families not feeling safe enough to trust community workers and other clinical staff. Ideally, it is important to develop a trusting relationship with families first, prior to introducing change that may initially be unfamiliar and uncomfortable. Moreover, families may doubt their abilities to effectively learn adequate skills that may promote positive changes which may lead to frustration. Some families report that not having the consistency of a healthy support system also makes it very difficult for them to follow through with positive changes (Gartland, et al., 2019). Additionally, barriers included cost, lack of proper insurance and or insurance does not support certain services, limited time, stable and safe housing, mental health disorders, addiction, and ability to get to location for participation. Conclusion For community family interventions to be successful within this community, therapists and other community workers must be knowledgeable about the complexities that their community may face. Family strengthening programs can assist with bridging the gap for potentially reducing divorce rates, decreasing trauma, domestic violence, improving communication and creating a healthier happier environment that fosters positive growth within the family unit. Although they may be challenges that community workers may face in the
MARRIAGE AND FAMILY INTERVENTION 13 development and implementation of interventions, thorough access of community needs, familiarity with culture, developing a thorough plan, advocating for the needs of the community, and providing continuous support are all important factors to the overall success of the programs. While same factors may be influenced by ecological, cultural and biological factors, it is also important to note that with effective interventions provided by the appropriately trained community worker, there is always a chance for positive changes and successful outcomes.
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MARRIAGE AND FAMILY INTERVENTION 14 References Baker, T. L., Wise, J., Kelley, G., & Skiba, R. J. (2016). Identifying Barriers: Creating Solutions to Improved Family Engagement. School Community Journal, 26(2). Berli, C., Schwaninger, P., & Scholz, U. (2021). We Feel Good™: Daily Support Provision, Health Behavior, and Well-Being in Romantic Couples. Frontiers in Psychology. doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.622492 Braithwaite, S., & JulianneHolt-Lunstad. (2017). Romantic relationships and mental health. Current Opinion in Psychology, 13. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2016.04.001 Canevello, A., & Crocker, J. (2011). Creating Good Relationships: Responsiveness, Relationship Quality, and Interpersonal Goals. Journal of Personal and Social Psychology, 78-106. De Netto , P. M., Quek , K. F., & Golden , K. J. (2021, Decemeber 13). Communication, the Heart of a Relationship: Examining Capitalization, Accommodation, and Self-Construal on Relationship Satisfaction. Froniters in Psychology. Retrieved May 13, 2022, from https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.767908 Dobis, E. A., Thomas P. Krumel, J., Cromartie, J., Kelsey L. Conley, A. S., & Ortiz, R. (2021). Rural America at a Glance. Economic Research Service U.S. Department of Agriculture. Retrieved June 21, 2022 Gartland, D., Riggs, E., Muyeen, S., Giallo, R., Afifi, T. O., MacMillan, H., . . . Brown, S. J. (2019). What factors are associated with resilient outcomes in children exposed to social adversity? A systematic review. BMJ Open. Retrieved June 2, 2022, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6500354/pdf/bmjopen-2018-024870.pdf
MARRIAGE AND FAMILY INTERVENTION 15 Geirge , E. S., & Wesley , M. S. (2021). Marital Stress and Domestic Violence during the COVID- 19 Pandemic. Cogent Arts & Humanities(1). doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2021.1992085 Gerald Eric Daniels, J., Kakar, V., & Chaudhuri, A. (2017). Racial differences in Transitions to Marriage for Unmarried Mothers. J Fam Econ Issues, 38(3). doi:10.1007/s10834-017- 9538-3 Kardan-Souraki, M., Hamzehgardeshi, Z., Asadpour, 1., Mohammadpour, R. A., & Khani, S. (2016). A Review of Marital Intimacy-Enhancing Interventions among Married Individuals. Global Journal of Health Science, 8(8). doi:10.5539/gjhs.v8n8p74 Lee, M. (2022). Building a Happy Home:. Retrieved June 1, 2022, from https://www.jec.senate.gov/public/ cache/files/3d102525-6f0d-48ed-9214- d71edd468ad6/building-a-happy-home.pdf Lukens, E., & McFarlane, W. (2004). Psychoeducation as Evidence-Based Practice: Considerations for Practice, Research and Policy. Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention. Retrieved May 13, 2022 Mehra, D., Sarkar, A., Sreenath, P., Behera, J., & Mehra, S. (2018). Effectiveness of a community based intervention to delay early marriage, early pregnancy and improve school retention among adolescents in India. BMC public health. doi:10.1186/s12889- 018-5586-3 Moore, Q., Avellar, S., Patnaik, A., Covington, R., & Wu, A. (2018). Parents and Children Together: Effects of Two Healthy Marriage Programs for Low-Income Couples. OPRE. Retrieved June 10, 2022
MARRIAGE AND FAMILY INTERVENTION 16 Ningrum, D. N., Latifah, M., & Krisnatuti, D. (2021). Marital readiness: Exploring the key factors among university students. Humanitas Indonesian Psychological Journal, 18(1). doi:65-74. DOI:10.26555/humanitas.v1811.17912 Ribar, D. C. (2015). Why Marriage Matters for Child Wellbeing. 25(2). Retrieved June 2, 2022, from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1079374.pdf Ron Cox, P. (2017). Life and Challenges of Low-Income Couples living in America: A Resource Guide for Relationship Educators. Oklahome Cooperative Extension Service. Retrieved June 10, 2022 Sarkhel, S., Singh, O. P., & Arora, M. (2020). Clinical Practice Guidelines for Psychoeducation in Psychiatric Disorders General Principles of Psychoeducation. Indian Journal of Psychiatry. Retrieved June 21, 2022 The Holy Bible. (2022). New King James Version . U.S, Census Bureau. (2021, September 14). Current Populations Report. Retrieved June 10, 2022, from https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2021/demo/p60-273.html Varghese, M., Kirpekar, V., & Loganathan, S. (2020). Family Interventions: Basic Principles and Techniques. Indian Journal of Psychiatry. doi: 10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry 770 19
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