Associations Between Relational Ethics With Parental Marital Quality and Family Adversity in Family of Origin

Abstract

In this study, we examined whether family adversity and parental marital quality were associated with family-of-origin relational ethics, a hallmark feature of contextual therapy theory. Data were collected from 211 adult clients at a university-based therapy center between 2014 and 2018. A three-step hierarchical regression model was tested, controlling for age and gender. Parental marital happiness and parental infidelity, as well as indicators of family adversity such as physical abuse experiences and living with a parent or caregiver with drug dependence in childhood, significantly correlated with family-of-origin relationships. The entire model explained 45% of the variance of the outcome. Findings provide empirical evidence of the relationship between recalled experiences of family adversity, parental marital quality, and relational ethics in one's family, as hypothesized by contextual therapy theory. Clinical implications of these findings include the need for a thorough assessment of family-of-origin factors and relational dynamics when working with adult individuals.