Papers by Heather B MacIntosh
Psychoanalytic Psychology, 2015
The Canadian journal of human sexuality
A ruling of the Court of Appeal for Ontario on June 10, 2003, declared the federal definition of ... more A ruling of the Court of Appeal for Ontario on June 10, 2003, declared the federal definition of marriage unconstitutional and thus opened the door for gay and lesbian couples to legally nnarry in Ontario. Other provinces followed suit until the federal Civil Marriage Act on July 20, 2005, nnade same-sex marriage legal nationwide. Research on the relationships of gay and lesbian couples that had previously been limited to cohabiting, unmarried couples could now examine the impact of legalized marriage on same-sex couples. The present study addressed this topic in a quantitative assessment of relationship satisfaction and attachment in 26 married lesbian or gay couples and also in a qualitative thematic analysis of interviews with 15 of these couples to determine the impact of legalized marriage on their relationships and to explore their views about the support they received from society and their communities. All couples interviewed indicated that being able to marry had affected t...
Clinical knowledge and an emerging empirical literature are highlighting many long-lasting delete... more Clinical knowledge and an emerging empirical literature are highlighting many long-lasting deleterious effects of childhood interpersonal trauma on couple functioning. Early experiences of violence and maltreatment seem particularly to affect the subsequent ability of survivors to establish lasting, satisfying intimate relationships. This paper presents an overview of the scientific work on the prevalence of interpersonal trauma and its effects on couple relationships, in addition to presenting conceptual models and offering avenues for assessment and directions for therapy. With alarming prevalence rates in the community (e.g., 35% of adults in Quebec report having experienced physical, sexual or psychological violence or neglect, or having witnessed domestic violence during childhood; Brassard et al., 2012) and clinical populations (e.g., 56% of women and 37% of men consulting for a sexual or conjugal problem report childhood sexual abuse; Berthelot, Godbout, Hébert, Goulet, & Ber...
Les connaissances cliniques ainsi qu'une littérature empirique émergente mettent en lumière p... more Les connaissances cliniques ainsi qu'une littérature empirique émergente mettent en lumière plusieurs répercussions délétères durables des traumas interperson-nels vécus en enfance sur le fonctionnement conjugal. Les expériences de violence et de maltraitance précoces semblent notamment affecter la capacité ultérieure des survivants à établir des relations intimes durables et satisfaisantes. Cet article présente un survol des travaux scientifiques sur la prévalence des traumas interpersonnels et sur leurs répercussions sur la relation de couple, en plus de présenter des modèles conceptuels et d'offrir des pistes pour l'évaluation et l'orientation du traitement en contexte conjugal. Mots clés : trauma interpersonnel, traumatisme psychique, mauvais traitements en enfance, violence, relation de couple, évaluation, traitement Avec des taux de prévalence alarmants au sein de la communauté (p. ex. 35 % des adultes québécois rappor-tent avoir vécu de la violence physique, s...
Canadian Psychology/Psychologie canadienne, 2015
Psihologija, 2013
ABSTRACT "The introduction of the concept of mentalizing into psychoanalytic discourse h... more ABSTRACT "The introduction of the concept of mentalizing into psychoanalytic discourse has" "ded researchers with an important tool for beginning to understand the mechanisms" "provi" "mediating the relationships between childhood experiences and later psychological functioning. Researchers have made strong statements regarding the strength of this mediational relationship in their movement toward the building of novel and efficacious intervention approaches. The goal of this systematic review was to critically examine the empirical evidence for these statements. Five unique studies were identified that assessed the relationships between the variables of attachment and/or childhood adversity, mentalizing and adult functioning. Some preliminary evidence for the role of mentalizing as an important mediator variable was identified. However, researchers were cautioned to continue to engage in further empirical study to ensure that theoretical explorations do not overstate or move too far beyond the empirical research findings."
Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma, 2015
Your article is protected by copyright and all rights are held exclusively by Springer Internatio... more Your article is protected by copyright and all rights are held exclusively by Springer International Publishing. This e-offprint is for personal use only and shall not be selfarchived in electronic repositories. If you wish to self-archive your article, please use the accepted manuscript version for posting on your own website. You may further deposit the accepted manuscript version in any repository, provided it is only made publicly available 12 months after official publication or later and provided acknowledgement is given to the original source of publication and a link is inserted to the published article on Springer's website. The link must be accompanied by the following text: "The final publication is available at link.springer.com".
