A Spiritual Touch on Family Resilience: A Positive Psychology Based Group Study From Burnout To Hope

Year 2023, Volume: 8 Issue: 1, 47 - 66, 15.02.2023

Halil Ekşi Deniz Erök Özkapu

https://doi.org/10.37898/spc.2023.8.1.185

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop and implement a spiritually oriented, positive psychology-based group counseling program to increase the level of family resilience of mothers and to determine whether this program produces a difference. The design of this study was a convergent parallel mixed design. In the study, the two databases, after being analyzed separately, were treated together and analyzed using the side-by-side comparison method. A quasi-experimental onegroup pretest-posttest design was used in the quantitative part of the study. The conducted psychological counseling group comprises ten female parents (aged 32 to 40) whose children attend primary school. The participants received eight sessions of the psychological counseling program, each lasting 90 minutes and prepared by the researcher. This mixed research includes the interpretation of pretest-posttest data obtained from the Family Resilience Scale and the Spiritual Resources Scale, as well as the findings that emerged from qualitative observation, interview, recording, and analysis of documents obtained from research participants. The quantitative portion of the research was analyzed using the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test, while the qualitative portion was analyzed using thematic analysis. The study’s quantitative findings indicate that psychological counseling practice with the group significantly increased the level of family resilience and the use of spiritual resources of the participants. Six themes emerged from the qualitative research analyses: hope, reliance (tawakkul), patience, social support, steps to change, and resilient attitude.

Keywords

Positive psychology, Spirituality, Family resilience, Spiritual Resources, Group counseling

