This qualitative descriptive study examined how 27 adults described (a) learning about the five love languages framework, (b) the relational experiences they believed shaped their affection preferences, and (c) stability or change in those preferences. Participants were recruited through Facebook posts that explicitly named love languages, and interviews provided an overview of the five predefined categories before asking participants to discuss preferred ways of receiving and expressing affection. Reflexive thematic analysis generated six themes: interpersonal and institutional introduction; self-directed discovery and assessment; relational origins of affection preferences; perceived stability; growing self-recognition; and developmental and relational adaptation. Participants distinguished learning the framework from developing the preferences they later described with its vocabulary. Some portrayed their preferences as stable, whereas others described clarification or change associated with partners, maturity, relationship transitions, health demands, and parenting. Because recruitment and questioning primed the framework and constrained discussion to its five categories, the findings do not show that people spontaneously organize affection this way or that the typology is valid or exhaustive. Instead, they show how this selected sample used a familiar cultural vocabulary when prompted to narrate affection and relationship change. Clinicians and educators can treat such narratives as openings for broader, client-led conversations rather than as diagnostic categories.
Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic shifted work and home life for many American couples and families, increasing demanding and added responsibilities. The stress of the homelife and worklife balance changes forced many couples to employ coping strategies, yet, for many, the stress overwhelmed their coping skills. This study aimed to examine how individuals coped with the stressors associated with the COVID-19 pandemic within the relational context. Methods: Using a daily diary longitudinal design, 230 individuals completed surveys examining relationship satisfaction, daily distress, negative partner interactions, parenting stress, emotional eating, and alcohol use on weekday and weekend days. Data were analyzed using four multiple linear regressions, for each maladaptive coping mechanism and for each day assessed. Results: Results indicated that greater use of emotional eating was associated with higher perceived relationship satisfaction and parenting distress during weekdays. Weekend data showed that parenting distress and daily distress were significantly related to greater use of emotional eating. Greater use of alcohol was associated with parenting distress on weekends only. Discussion: These results highlight the taxing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on couples’ and families’ ability to cope with parenting stress. The limited resources available to couples and families required that alternate coping strategies be implemented to reduce stress activation. With the frequency of using emotional eating and alcohol to cope with stress comes increased mental health risks and the necessity for counseling interventions and behavioral approaches to be implemented to result in more adaptive stress coping strategies.
This study examined the relationships among differentiation of self, sexual communication, parent–child conflict over sexuality, and depressive symptoms in Asian American young adults from immigrant families. The results show that young adults with a stronger sense of differentiation of self in interpersonal relationships tend to have fewer conflicts with their parents about sexual topics and report lower levels of depression. This study also showed that more frequent talk about sex with parents led to more conflict. The findings highlight how differentiation of self is associated with family conflict over different values around sexuality, which is also associated with their mental health. The study implies the complexity of balancing cultural values, family dynamics, and mental health, especially around culturally sensitive topics such as sexuality. Helping young Asian Americans with their mental health might involve understanding how they can balance emotional connection and sense of self while discussing sexual topics.
We utilized an integrative framework of Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Model and the MSJCC (Multicultural Social Justice Counseling Competencies) framework to qualitatively explore the lived experiences of Black fathers in the current socio-political context. The findings suggest that although these fathers are proudly connected with their children, they experience oppressive fear and anxiety related to the safety of their children; therefore, they engage in liberatory resilience practices to keep surviving for their children. Findings from this study have implications for Black fathering and Black paternal mental health.
Psychological richness has been proposed as a third dimension of a good life, yet its relational determinants remain underexplored. Grounded in Family Systems Theory and the McMaster Family Functioning Model, this study examined the association between family functioning and psychological richness, focusing on the mediating roles of hope, difficulties in emotion regulation, and loneliness. Data were collected from 495 participants ( M = 28.60, SD = 8.40) using self-report measures. Structural equation modeling indicated that family functioning was positively associated with psychological richness and hope, and negatively associated with loneliness and emotion regulation difficulties. Hope was positively linked to psychological richness, whereas loneliness and emotion regulation difficulties were negatively linked. Mediation analyses showed that these variables functioned as significant mediators through parallel and serial pathways. The findings highlight the role of relational processes in understanding psychological richness.
