The Effectiveness of Structural Family Therapy in Reducing Unhealthy Coalitions, Parent–Child Conflict, and Disturbances in Family Boundaries
Keywords:
Structural family therapy, unhealthy coalitions, parent–child conflict, family boundaries, thematic analysis, TehranAbstract
Objective: This study aimed to explain the perceived effectiveness of structural family therapy in reducing unhealthy coalitions, parent–child conflict, and boundary disturbances among families in Tehran.
Methods and Materials: This qualitative study was conducted using thematic analysis. Participants consisted of 24 family members from Tehran counseling centers who had experienced structural family therapy. Participants were selected through purposive sampling, and recruitment continued until theoretical saturation was achieved. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews. All interviews were audio-recorded with informed consent, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using NVivo software. Trustworthiness was enhanced through member checking, peer debriefing, prolonged engagement with the data, and maintaining an analytic audit trail.
Findings: Data analysis led to the identification of four main categories: “collapse of unhealthy coalitions and reconstruction of parental position,” “reduction of parent–child conflict cycles,” “clarification of family boundaries and differentiation of subsystems,” and “enhancement of communicative functioning and mutual responsibility.” Participants reported that structural family therapy helped families modify repetitive interactional patterns, reorganize family hierarchy, clarify boundaries between marital and parent–child subsystems, and reduce role reversals. These changes were experienced as contributing to lower chronic tension, improved emotional regulation, and greater functional cohesion within the family.
Conclusion: The findings suggest that structural family therapy can be considered an effective systemic approach for reorganizing family interaction patterns, reducing parent–child conflict, weakening unhealthy coalitions, and reconstructing psychological boundaries and family roles. This approach appears particularly useful for families experiencing enmeshment, role ambiguity, cross-generational coalitions, and persistent intergenerational conflict.
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