Journal of Social and Personal Relationships

The primary goal of the present study was to systematically investigate the role of intimate partner support in alcohol use and to examine whether partner support serves a maladaptive function among individuals with a history of alcohol dependence. This goal was pursued in a sample of low-income outpatients because of increased risk for chronic stress and alcohol use disorders among this population. We implemented a comprehensive, multi-method assessment of partner support and ecological momentary assessments of alcohol use over 14 consecutive days. Results demonstrate the potential “dark side” of helping behaviors that has been proposed in recent literature. Specifically, in a sample of low-income outpatients, we found that receiving more frequent and higher quality support from one’s partner put individuals meeting criteria for alcohol dependence at greater risk for consuming alcohol. Findings converge with research suggesting that helping behaviors might function to enable maladaptive coping mechanisms in the context of alcohol use disorders.

Studies show that young men’s tendency to take risks may be exacerbated or attenuated in different social contexts. Despite widespread evidence that social context influences young men’s risk-taking, few studies have examined the impact of romantic partners on risky decision-making. The present study examined risk-taking among young men in relationships with women (n = 134, ages 18–24) randomly assigned to be tested alone (n = 47), in the presence of their romantic partner (n = 44), or in the presence of an attractive female stranger (n = 43). The presence of a romantic partner diminished young men’s tendency to take risks. Findings demonstrate that a dampening effect on risk-taking is attributable to the romantic partner’s presence and not merely due to knowledge of being in a relationship.

Data from 963 Canadians at ages 18 (late adolescence), 25 (young adulthood), and 43 (midlife) were used to explore convoys of perceived social support from parents, other family, friends, partners, coworkers, and children. Latent profile and latent transition analyses revealed two support profiles at each age, distinguished by amount of family support. Those with high family support had a high likelihood (approximately 80%) of remaining in that profile from one life stage to the next, while those with low family support had an equal likelihood (approximately 50%) of remaining there or transitioning into high support. Those with high family support at all three ages had fewer symptoms of depression in midlife than those with low family support at all ages. These findings highlight the prominence of family of origin in social convoys of perceived support and implications of perceived support for midlife mental health.

Emerging theories suggest that interpersonal power may moderate partner regulation of attachment-related defenses. This study tested whether partner negative engagement (attack, blame, and criticism) and process power (direction and control of conflict resolution) interacted to predict avoidant and anxious targets’ behavioral and physiological responses to conflict. We expected the greatest dysregulation when avoidant targets’ autonomy concerns were maximally threatened (i.e., when partners directed conflict using highly negative tactics) and when anxious targets’ abandonment concerns were maximally threatened (i.e., when highly negative partners disengaged from conflict). Results indicated that highly anxious people recovered poorly from conflict regardless of partner negative engagement and process power but showed greatest heart rate reactivity (HRR) to conflict when partners used strong negative engagement but did not direct conflict. Highly avoidant individuals’ HRR did not differ based on partner negative engagement or process power. As expected, however, they recovered the worst from conflict when highly negative partners directed conflict discussions and recovered best when partners directed conflict without using blame or criticism. Findings suggest that the meaning and consequences of process power may differ for avoidant versus anxious targets and underscore the need to integrate multiple conceptualizations of interpersonal power into future research on partner regulation.

Marital status and marital status transitions have known implications for adults’ mental and physical quality of life. Less attention has been paid, however, to the implications of marital status and transitions for sexual quality of life, particularly among the aging population. The present study analyzed three-wave longitudinal data from the National Survey of Midlife Development in the U.S. (1995–2014) in order to examine the effects of marital status/transitions on adults’ frequency of sexual activity, sexual satisfaction, effort put into sexual life, and control over sexual life. Further, this study assessed whether the implications of marital status/transitions for adults’ sexual quality of life varied according to (a) pre-transition reports of sexual quality of life, (b) gender, and/or (c) age. Multilevel lagged dependent variable models analyzed 2,869 observations drawn from 1,769 midlife and older adults over a two-decade span. Results indicated that the implications of marital status and marital status transitions for sexual life (a) were contingent upon baseline context across all four sexual quality of life outcomes, (b) varied by gender across three of the four sexual quality of life outcomes, and (c) varied only slightly by age concerning frequency of sexual activity. Overall, findings indicated that marital status transitions may be either beneficial or detrimental for adults’ sexual lives, depending on prior context; marital status transitions were most beneficial for sexual quality of life when baseline reports of sexual life were poor. Moreover, women were less likely to reap the potential rewards of marital status transitions such as divorce and widowhood, reflecting stronger social and normative constraints upon unmarried women’s sexuality, particularly for older women. We situate these findings within the growing literature concerning marital status transitions, the “graying of divorce,” and sexual life among the aging population.

The current study, using prospective data over 25 years (1991–2015; N = 245 couples), investigates life course dyadic patterns of positive and negative marital trajectories (i.e., marital strength and strain, respectively) in middle-aged husbands and wives and an array of physical and mental health outcomes associated with these patterns. Spousal warmth, spouse’s constructive conflict resolution, and couple’s joint participation were used as indicators of marital strength, whereas spousal hostility, spouse’s destructive conflict resolution, and marital instability were used as indicators of marital strain. Four dyadic latent classes with heterogeneous trajectory patterns were identified using husbands’ and wives’ concurrent strength and strain marital trajectories (1991–2001), including a couple stable and moderately favorable group, a couple stable and highly favorable group, a couple stable and husband more favorable than wife group, and a husband improving with wife slightly worsening group. The best health outcomes in 2015 were generally reported by members of the couple stable and highly favorable group, whereas the worst health outcomes were found, on average, for members of the husband improving with wife slightly worsening group. Based on these findings, interventions should promote and develop resiliency factors, thereby aiding in the redirection or improvement of middle-aged spouses’ marital trajectories, which can reduce detrimental positive–negative imbalances in marital strength and strain.

