Yalom's 60 item Q-sort of curative factors in group therapy applied to parent training groups

• Main Author: Lawlor, Denise E.
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Memorial University of Newfoundland 1982
• Subjects: Canada; Newfoundland
• Online Access: https://research.library.mun.ca/7719/; https://research.library.mun.ca/7719/1/Lawlor_DeniseElizabeth.pdf; https://research.library.mun.ca/7719/3/Lawlor_DeniseElizabeth.pdf

This quantitative-descriptive study reports data regarding the nature of curative factors existing in parent training groups. The group therapy was administered in the form of Parent Training (PT) groups in seven sessions. The study sample was composed of 21 parents who all participated in the PT. Three PT groups were held consecutively between the months of May and November, 1981 at the Planned Parenthood Association office in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. Data were collected by means of a structured questionnaire administered individually to all group members. The major component of this instrument was the Q-sort Analysis of Curative Factors (Yalom, 1975), which was a forced choice rank ordering of 60 items which pertained to 12 specific outcome or curative factors. -- Analyses indicated: 1) that these parents were predominately middle aged females of middle-lower class socioeconomic status, 2) they had at least one child between the ages of 5-12 years and 3) each parent came to group therapy with specific problems related to parenting with the hope of finding help. -- The Q-sort questionnaire provided evidence that specific curative factors were more helpful than others to parents who attended PT. The factors deemed as most helpful were: 1) ‘Instillation of hope’, 2) ‘Altruism’, 3) ‘Group cohesiveness’, 4) ‘Catharsis, 5) ‘Universality’, and 6) ‘Guidance’. The factors deemed as less helpful were: 1) ‘Interpersonal learning “output”’, 2) ‘Self-understanding’, 3) ‘Identification’, 4) ‘Family reenactment’, 5) ‘Existential factors’ and 6) ‘Interpersonal learning “input”’.