PATTERNS OF HEART RATE ACTIVITY AND EMOTIONALITY IN THE FAMILY SYSTEM
Abstract
This study promoted two objectives. The first objective was to develop an empirically based research methodology which did not rely on self-report or clinical judgement as a primary data source. The second objective was to utilize this methodology to collect data which would support or refute a major clinical assumption held by family practitioners. This assumption hypothesized that symptomotology in the child, presented as the identified patient in the family system, is reflective of a deeper problem in the marital relationship. The research methodology involved two components. The first was the choice of a psychophysiological parameter which would be free of conscious control, and would produce an accurate measure of physiological and emotional arousal. The cardiac response was selected due to its qualification on this criteria. The second component involved videotaping a diagnostic family interview, with the heart rate data for each individual superimposed on the videopicture. This procedure allowed the researcher access to the family's transactional processes as well as each member's verbal and behavioral responses to a specific line of questioning intended to test the accuracy of the clinical assumption under investigation. The results were mixed. Two families demonstrated significant heart rate fluctuations dependent on the verbal content of the interview alone. Three families demonstrated significant fluctuations in the role (father, mother, child) by content interaction. In families which demonstrated significance on the variable of content alone, the child's heart rate decelerated when the parents were actively engaged in denying or discussing marital conflict. In the families where this variable was nonsignificant, the child's heart rate accelerated or remained stable. From this information, in conjunction with several other analyses, two distinct family profiles emerged. One profile supported the hypothesis under investigation. The second profile did not support the hypothesis. As a result, it was suggested that the family practitioner look for constellations of specific system characteristics before the child's symptoms can be assumed to serve an avoidance function in the marital relationship.
Degree
Ph.D.
Subject Area
Psychotherapy
Off-Campus Purdue Users:
To access this dissertation, please log in to our
proxy server.