Pub Date : 2024-07-26DOI: 10.1177/02654075241262441
Fulya Kırımer-Aydınlı, Nebi Sümer
Why do some perceive a partner’s response as heartening while others interpret the same response as demoralizing? This study examined how attachment anxiety and avoidance influence perceived partner responses toward capitalization attempts (PRCA) and perceived mattering (PM) among married couples ( N = 103 dyads). Dyadic analyses delineating the actor and partner effects revealed that wives’ attachment avoidance predicted own PRCA, PM, and their husbands’ PRCA. Whereas husbands’ attachment avoidance predicted own PM and their wives’ PRCA and PM, husbands’ attachment anxiety predicted only their PRCA and PM. The interaction between wife and husband attachment anxiety also predicted the husbands’ PRCA and PM. Husbands, but not wives, perceived the lowest level of PRCA and PM when both couples had high attachment anxiety. The results were discussed in the context of the interplay between attachment orientations and partner responsiveness in Turkish culture.
{"title":"The role of attachment orientations in capitalization and mattering among married couples","authors":"Fulya Kırımer-Aydınlı, Nebi Sümer","doi":"10.1177/02654075241262441","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075241262441","url":null,"abstract":"Why do some perceive a partner’s response as heartening while others interpret the same response as demoralizing? This study examined how attachment anxiety and avoidance influence perceived partner responses toward capitalization attempts (PRCA) and perceived mattering (PM) among married couples ( N = 103 dyads). Dyadic analyses delineating the actor and partner effects revealed that wives’ attachment avoidance predicted own PRCA, PM, and their husbands’ PRCA. Whereas husbands’ attachment avoidance predicted own PM and their wives’ PRCA and PM, husbands’ attachment anxiety predicted only their PRCA and PM. The interaction between wife and husband attachment anxiety also predicted the husbands’ PRCA and PM. Husbands, but not wives, perceived the lowest level of PRCA and PM when both couples had high attachment anxiety. The results were discussed in the context of the interplay between attachment orientations and partner responsiveness in Turkish culture.","PeriodicalId":508458,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Social and Personal Relationships","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141801808","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-07-26DOI: 10.1177/02654075241268996
Tsering Thargay, V. N. Giri
Perceived Partner Responsiveness (PPR) is vital in establishing a sense of well-being within marital relationships. However, the existing corpus of research primarily relies on Western samples, thus limiting its generalizability. Therefore, the current study, focusing on 152 couples from Northeast India, explores the role of PPR in explaining the relationship between marital and life satisfaction through the lens of interpersonal flourishing and psychological needs fulfilment. Simultaneously, employing the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model extended to Mediation (APIMeM), we analyse the mediating role of PPR, uncovering significant actor effects. Our analysis considers covariates such as marital duration, income, number of children, family structure, and positive affect. The mediation results are explained under the framework that PPR is essential for fulfilling psychological needs and allowing for individual thriving. Consequently, the study’s findings underscore the importance of prioritising PPR in relationship interventions. Tailored strategies should guide couples in aligning their life and marital satisfaction goals to bolster individual well-being.
