Intersectionality within family sciences and family therapy journals from 2010 to 2020

Contemporary scholars have applied intersectionality as a means of capturing the complex ways in which identity, inequality, and social justice converge to manifest unique sources of strength and vulnerability. Given the increase in the use of this term, the aim of this study was to systematically and comprehensively examine the application of intersectionality in the fields of family science and family therapy from 2010 to 2020. Through the use of content and thematic analysis, we examined trends and variations in how scholars operationalized and applied the principles of intersectionality. Findings suggest that intersectionality remains underutilized and underdefined. Moreover, intersectionality was primarily concentrated in theoretically driven articles and was least prevalent in articles focused on addressing a specific clinical topic or need or research methods. These findings suggest that, although the use of intersectionality is expanding, its applicability in empirical, and especially clinically focused, scholarship remains an area of growth and opportunity.