Psychoanalytic Social Work, 2013
Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, 2013
Journal of Couple & Relationship Therapy, 2014
Canadian Psychology/Psychologie canadienne, 2013
Our understanding of trauma is expanding as clinical vignettes gradually flesh out the bones of t... more Our understanding of trauma is expanding as clinical vignettes gradually flesh out the bones of the DSM-IV’s narrow definition [1]. Threat of loss of life is central to all definitions of trauma and is a pivotal element to the experience of cardiac events such as myocardial infarctions (MI) in coronary heart disease (CHD). The threat of loss is not only experienced by patients but is also vividly and vigilantly lived by the partners who watch and wait in waiting rooms and by bedsides hanging onto the every heartbeat of the person with whom they share their life and love. The majority of patients who suffer myocardial infarctions are married men under the age of 70 [2].CHD is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States, with 14 million people living with CHD and 1.5 million new MIs each year [3].
Un crescente numero di rapporti clinici sta contribuendo all’ampliamento delle conoscenze relativ... more Un crescente numero di rapporti clinici sta contribuendo all’ampliamento delle conoscenze relative al concetto di trauma, integrando in questo modo la descrizione alquanto limitata fornita dal DSM-IV [1]. Al centro di tutte le definizioni di trauma vi è il tema della perdita della vita, elemento di cruciale importanza anche nell’occorrenza di eventi cardiaci quali l’infarto del miocardio (MI). La minaccia della perdita non incombe solamente sui pazienti ma anche sui partner, che attendono in sala d’aspetto o che stanno al capezzale del malato aggrappandosi ad ogni singolo battito cardiaco di questi e che si ritrovano a vivere in maniera vivida e vigile questo senso di anticipazione di un lutto. La maggioranza dei pazienti infartuati è rappresentata da uomini sposati al di sotto dei 70 anni [2]. Negli Stati Uniti, la cardiopatia coronarica (CHD) è la causa principale di morte sia per uomini che per le donne; vi sono 14 milioni di persone che convivono con la CHD ed 1,5 milioni di nuovi episodi di MI ogni anno [3].
Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 2008
This study explored Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) for couples with childhood sexual abuse sur... more This study explored Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) for couples with childhood sexual abuse survivors (CSA) and their partners. Half of the couples in this study reported clinically significant increases in mean relationship satisfaction and clinically significant decreases in trauma symptoms, and thematic analyses identified numerous areas where trauma survivors were challenged in fully engaging in the therapy process. In particular, trauma symptoms such as affect dysregulation and hypervigilance were identified to play a role in the challenges that survivors experienced in fully engaging in the EFT process. Results of these thematic analyses yielded clinical recommendations for working with CSA survivors and their partners in EFT for traumatized couples. Recommendations for future study were articulated.
Arts in Psychotherapy, 2003
Trauma Violence & Abuse, 2005
A history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is a risk factor for adult emotional distress, includin... more A history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is a risk factor for adult emotional distress, including symptoms of depression, anxiety, dissociation, and trauma. However, CSA is likely associated with adult distress indirectly through an impact on mediating variables. In a review of the empirical literature, the authors found support for the roles of shame or self-blame, interpersonal difficulties, and avoidant coping strategies as mediators. In addition, emotional distress appears to mediate links between CSA and other adverse outcomes, such as alcohol abuse and revictimization. The authors conclude with a number of methodological and conceptual recommendations.
Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 2005
In this article, the authors argue that studies investigating the nature of traumatic memory have... more In this article, the authors argue that studies investigating the nature of traumatic memory have made the greatest contribution to trauma research in the past 20 years. Neuroimaging studies provide empirical support for the diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder and have important implications for the treatment of trauma survivors. In the future, the authors hope to see an empirically derived model of trauma that incorporates both mediating and moderating factors to predict outcome.
A history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is a risk factor for adult emotional distress, includin... more A history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is a risk factor for adult emotional distress, including symptoms of depression, anxiety, dissociation, and trauma. However, CSA is likely associated with adult distress indirectly through an impact on mediating variables. In a review of the empirical literature, the authors found support for the roles of shame or self-blame, interpersonal difficulties, and avoidant coping strategies as mediators. In addition, emotional distress appears to mediate links between CSA and other adverse outcomes, such as alcohol abuse and revictimization. The authors conclude with a number of methodological and conceptual recommendations.
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Papers by Heather B MacIntosh