References

• Allison, S., Stacey, K., Dadds, V., Roeger, L., Wood, A., & Martin, G. (2003). What the family brings: Gathering evidence for strengths-based work. Journal of Family Therapy, 25(3), 263-284. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6427.00248
• Bal, M. D. (2014). Toplumsal cinsiyet eşitsizliğine genel bakış. Kadın Sağlığı Hemşireliği Dergisi, 1(1), 15-28.
• Bayraklı, H., & Kaner, S. (2010). Zihinsel engelli ve engelli olmayan çocuğa sahip annelerde yılmazlığa etki eden değişkenlerin incelenmesi [Yüksek lisans tezi]. Ankara Üniversitesi.
• Benzies, K., & Mychasiuk, R. (2009). Fostering family resiliency: A review of the key protective factors. Child & Family Social Work, 14, 103-114. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365- 2206.2008.00586.x
• Bhana, A., & Bachoo, S. (2011). The determinants of family resilience among families in low and middle-income contexts: A systematic literature review. South African Journal of Psychology, 41(2), 131-139.
• Creswell, J. W. (2017). Eğitim araştırmaları: Nicel ve nitel araştırmanın planlanması, yürütülmesi ve değerlendirilmesi. Edam.
• Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experiences. Harper Perennial
• DeFrain, J. (1999). Strong families. Family matters, 53, 6-13.
• Diener, E. (2000). Subjective well-being: The science of happiness, and a proposal for a National index. American Psychologist, 55(1), 34-43.
• Ekşi, H., Çelimli, Ç., Sevim, E., & Ekşi, F. (2019). Manevi Kaynaklar Ölçeği Türkçe formunun geçerlilik ve güvenirlik çalışması. Tam metin kitapçığı içinde (s. 759-767). V. Uluslararası TURKCESS Eğitim ve Sosyal Bilimler Kongresi, Ankara: Türkiye.
• Elçin, E. (2011). Türkiye’de “Kadın olmak” söylemi: Kadınlarla yapılmış bir söylem çalışması. Psikoloji Çalışmaları, 31, 1-28.
• Elham, H., Hazrati, M., Momennasab, M., & Sareh, K. (2015). The effect of need-based spiritual/religious intervention on spiritual well-being and anxiety of elderly people. Holistic Nursing Practice, 29, 136–143.
• Emmons, R., & Hill, J. (2001). Words of gratitude for mind, body and soul. Templeton Foundation Press.
• Fallah, R., Golzari, M., Dastani, M., & Akbari, M. E. (2011). Integrating spirituality into a group psychotherapy program for women surviving from breast cancer. Iranian Journal of Cancer Prevention, 4(3), 141-147.
• Gall, T. L., & Guirguis-Younger, M. (2013). Religious and spiritual coping: Current theory and research. In K. I. Pargament, J. J. Exline, & J. W. Jones (Eds.), APA handbook of psychology, religion, and spirituality: Context, theory, and research (Vol. 1) (pp. 349–364). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/14045-019
• Gordon, E. W., & Song, L. D. (1994). Variations in the experience of resilience. In M. C. Wang & E.W. Gordon (Eds.), Educational resilience in inner-city america: Challenges and prospects (pp. 27–43). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
• Hill, P. C., & Pargament, K. I. (2003). Advances in the conceptualization and measurementof religion and spirituality: Implications for physical and mental health research. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 58, 3–17. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.58.1.64
• Kaner, S., & Bayrakli, H. (2010). Aile yılmazlık ölçeği: Geliştirilmesi, geçerliği ve güvenirliği. Ankara Üniversitesi Eğitim Bilimleri Fakültesi Özel Eğitim Dergisi, 11(02), 47-66. https://doi.org/10.1501/Ozlegt_0000000151
• Klerk, H. ve Greeff, P. A. (2011). Resilience in parents of young adults with visual impairments. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 414-424. https://doi.org/10.1177/0145482X1110500704
• Lambert, N. M.; Fincham, F. D., Stillman, T. F., Graham, S. M., & Beach, S. R. H. (2010). Motivating change in relationships: Can prayer increase forgiveness? Psychological Science, 21(1), 126–132. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797609355634
• Mahoney, A., Pargament, K. I., Tarakeshwar, N., & Swank, A. B. (2001). Religion in the home in the 1980s and 90s: A meta-analytic review and conceptual analyses of links between religion, marriage and parenting. Journal of Family Psychology, 15(4), 559-596. https://doi.org/10.1037/1941-1022.S.1.63
• Marks, L. (2004). Sacred practices in highly religious families: Christian, Jewish, Mormon, and Muslim perspectives. Family Process, 43(2), 217-231. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1545-5300.2004.04302007.x
• McCubbin, H. I., & McCubbin, M. A. (1988). Typologies of resilient families: Emerging roles of social class and ethnicity. Family Relations, 37(3), 247-254. https://doi.org/10.2307/584557
• McCubbin, M. A., & McCubbin, H. I. (1993). Families coping with illness: The resiliency model of family stress, adjustment, and adaptation. In C. B. Danielson, B. Hamel-Bissell, & P. Winstead-Fry (Eds.), Families, health, & illness: Perspectives on coping and intervention (pp. 21-61). Mosby.
• McCubbin, M. A., & McCubbin, H. I. (1996). Resiliency in families: A conceptual model of family adjustment and adaptation in response to stress and crisis. In H. McCubbin, A. Thompson, & M. McCubbin (Eds.), Family assessment: Resiliency, coping, and adaptation: Inventories for research and practice (pp. 1-64). University of Wisconsin.
• Miller-Perrin, C., & Krumrei Mancuso, E. (2015). Faith from a positive psychology perspective. Springer.
• Neal, J. A., Lichtenstein, B. M. B., & Banner, D. (1999). Spiritual perspectives on individual, organizational, and societal transformation. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 12(3), 175-185. https://doi.org/10.1108/09534819910273757
• O’Brien, M. (1996). Child-rearing difficulties reported by parents of infants and toddlers. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 21(3), 433–446. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/21.3.433
• Özbay, Y., & Aydoğan, D. (2014). Aile yılmazlığı: Bir engele rağmen birlikte güçlenen aile. Sosyal Politikaları Çalışmaları Dergisi, 14(31), 129-146.