{"title":"Marital and life satisfaction in Eastern Himalayan foothills: Role of partner responsiveness","authors":"Tsering Thargay, V. N. Giri","doi":"10.1177/02654075241268996","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075241268996","url":null,"abstract":"Perceived Partner Responsiveness (PPR) is vital in establishing a sense of well-being within marital relationships. However, the existing corpus of research primarily relies on Western samples, thus limiting its generalizability. Therefore, the current study, focusing on 152 couples from Northeast India, explores the role of PPR in explaining the relationship between marital and life satisfaction through the lens of interpersonal flourishing and psychological needs fulfilment. Simultaneously, employing the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model extended to Mediation (APIMeM), we analyse the mediating role of PPR, uncovering significant actor effects. Our analysis considers covariates such as marital duration, income, number of children, family structure, and positive affect. The mediation results are explained under the framework that PPR is essential for fulfilling psychological needs and allowing for individual thriving. Consequently, the study’s findings underscore the importance of prioritising PPR in relationship interventions. Tailored strategies should guide couples in aligning their life and marital satisfaction goals to bolster individual well-being.","PeriodicalId":508458,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Social and Personal Relationships","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141801921","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-07-25DOI: 10.1177/02654075241265472
Viktorija Čepukienė, Kleanthis Neophytou
Up to date, the systemic mechanisms that explain the intergenerational transmission of familial dysfunction remain theoretically and empirically unclear. Hence, this study examines the intergenerational transmission of relational and intrapersonal dysfunction and their collective effect on the psychological adjustment of third-generation children through the lens of Bowen family systems theory. Lithuanian parents ( N = 348; Mage = 40.66; range 26–59) of children aged six to ten years cross-sectionally reported on their differentiation of self (DoS), emotional and relational dynamics within their family-of-origin and nuclear family, and the psychological adjustment of their child of greatest concern. Structural equation modeling and mediation analyses findings offered empirical support to Bowen theory, highlighting that family-of-origin dysfunction is associated with nuclear family intrapersonal and relational dysfunction, and ultimately with third-generation’s psychological maladjustment. Results demonstrated that a poor family-of-origin emotional system appears to contribute, via triangulation processes, to reduced DoS in adult children. The reduced DoS appears to perpetuate intergenerational triangulation, and to negatively impact couple relationship and co-parenting functioning within the nuclear family. In contrast to triangulation, couple dysfunction was found to predict poorer psychological adjustment in third-generation offspring. This study advances family systems theory by (i) examining the prominent role of triangulation and DoS within the intergenerational transmission process, (ii) highlighting the potential differential impact of a negative nuclear family emotional system on children through triangulation, and (iii) clarifying the potential role of spousal relationship satisfaction and co-parenting in mediating the relationship between parental DoS and offspring’s psychological adjustment.
{"title":"Intergenerational transmission of familial relational dysfunction: A test of a complex mediation model based on Bowen family systems theory","authors":"Viktorija Čepukienė, Kleanthis Neophytou","doi":"10.1177/02654075241265472","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075241265472","url":null,"abstract":"Up to date, the systemic mechanisms that explain the intergenerational transmission of familial dysfunction remain theoretically and empirically unclear. Hence, this study examines the intergenerational transmission of relational and intrapersonal dysfunction and their collective effect on the psychological adjustment of third-generation children through the lens of Bowen family systems theory. Lithuanian parents ( N = 348; Mage = 40.66; range 26–59) of children aged six to ten years cross-sectionally reported on their differentiation of self (DoS), emotional and relational dynamics within their family-of-origin and nuclear family, and the psychological adjustment of their child of greatest concern. Structural equation modeling and mediation analyses findings offered empirical support to Bowen theory, highlighting that family-of-origin dysfunction is associated with nuclear family intrapersonal and relational dysfunction, and ultimately with third-generation’s psychological maladjustment. Results demonstrated that a poor family-of-origin emotional system appears to contribute, via triangulation processes, to reduced DoS in adult children. The reduced DoS appears to perpetuate intergenerational triangulation, and to negatively impact couple relationship and co-parenting functioning within the nuclear family. In contrast to triangulation, couple dysfunction was found to predict poorer psychological adjustment in third-generation offspring. This study advances family systems theory by (i) examining the prominent role of triangulation and DoS within the intergenerational transmission process, (ii) highlighting the potential differential impact of a negative nuclear family emotional system on children through triangulation, and (iii) clarifying the potential role of spousal relationship satisfaction and co-parenting in mediating the relationship between parental DoS and offspring’s psychological adjustment.","PeriodicalId":508458,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Social and Personal Relationships","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141804433","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-07-25DOI: 10.1177/02654075241268496
Heike Krüger, Clemens Kroneberg, Hanno Kruse
The emotional consequences of online social contact in adolescents are a controversial topic. Social interactions and membership in social groups have been identified as essential protection against negative mood. However, different modes of online and offline communication differ in their ability to satisfy the individuals’ need for social closeness. Using a daily diary study, the current work investigated how in-person contact, text messaging, and (video) phone calls were related to adolescents’ mood. Study 1 was conducted during strict school closures in the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany in February 2021 ( N individuals = 290; N observations = 1796; M age = 14.47; 59% girls and 41% boys) and Study 2 in November 2021 after schools had reopened ( N individuals = 160; N observations = 1061; M age = 15.21; 66% girls and 34% boys). Hybrid mixed-effects regression models showed that while in-person contact had the most consistent mood effect, text messaging, and (video) phone calls were also at least partially associated with more positive mood.
