Ph.D., Antioch University, 2024, Antioch New England: Marriage and Family Therapy

Navigating parental biases within White affluent homes assumes family dynamics as yet unexplored within family therapy praxis. This dissertation examines parental biases directed toward domestic laborers employed in affluent White homes and how these biases might affect the parent-child relationship and the emerging values of children in these homes. Research from other fields demonstrates that domestic laborers experience social bias within the workplace; what this highlights is the likelihood that children in these settings are navigating unspoken subtleties of racism and classism in the context of developing socio-emotional maturity and family relationships. The first article within this dissertation critically reviews relevant literature to illuminate for the reader the lives of children in the care of domestic laborers in affluent White families. Themes from this review discussed in detail include social hierarchy and the symbolic boundaries of race and class, narrative cloaks to racial and class biases, parental attitudes about race and class and the effects of these on the socialization of their children, and the significance of the relationship between the child and the domestic laborer in the home. The literary review portion of this dissertation succeeds in emphasizing the value of continued research on this underexplored context of racial and class tension and the nuanced interactions that affect family relationships and the socialization of affluent White children. The second article within this paper incorporates evidence from two rounds of data collection–an open-ended questionnaire and a Likert scale questionnaire–surveying a panel of White adults (n = 9) who grew up in affluent White households employing domestic laborers. Items endorsed by participants within the study reveal that parents' views on race and class affect the parent-child relationship and the children's emerging values about race and class. The findings indicate that perceptions of (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Kevin Lyness Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Maria Bermudez Ph.D. (Committee Member); Denzel Jones Ph.D. (Committee Member); Bryson Greaves Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Behavioral Psychology; Behavioral Sciences; Counseling Psychology; Demographics; Developmental Psychology; Economic Theory; Families and Family Life; Multicultural Education; Peace Studies; Pedagogy; Personal Relationships; Psychology; Psychotherapy; Social Psychology; Therapy

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2012, Human Ecology: Human Development and Family Science

There is limited research on the nature and presenting concerns of different-sex cohabiting couples attending therapy. Research suggests that cohabiting and dating couples have lower levels of commitment, which makes their participation in therapy idiosyncratic (Smock, 2000). Information on this group of cohabiters and daters presenting for therapy would add to our knowledge of non-married intimate relationships in general, and provide implications for a population that is already participating in family therapy. Given the increasing number of individuals choosing a cohabiting lifestyle, studying this population is imperative in order to understand the changing nature of couple relationships in the US. The primary research question is what are the characteristics of cohabiting and dating couples presenting at therapy? A secondary question is whether therapeutic techniques traditionally used with married couples are equally viable with cohabiting couples? The sample includes two hundred-twenty-eight different-sex couples attending family therapy in a clinic at a mid-west university. Variables of interest include relationship type, relationship duration, relationship satisfaction, commitment, and the level of differentiation of self. From a social exchange perspective, married couples have more barriers to union dissolution, and may rely on societal standards to keep their relationship together despite relational difficulties.

Committee: Suzanne Bartle-Haring PhD (Advisor) Subjects: Families and Family Life; Individual and Family Studies; Therapy