Journal of Family Psychotherapy · 1993 · 17 citations · 0 references
EducationCounselingPsychologyCounseling PsychologyFamily CounselingFamily StudiesCouples TherapyFamily StressFamily StressorsFamily TherapyFamily-based InterventionsMarital CounselingCoping With Marital StressFamily Adaptation To StressFamily Stress ProcessesFocus Group DiscussionsSocial Isolation EffectsStressStress In MarriageTraining
Married students and their spouses (N=17) in Purdue MFT Doctoral Program participated in exploratory qualitative research involving focus group interviews evaluating the effects of program stress on their marriages and families. Participants were organized into Married-with-Children or Married-without-Children groups. The two focus groups are compared and contrasted with descriptive commentary highlighted by participant quotations. Students described themselves as stressed by high program demands, implicit-explicit faculty expectations of student performance, hoops, and little family time. Spouses experienced intense social isolation during fist year, anger towards program demands. Changes made to the program as a result of the study are detailed.