Couple and family psychology

The interdisciplinary STARK website (in German) contains an online information and counselling service for couples and families. Experts from the fields of psychology, education, law and economics have developed a comprehensive, everyday and free service that can be used by (parent) couples as well as affected children and young people.

The following topics are elements of the website:

• Prevention of separation
• Orientation in the separation phase
• Organising shared parenting in the best interests of the child after separation
• Supporting children and young people in coping with separation

The "First aid for couples in crisis" section created by our working group is aimed at (parent) couples in conflict and crisis situations prior to separation. Users have the opportunity to take an in-depth look at their relationship. They can recognise the strengths and weaknesses of their relationship, work through solutions to problems and reconciliation options and learn to better assess partnership conflicts and stresses.

The PAARweise online training programme (in German) was developed as part of the STARK project and is aimed at (parent) couples in relationship crises with separation ambivalence. It offers in-depth content on relationship crises in the form of informational texts, videos, real-life example families, reflection questions and individual and couple exercises. The training is completed individually so that individual reflection is possible outside of the conflict situation. The basic skills for dealing with partnership conflicts can be worked on in various core modules. In addition, flex modules with further topics can be selected depending on individual needs and interests.

The PAARweise online training programme is continuously being developed and adapted to the needs of couples in crisis. The next step will be to develop an app from the content of the online training programme.

Core modules

• Crisis - and now?
• What does my child need?
• What do I need, what do we need?
• Spin cycle of emotions...
• Talking to each other!
• How do we solve problems?
• What happens next?
   

Flex modules

• When it crashes...
• Infidelities and affairs
• Leave or stay?
• Partnership crisis in rainbow families
• Psst? Sexuality!
• Stress as a relationship killer?
• Step and patchwork families

Start | START Family Study | Institute of Psychology at Heidelberg University (uni-heidelberg.de)

Stable bonds and intimate relationships are central to the well-being and health of all family members. In contrast, couples with severe relationship conflicts and who are considering separation show drastically reduced well-being and impaired mental health in the form of increased stress levels, depression and anxiety.

The STAR_T project investigates resilience and risk factors of couples in relationship conflict and separation ambivalence. The aim is to gain a better understanding of how these factors affect not only couples but also their children over the entire lifespan. In addition to evaluating the PAARweise online training programme, users take part in online surveys, Ecological Momentary Assessments (EMA) and the measurement of biological stress markers. The analysis of this data is supplemented by data from the "German Family Demography Panel Study" (FReDA).

As a joint project between the Federal Institute for Population Research, the Max Weber Institute for Sociology, the Institute for Medical Psychology and the Institute of Psychology at Heidelberg University, STAR_T integrates demographic, sociological, psychological and biological perspectives.

Temporary or even permanent separation from a partner can be a psychological burden for those affected. The loss of a partner is accompanied by emotional reactions such as longing, loneliness or grief, including depression and, in some cases, prolonged grief, which indicates its direct clinical relevance.

In this branch of the working group, we are interested in the extent to which separation reactions are mediated by physical changes, such as the neuroendocrine stress response. In particular, we are focussing on the stress hormone cortisol, the enzyme alpha amylase and the neuropeptide oxytocin. On a psychological level, the focus is particularly on aspects such as loneliness, longing and (prolonged) grief.

A partner's terminal illness is a critical life event that places a heavy burden on the couple. Caring partners are sometimes referred to as "hidden" patients because they themselves are exposed to physical and psychological problems. Some bereaved carers even develop diagnosable mental disorders. The main aim of this study was to develop an intervention for couples with a terminally ill partner and to evaluate it longitudinally with regard to the psychobiological stress response and subjective grief response.

The intervention is based on Harvey Chochinov's Dignity-Centred Therapy, a biographically oriented brief intervention for patients at the end of life.

Further information on this study can be found atPsychotherapy research: Heidelberg University Hospital (uni-heidelberg.de)