{"title":"Mode of contact and mood changes during the COVID-19 pandemic: A daily diary study during school closures and re-opened schools","authors":"Heike Krüger, Clemens Kroneberg, Hanno Kruse","doi":"10.1177/02654075241268496","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075241268496","url":null,"abstract":"The emotional consequences of online social contact in adolescents are a controversial topic. Social interactions and membership in social groups have been identified as essential protection against negative mood. However, different modes of online and offline communication differ in their ability to satisfy the individuals’ need for social closeness. Using a daily diary study, the current work investigated how in-person contact, text messaging, and (video) phone calls were related to adolescents’ mood. Study 1 was conducted during strict school closures in the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany in February 2021 ( N individuals = 290; N observations = 1796; M age = 14.47; 59% girls and 41% boys) and Study 2 in November 2021 after schools had reopened ( N individuals = 160; N observations = 1061; M age = 15.21; 66% girls and 34% boys). Hybrid mixed-effects regression models showed that while in-person contact had the most consistent mood effect, text messaging, and (video) phone calls were also at least partially associated with more positive mood.","PeriodicalId":508458,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Social and Personal Relationships","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141802906","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-07-24DOI: 10.1177/02654075241266942
Tair Tager-Shafrir, O. Szepsenwol, Maayan Dvir, O. Zamir
Gaslighting, a form of psychological abuse, has received increasing attention in recent years. The current research provides reliability and validity evidence for a new 11-item measure of exposure to gaslighting by a romantic partner: The Gaslighting Relationship Exposure Inventory (GREI). Two studies were conducted with Israeli ( N = 509) and American ( N = 395) community samples. Participants were involved in a romantic relationship and completed an online questionnaire that included measures of intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization, depression, and relationship satisfaction. In both studies, the GREI items loaded onto a single factor of relationship gaslighting exposure. The scale demonstrated metric gender invariance and was reliable in both men and women. Relationship gaslighting exposure was strongly linked with psychological abuse victimization and weakly linked with other forms of IPV victimization, thus showing strong convergent and discriminant validity. Moreover, relationship gaslighting exposure was associated with greater depression and lower relationship quality, above and beyond other forms of IPV victimization. The results support the reliability and validity of the GREI in both men and women, as well as its utility for the study of gaslighting exposure within relationships. The current research highlights that gaslighting is a distinct form of psychological abuse with unique implications for personal and relational well-being.
{"title":"The gaslighting relationship exposure inventory: Reliability and validity in two cultures","authors":"Tair Tager-Shafrir, O. Szepsenwol, Maayan Dvir, O. Zamir","doi":"10.1177/02654075241266942","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075241266942","url":null,"abstract":"Gaslighting, a form of psychological abuse, has received increasing attention in recent years. The current research provides reliability and validity evidence for a new 11-item measure of exposure to gaslighting by a romantic partner: The Gaslighting Relationship Exposure Inventory (GREI). Two studies were conducted with Israeli ( N = 509) and American ( N = 395) community samples. Participants were involved in a romantic relationship and completed an online questionnaire that included measures of intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization, depression, and relationship satisfaction. In both studies, the GREI items loaded onto a single factor of relationship gaslighting exposure. The scale demonstrated metric gender invariance and was reliable in both men and women. Relationship gaslighting exposure was strongly linked with psychological abuse victimization and weakly linked with other forms of IPV victimization, thus showing strong convergent and discriminant validity. Moreover, relationship gaslighting exposure was associated with greater depression and lower relationship quality, above and beyond other forms of IPV victimization. The results support the reliability and validity of the GREI in both men and women, as well as its utility for the study of gaslighting exposure within relationships. The current research highlights that gaslighting is a distinct form of psychological abuse with unique implications for personal and relational well-being.","PeriodicalId":508458,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Social and Personal Relationships","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141806561","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-07-24DOI: 10.1177/02654075241265766
Mengdi Huang, Eileen Zheng Wu
