Schweer-Collins, M. (M.)

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    Differentiation of self in adolescents: measurement invariance analysis across six Spanish-speaking countries
    (Springer, 2023) Gallego, A. (Ana); Schweer-Collins, M. (M.); Rodríguez-González, M. (Martiño); Osorio, A. (Alfonso)
    This article examines the measurement equivalence of the Spanish Differentiation of Self Inventory for Adolescents (S-DSI-A) in adolescent populations across Spanish-speaking countries (N = 5,552), including Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and Spain. Within the Bowen family system theory, Differentiation of self is one of the most recognized constructs to systemic researchers and couple and family therapy practitioners, with implications in relationship adjustment or mental and physical health. The study uses multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (MGCFA) to test for configural, metric, and scalar invariance of the S-DSI-A across the six samples. The results indicate that the S-DSI-A demonstrates configural and metric invariance, but scalar invariance is not achieved. These findings have implications for cross-cultural research on differentiation of self and highlight the importance of considering measurement equivalence when comparing results across different populations. Specifically, our results suggest that the S-DSI-A reliably assesses the latent variables of Emotional Reactivity (ER) and Emotional Cutoff (EC) uniformly across Spanish-speaking nations, but the mean scores for the ER and EC lack cross-sample comparability.
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    Differentiation of self: A scoping review of Bowen Family Systems Theory's core construct
    (Elsevier, 2022) Duch-Ceballos, C. (C.); Schweer-Collins, M. (M.); Rodríguez-González, M. (Martiño); Martins, M.V. (Mariana V.); Calatrava, M. (María)
    Bowen Family Systems Theory's central construct, differentiation of self (DoS), is one of the most recognized constructs to systemic researchers and psychology professionals. The present study reviewed the available evidence on DoS from the inception of the construct until July 31, 2020. A scoping review was conducted and a total of 295 primary studies were eligible for inclusion. Literature was categorized according to the hypotheses postulated by Bowen regarding: the associations between DoS and psychological and health outcomes and how DoS stability and similarity in partner levels operate within family systems. Descriptive data regarding studies on the measurement of DoS and in the area of psychotherapy were also compiled. Results revealed that there is ample support for DoS as a predictor of psychological health and marital quality, and that there are positive associations between DoS and better physical health and intergenerational relationships. Results of this review show that there continue to be underexplored hypotheses and a paucity of longitudinal or causal research designs to test the stability of DoS, the intergenerational transmission of DoS, and the efficacy of clinical interventions in modifying DoS to promote optimal well-being. Recommendations and next steps for researchers and practitioners are outlined.