Rashmi Gangamma | Syracuse University (original) (raw)

Uploads

Papers by Rashmi Gangamma

The hallmark feature of fairness in relationships in Ivan Boszormenyi-Nagy's contextual therapy t... more The hallmark feature of fairness in relationships in Ivan Boszormenyi-Nagy's contextual therapy theory has largely remained untested among couples in therapy. Fairness here refers to the broad concept of “give and take,” which is influenced by experiences of trustworthiness, loyalty conflicts, and a sense of entitlement or indebtedness in relationships. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of fairness, measured by the Relational Ethics Scale, on relationship satisfaction in a sample of 68 heterosexual couples seeking therapy. Findings indicated a significant correlation between both partners' reports of unfairness and relationship dissatisfaction. Further analysis using Hierarchical Linear Modeling showed that male partners' report of greater fairness in their relationship predicted a greater discrepancy in partners' report of relationship satisfaction. This finding provides strong evidence for addressing issues of fairness in couples therapy. Further, it makes an important contribution to the development of the contextual therapy theory.

Journal of Family Therapy, Jan 1, 2010

Therapeutic alliance research in couple therapy using multiple perspectives and longitudinal data... more Therapeutic alliance research in couple therapy using multiple perspectives and longitudinal data has been sparse. This study used structural equation modelling to explore relationships between changes in alliance and in progress from clients' and therapists' perspective in a fairly large sample of couples (N=195) during the initial stage of therapy at an on-campus training clinic. Self-rated alliance was measured after sessions 2 through 4 with the Working Alliance Inventory. There was very little change in alliance over the early sessions of therapy, and changes in alliance did not always account for changes in relationship satisfaction. Husbands' perceptions of satisfaction and alliance seem to play an important role in the dynamics of the therapeutic process. Findings suggest a reciprocal relationship between perceptions of alliance and progress in therapy when combining perceptions of therapists and couple clients. Clinical implications and future research are discussed.

Our study used live telephone conversations between domestic violence perpetrators and victims to... more Our study used live telephone conversations between domestic violence perpetrators and victims to answer novel questions about how and why victims arrive at their decision to recant and/or refuse prosecution efforts. From October 2008 to June 2011, we conducted a qualitative study involving 25 heterosexual couples, where the male perpetrator was being held in a Detention Facility (in the U.S.) for felony-level domestic violence and made telephone calls to his female victim during the pre-prosecution period. We used 30-192 min of conversational data for each couple to examine: 1) interpersonal processes associated with the victim's intention to recant; and 2) the couple's construction of the recantation plan once the victim intended to recant. We used constructivist grounded theory to guide data analysis, which allowed for the construction of a novel recantation framework, while acknowledging the underlying coercive interpersonal dynamic. Our results showed that consistently across couples, a victim's recantation intention was foremost influenced by the perpetrator's appeals to the victim's sympathy through descriptions of his suffering from mental and physical problems, intolerable jail conditions, and life without her. The intention was solidified by the perpetrator's minimization of the abuse, and the couple invoking images of life without each other. Once the victim arrived at her decision to recant, the couple constructed the recantation plan by redefining the abuse event to protect the perpetrator, blaming the State for the couple's separation, and exchanging specific instructions on what should be said or done. Our findings advance scientific knowledge through identifying, in the context of ongoing interactions, strategies perpetrators used--sympathy appeals and minimization--to successfully persuade their victim and strategies the couple used to preserve their relationship.Practitioners must double their efforts to hold perpetrators accountable for their actions, and efforts made to link victims to trusted advocates who can help them defend against perpetrators' sophisticated techniques.Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Journal of youth and …, Jan 1, 2008

Youth who are homeless and gay, lesbian or bisexual (GLB) are one of the most disenfranchised and... more Youth who are homeless and gay, lesbian or bisexual (GLB) are one of the most disenfranchised and marginalized groups in our society. The purpose of this study is to examine and compare HIV in GLB homeless youth with their heterosexual counterparts. Participants for this study included 268 youth involved in treatment outcome studies with substance abusing homeless youth. Results suggest that GLB youth have greater HIV risks and that these risks are greater among bisexual females. In examining the predictors of sexual health risks, survival sex emerged as the most significant. Survival sex was high among females regardless of their sexual orientation and also among gay males. Implications of these findings suggest that a greater emphasis needs to be paid to preventive interventions among this population.

Journal of marital and …, Jan 1, 2006

Journal of marital …, Jan 1, 2008

Journal of Family …, Jan 1, 2010

... Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for The Degree Doctor of Philosophy in t... more ... Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for The Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Rashmi Gangamma, M.Phil ***** The Ohio State University 2008 Dissertation Committee: Professor Suzanne Bartle-Haring, Advisor ...