Objectives: Self-compassion, the capacity to hold a compassionate attitude towards oneself without self-criticism when in distress, has been conceptualized to originate from receiving secure caregiving. Attachment theory offers a framework to explain self-compassion as effective coping with resources from healthy activation of the attachment system. Recent research has increasingly explored the connections between self-compassion and attachment security. Our meta-analysis seeks to consolidate existing evidence by statistically synthesizing findings on the relationship between self-compassion and the two dimensions of attachment: anxiety and avoidance. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted, and based on the inclusion criteria, the authors found data from 46 studies with a total size of 17,650 participants. Inclusion criteria were peer-reviewed journals and dissertations published in English that used quantitative and validated methods to measure attachment and self-compassion in participants aged 16 years and older. Results: We found robust negative correlations between self-compassion and both attachment anxiety ( r = −.42) and avoidance ( r = −.32), with age significantly moderating the relationship between avoidance and self-compassion. Subscale analyses suggested that each of the six components of self-compassion is significantly associated with attachment insecurity. Conclusions: The results highlight the robust associations between self-compassion and adult attachment, as well as significant associations between the individual components of self-compassion and adult attachment. Additionally, age emerges as a potentially influential moderator. Future research should further examine the causal mechanism of these associations and include correlations for self-compassion’s individual dimensions.
{"title":"The associations between self-compassion and adult attachment: A meta-analysis","authors":"Mengdi Huang, Eileen Zheng Wu","doi":"10.1177/02654075241265766","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075241265766","url":null,"abstract":"Objectives: Self-compassion, the capacity to hold a compassionate attitude towards oneself without self-criticism when in distress, has been conceptualized to originate from receiving secure caregiving. Attachment theory offers a framework to explain self-compassion as effective coping with resources from healthy activation of the attachment system. Recent research has increasingly explored the connections between self-compassion and attachment security. Our meta-analysis seeks to consolidate existing evidence by statistically synthesizing findings on the relationship between self-compassion and the two dimensions of attachment: anxiety and avoidance. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted, and based on the inclusion criteria, the authors found data from 46 studies with a total size of 17,650 participants. Inclusion criteria were peer-reviewed journals and dissertations published in English that used quantitative and validated methods to measure attachment and self-compassion in participants aged 16 years and older. Results: We found robust negative correlations between self-compassion and both attachment anxiety ( r = −.42) and avoidance ( r = −.32), with age significantly moderating the relationship between avoidance and self-compassion. Subscale analyses suggested that each of the six components of self-compassion is significantly associated with attachment insecurity. Conclusions: The results highlight the robust associations between self-compassion and adult attachment, as well as significant associations between the individual components of self-compassion and adult attachment. Additionally, age emerges as a potentially influential moderator. Future research should further examine the causal mechanism of these associations and include correlations for self-compassion’s individual dimensions.","PeriodicalId":508458,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Social and Personal Relationships","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141806300","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-07-24DOI: 10.1177/02654075241262811
Kirby N Sigler, Amanda L. Forest
Social network approval of romantic relationships positively predicts relational satisfaction, commitment, and stability; social network disapproval of one’s romantic relationship (SND-RR) may pose a threat to relationships. How do people navigate this threat? We sought to develop a taxonomy of behavioral responses to SND-RR and to examine whether commitment to one’s romantic partner or to a disapprover predicts these responses. In three studies, using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses and correlational and experimental methods, we identified seven categories of behavioral responses that people employ in the face of SND-RR (distance from partner, draw closer to partner, distance from disapprover, draw closer to disapprover, elude disapproval, address disapproval, and ignore disapproval). Across studies, commitment to a romantic partner and/or disapprover predicted participants’ endorsement of behavioral responses. These findings lay the foundation for work considering how people might constructively navigate SND-RR.
