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Dissertation 11.22.13.pdf (1.1 MB)

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Differentiation and Relationship Satisfaction: Mediating Effects of Alcohol Use

Lotspeich Younkin, Felisha Lynn
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1384942239

Abstract Details

2013, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Human Ecology: Human Development and Family Science.
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between differentiation and alcohol use and how these factors interact to influence relationship satisfaction in couples. Bowen Family Systems Theory suggests that alcohol and other substances are used as a distance regulator in relationships, but this idea has not been tested in a clinical sample. Using structural equation modeling with AMOS20, I tested 3 hypotheses. The first hypothesis was that couples with higher differentiation are less likely to use alcohol because they do not need it to regulate distance. I also hypothesized that couples who used more alcohol had lower relationship satisfaction. Finally, I hypothesized that alcohol acts as a mediator between differentiation and relationship satisfaction. The models produced a poor fit to the data, suggesting nonlinearity in the data. Therefore, repeated measures ANOVA was conducted and showed significant results, suggesting that alcohol served as a successful distance regulator. Results support previous findings that alcohol recovery can have a destabilizing effect on the family system because of the important function of alcohol use in intimate relationships. This study has important clinical implications because it provides a picture of the mechanism that underlies alcohol use in intimate relationships, which is a good starting point for planning and considering the effect of therapeutic interventions.
Suzanne Bartle-Haring, PhD (Advisor)
Anastasia Snyder, PhD (Committee Member)
Keeley Pratt, PhD (Committee Member)
109 p.
Families and Family Life; Psychotherapy
Bowen Family Systems Theory; Differentiation; Distance Regulation; Alcohol Use; Couples

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Lotspeich Younkin, F. L. (2013). Differentiation and Relationship Satisfaction: Mediating Effects of Alcohol Use [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1384942239

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Lotspeich Younkin, Felisha. Differentiation and Relationship Satisfaction: Mediating Effects of Alcohol Use . 2013. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1384942239.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Lotspeich Younkin, Felisha. "Differentiation and Relationship Satisfaction: Mediating Effects of Alcohol Use ." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1384942239

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1384942239
2,377
© 2013, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.