• Özkapu, Y. (2022). Manevi yaşam haritaları. H. Ekşi (Ed.), Psikoterapi ve psikolojik danışmada manevi yönelimli 101 teknik: Vaka örnekleriyle (s. 349-353) içinde. Nobel Akademik Yayıncılık.
• Pargament, K. I., Tarakeshwar, N., Ellison, C. G. & Wulff, K. M. (2001). Religious coping among the religious: The relationships between religious coping and well-being in a national sample of presbyterian clergy, elders, and members. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 40(3), 497–513. https://doi.org/10.1111/0021-8294.00073
• Park, N., & Peterson, C. (2008). Positive psychology and character strengths: Application to strengths-based school counseling. Professional School Counseling, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/2156759X08012002
• Patterson, J. M. (2002). Integrating family resilience and family stress theory. Journal of Marriage and Family, 64(2), 349-360. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2002.00349.x
• Patton, M. Q. (2015). Qualitative research & evaluation methods: Integrating theory and practice. Sage Pub.
• Peng, H. (2015). Infusing positive psychology with spirituality in a strength-based group career counseling to evaluate college students’ state anxiety. International Journal of Psychological Studies, 7(1), 75. http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/ijps.v7n1p75
• Powell, G. N., & Greenhaus, J. H. (2010). Sex, gender, and the work-to-family interface: Exploring negative and positive interdependencies. Academy of Management Journal, 53(3), 513-534.
• Rashid, T., & Seligman, M. P. (2018). Positive psychotherapy: Clinician manual. Oxford University Press.
• Reker, G. T. (2000). Theoretical perspective, dimensions, and measurement of existentialmeaning. In G. T. Reker & K. Chamberlain (Eds.), Exploring existential meaning: Optimizing human development across the life span (pp. 39–55). Sage.
• Rew, L., Wong, Y. J., & Sternglanz, R. W. (2004). The relationship between prayer, health behaviors, and protective resources in school-age children. Comprehensive Pediatric Nursing, 27(4), 245-255. https://doi.org/10.1080/01460860490884156
• Rutter, M. (2006). Implications of resilience concepts for scientific understanding. Annuals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1094(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1196/annals.1376.002
• Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2001). On happiness and human potentials: A review of research on hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 141.
• Ryff, C. D. & Keyes, C. L. M. (1995). The structure of psychological well-being revisited. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69(4), 719-727. 10.1146/annurev.psych.52.1.141
• Sayın, Ö. (1987). Aile içi ilişkilerin toplum ve birey boyutunda çözümlenmesi. Ege Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Sosyoloji Dergisi, 1.
• Seaward, B. L. (2005). Managing stress (5th ed.). Jones & Bartlett.
• Seligman, M. E. P., & Csikszentmihályi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist, 55(1), 5-14. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9088-8_18
• Shafranske, E. P., & Sperry, L. (2007). Addressing the spiritual dimension in psychotherapy. In L. Sperry & E. P. Shafranske (Eds.), Spiritually oriented psychotherapy (pp. 333-350). American Psychological Association.
• Sheldon, K. M., Cheng, C. & Hilpert, J. (2011). Understanding well-being and optimal functioning: Applying the multilevel personality in context (MPIC) model. Psychological Inquiry, 22(1), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1080/1047840X.2011.532477
• Skovholt, T. M., Grier, T. L., & Hanson, M. R. (2001). Career counseling for longevity: Selfcare and burnout prevention strategies for counselor resilience. Journal of Career Development, 27(3), 167-176. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007830908587
• Smith, B. W., Ortiz, J. A., Wiggins, K. T., Bernard, J. F., & Dalen, J. (2012). Spirituality, resilience, and positive emotions. In L. J. Miller (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of psychology and spirituality (pp.437–454). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199729920.013.0028
• Snyder, C. R. (2002). Hope theory: Rainbows in the mind. Psychological Inquiry, 13(4), 249-275. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327965PLI1304_01
• T.C. Başbakanlık Aile ve Sosyal Araştırmalar Genel Müdürlüğü (2010). Turgut, M. (Ed.). Türkiye’de aile değerleri araştırması. Manas.
• Tanyi, R. A. (2006). Spirituality and family nursing: Spiritual assessment and interventions for families. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 53(3), 287-294. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2006.03731.x
• Tedeschi, R., & Calhoun, L. (2004). Posttraumatic growth: Conceptual foundations andempirical evidence. Psychological Inquiry, 15(1), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327965pli1501_01
• Tekdemir, V., & Gürses, İ. (2020). Aile krizleri karşısında aile yılmazlığı üzerinde dinin etkisi: Dindar aileler örneği. Kocaeli İlahiyat Dergisi, 4(2), 253-295.
• Walsh, F. (1998). Strengthening family resilience. Guilford.
• Walsh, F. (2006). Strengthening family resilience (2nd ed.). Guilford Publications.
• Westbrook, C. J., Davis, D. E., McElroy, S. E., Brubaker, K., Choe, E., Karaga, S., … Hook, J. (2018). Trait Sources of Spirituality scale: Assessing trait spirituality more inclusively. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 51(2), 125–138. doi:10.1080/07481756.2017.1358059
• Yavuz, O. (2022). Değerlere yolculuk. H. Ekşi (Ed.), Psikoterapi ve psikolojik danışmada manevi yönelimli 101 teknik: Vaka örnekleriyle (s.53-61) içinde. Nobel Akademik Yayıncılık.
• Zinnbauer, B. J. (2009). Religiousness. In Lopez, S. J. (Ed.), The Encyclopedia of positive psychology (pp. 834-837). Wiley-Blackwell.