{"title":"From choosing sides to changing minds: A taxonomy of behavioral responses to social network disapproval of one’s romantic relationship and evidence for the importance of commitment","authors":"Kirby N Sigler, Amanda L. Forest","doi":"10.1177/02654075241262811","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075241262811","url":null,"abstract":"Social network approval of romantic relationships positively predicts relational satisfaction, commitment, and stability; social network disapproval of one’s romantic relationship (SND-RR) may pose a threat to relationships. How do people navigate this threat? We sought to develop a taxonomy of behavioral responses to SND-RR and to examine whether commitment to one’s romantic partner or to a disapprover predicts these responses. In three studies, using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses and correlational and experimental methods, we identified seven categories of behavioral responses that people employ in the face of SND-RR (distance from partner, draw closer to partner, distance from disapprover, draw closer to disapprover, elude disapproval, address disapproval, and ignore disapproval). Across studies, commitment to a romantic partner and/or disapprover predicted participants’ endorsement of behavioral responses. These findings lay the foundation for work considering how people might constructively navigate SND-RR.","PeriodicalId":508458,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Social and Personal Relationships","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141806400","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-07-24DOI: 10.1177/02654075241262046
Omri Gillath, Pascal R. Deboeck, R. C. Fraley, Keely A. Dugan
Existing work on the contribution of life events and person characteristics to changes in attachment has mostly overlooked interactions between events and characteristics. Using 15 common events and ten personality characteristics in a multi-wave longitudinal study of 6,566 people, we examined whether person characteristics moderate the impact of life events on change in attachment. Although we found more interactions than were expected by chance, they did not consistently involve specific events or person characteristics and had small effect sizes. The largest number of event-person interactions were observed for changes in attachment security, followed by anxiety and avoidance. We found a similar number of interactions between events and within-person variation in person characteristics and “traditional” PxE interactions where the person characteristics are stable. These results suggest the need to look at both the traditional PxE interactions and the way dynamically varying person characteristics interact with events to understand changes in attachment.
{"title":"Person-situation interactions as predictors of variations in attachment","authors":"Omri Gillath, Pascal R. Deboeck, R. C. Fraley, Keely A. Dugan","doi":"10.1177/02654075241262046","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075241262046","url":null,"abstract":"Existing work on the contribution of life events and person characteristics to changes in attachment has mostly overlooked interactions between events and characteristics. Using 15 common events and ten personality characteristics in a multi-wave longitudinal study of 6,566 people, we examined whether person characteristics moderate the impact of life events on change in attachment. Although we found more interactions than were expected by chance, they did not consistently involve specific events or person characteristics and had small effect sizes. The largest number of event-person interactions were observed for changes in attachment security, followed by anxiety and avoidance. We found a similar number of interactions between events and within-person variation in person characteristics and “traditional” PxE interactions where the person characteristics are stable. These results suggest the need to look at both the traditional PxE interactions and the way dynamically varying person characteristics interact with events to understand changes in attachment.","PeriodicalId":508458,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Social and Personal Relationships","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141808095","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-07-23DOI: 10.1177/02654075241265063
Matthew D. Johnson, Justin A. Lavner, Scott M. Stanley, Galena K. Rhoades
This study examines gender differences in the degree to which men’s and women’s views of their relationship predict eventual dissolution among mixed-gender couples. We analyzed data from a national sample of 314 unmarried mixed-gender couples from the United States that were surveyed across four years to test gender differences in associations between baseline levels of perceived likelihood of breaking up, relationship satisfaction, commitment, and love and relationship dissolution across one, two, three, and four years. Probit regression models revealed women’s greater perceived likelihood of breakup was a stronger predictor of relationship dissolution two years later than their male partner’s reports, but men’s and women’s perceived likelihood of breakup did not differ in the strength of predicting dissolution across one-, three-, and four-year follow-up. Women’s low commitment emerged as a significantly stronger predictor of relationship dissolution across two, three, and four years than their male partner’s commitment (but not at one year). Women’s and men’s relationship satisfaction and love did not differ in predicting dissolution across all time intervals; those less satisfied with their relationship and with less love for their partner were more likely to dissolve their relationship. Although commitment may be an area where women’s reports take primacy in predicting future breakup among adult unmarried mixed-gender couples, the results add to a growing body of literature finding that women’s and men’s views of their partnership are similarly diagnostic of future relationship outcomes.
{"title":"Gender differences—or the lack thereof—in the prediction of relationship dissolution among unmarried mixed-gender couples from the United States","authors":"Matthew D. Johnson, Justin A. Lavner, Scott M. Stanley, Galena K. Rhoades","doi":"10.1177/02654075241265063","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075241265063","url":null,"abstract":"This study examines gender differences in the degree to which men’s and women’s views of their relationship predict eventual dissolution among mixed-gender couples. We analyzed data from a national sample of 314 unmarried mixed-gender couples from the United States that were surveyed across four years to test gender differences in associations between baseline levels of perceived likelihood of breaking up, relationship satisfaction, commitment, and love and relationship dissolution across one, two, three, and four years. Probit regression models revealed women’s greater perceived likelihood of breakup was a stronger predictor of relationship dissolution two years later than their male partner’s reports, but men’s and women’s perceived likelihood of breakup did not differ in the strength of predicting dissolution across one-, three-, and four-year follow-up. Women’s low commitment emerged as a significantly stronger predictor of relationship dissolution across two, three, and four years than their male partner’s commitment (but not at one year). Women’s and men’s relationship satisfaction and love did not differ in predicting dissolution across all time intervals; those less satisfied with their relationship and with less love for their partner were more likely to dissolve their relationship. Although commitment may be an area where women’s reports take primacy in predicting future breakup among adult unmarried mixed-gender couples, the results add to a growing body of literature finding that women’s and men’s views of their partnership are similarly diagnostic of future relationship outcomes.","PeriodicalId":508458,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Social and Personal Relationships","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141811156","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-07-23DOI: 10.1177/02654075241266470
Val Wongsomboon, Madison Shea Smith, Kathryn Macapagal, Michael E. Newcomb, Sarah W. Whitton
This longitudinal study examined the relationships between multiple dimensions of singlehood and mental health, along with their moderators, in a diverse cohort of sexual and gender minority youth assigned female at birth ( N = 205, Mage = 19.5; 39% < 18 years old; 27% gender minority; 74% racial/ethnic minority) who were single (no romantic partnership) at least once across 7 visits (retention >90% at all visits). Singlehood dimensions included single status, length of singlehood, and transitions into and out of singlehood at each visit, as well as proportion of singlehood periods across all visits. At the between-person level, individuals with a higher proportion of singlehood periods across the study reported higher stress, anxiety, and depression. At the within-person level, while youth experienced increased depression when single, their depression and stress decreased as the length of singlehood increased. Additionally, fear of being single (FOBS) and perceived social support, each showing unique associations with mental health outcomes in this study, were included as moderators. Notably, only those with low to average (not high) FOBS experienced a reduction in mental health problems as singlehood length increased. Taken together, the findings shed light on the factors associated with mental health and well-being in single individuals from a vulnerable and marginalized population.
{"title":"Singlehood–mental health associations in sexual and gender minority youth assigned female at birth: A longitudinal study","authors":"Val Wongsomboon, Madison Shea Smith, Kathryn Macapagal, Michael E. Newcomb, Sarah W. Whitton","doi":"10.1177/02654075241266470","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075241266470","url":null,"abstract":"This longitudinal study examined the relationships between multiple dimensions of singlehood and mental health, along with their moderators, in a diverse cohort of sexual and gender minority youth assigned female at birth ( N = 205, Mage = 19.5; 39% < 18 years old; 27% gender minority; 74% racial/ethnic minority) who were single (no romantic partnership) at least once across 7 visits (retention >90% at all visits). Singlehood dimensions included single status, length of singlehood, and transitions into and out of singlehood at each visit, as well as proportion of singlehood periods across all visits. At the between-person level, individuals with a higher proportion of singlehood periods across the study reported higher stress, anxiety, and depression. At the within-person level, while youth experienced increased depression when single, their depression and stress decreased as the length of singlehood increased. Additionally, fear of being single (FOBS) and perceived social support, each showing unique associations with mental health outcomes in this study, were included as moderators. Notably, only those with low to average (not high) FOBS experienced a reduction in mental health problems as singlehood length increased. Taken together, the findings shed light on the factors associated with mental health and well-being in single individuals from a vulnerable and marginalized population.","PeriodicalId":508458,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Social and Personal Relationships","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141814121","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}