Cultural developmental and relational theories suggest that multiple social agents influence young adults’ prosocial behavior (i.e., actions intended to benefit others; e.g., helping or comforting others in need). Despite these theoretical foundations, research that examines cultural and multiple relational correlates of prosocial behaviors in U.S. Latino/Latina college students is scarce. Moreover, young adults are socialized to express prosocial behaviors to recipients that have distinct interpersonal relationships. The present study investigated the relations between mothers’, fathers’, and siblings’ support and U.S. Latino/Latina young adults’ prosocial behaviors toward different recipients (family, friends, and strangers) and considered the mediating roles of family respect values, perspective taking, and empathic concern. The sample was 253 U.S. Latino/Latina college students (58.2% female; M age = 21.07, SD =1.98) with at least one sibling. Structural equation modeling showed evidence for cultural values and moral traits as intervening mechanisms in the relations between family support and prosocial behaviors. All forms of family support predicted family respect values, which were associated with prosocial behaviors toward family and friends more so than toward strangers. Family respect values also predicted perspective taking and empathic concern and there was evidence for the mediating role of empathic concern in the relations between perspective taking and prosocial behaviors (across recipient). The current study demonstrates the interplay of multiple family socialization agents in predicting U.S. Latino/Latina college students’ prosocial behaviors toward different recipients, which has implications for theories of prosocial development.

Previous studies have shown that discrepancy between perceptions of one’s actual body type and the ideal bodies of their peers is an important factor for one’s body satisfaction. However, there is a lack of research assessing the formation of media-specific discrepancies, the impact of different types of discrepancies together, and discrepancies in adult men. The current study explored the impact of adult men’s actual and ideal body perceptions on their body satisfaction. Data were collected on the discrepancies between men’s actual muscularity and perceptions of their off-line male and female peers’ male ideal, and perceptions of the male ideal from men and women on social networking sites (SNSs). A total of 277 adult men (M_age = 36.55; SD = 11.34) completed a survey online. Actual–ideal discrepancies were present for all four comparison ideals. Overall body satisfaction was significantly linked to the close female friend ideal discrepancy, whereas muscularity satisfaction was connected to all four comparison ideals. Body fat satisfaction was not impacted by any of the discrepancies. The most significant predictor of muscularity satisfaction was the close female friends’ ideal discrepancy. Implications suggest the continued use of self-discrepancy theory in new contexts, and continued importance of off-line relationships, despite SNS use.

Investigations of relationship-induced self-concept change and relationship quality have generally been limited to intraindividual effects (i.e., actor effects). In the current study, we examined whether self-changes influence romantic partners’ perceptions of relationship satisfaction and commitment (i.e., partner effects). Using the actor–partner interdependence model, we tested how four self-concept change processes—self-expansion, self-pruning, self-contraction, and self-adulteration—are associated with relationship satisfaction and commitment. Results revealed robust actor effects across all self-change processes and partner effects on satisfaction for degradation processes only (i.e., self-contraction and self-adulteration), suggesting that self-changes differentially predict individuals’ and partners’ perceptions of the relationship.

The current studies investigated the extent that sense of purpose is associated with desirable relationship variables, such as relationship satisfaction, relationship commitment, perceived quality of alternatives, and investment size. Data were collected from two online surveys of 1,001 and 1,594 participants in relationships (Study 1: M = 46.68, SD = 15.77, range = 18–86; Study 2: M = 52.52, SD = 16.05, range = 18–91). Study 1 found that sense of purpose was positively associated with relationship satisfaction, commitment, and negatively associated with the perception that one’s partner was preferable to alternatives. When controlling for affective well-being and the Big Five personality traits, sense of purpose was still associated with relationship commitment and the perception that one’s partner was preferable to alternatives. Study 2 found that sense of purpose was positively associated with relationship satisfaction, commitment, and investment size (which was exclusively assessed in Study 2), but it was not significantly associated with perceived quality of alternatives. These associations held when controlling for affective well-being and the Big Five personality traits. Across both studies, age did not consistently moderate the associations between sense of purpose and relationship satisfaction, commitment, and perceived quality of alternatives. These studies suggest that sense of purpose and aspects of relationship quality are positively associated across adulthood. Findings are discussed with respect to how purpose may be considered in future close relationship research.

In the context of coping with chronic illness, shared appraisal refers to one person’s perception that the illness is a shared issue. Despite increasing research linking shared appraisal to positive relationship and health outcomes, whether it is static or fluctuates across time has not yet been investigated. Fluctuations in shared appraisal may affect patient and spouse well-being and influence disease management. We investigated the association of daily shared appraisal fluctuations (operationalized as intraindividual standard deviations) to relationship satisfaction, psychological well-being, and diabetes-specific well-being over 2 weeks among 199 couples in which one person had type 1 diabetes. In addition, we examined attachment insecurity as a correlate of shared appraisal fluctuations. Individuals higher in anxiety or avoidance may more frequently reevaluate their relationship. Thus, their shared appraisal may be more reactive to daily events. Actor–partner interdependence models showed greater fluctuations in spouse appraisal were associated with lower patient relationship satisfaction (partner effect) but not with spouse relationship satisfaction and with greater spouse psychological distress (actor effect) but not patient psychological distress. There were no actor or partner effects of patient appraisal fluctuations on these outcomes. In terms of diabetes outcomes, regression analyses showed that greater fluctuations in patient and spouse appraisal were each associated with higher patient diabetes distress, and greater fluctuations in spouse appraisal were associated with lower patient self-care. Higher attachment anxiety was related to greater appraisal fluctuations in the spouse but not the patient. These findings highlight the importance of spouse appraisal stability for spouse relationships and well-being and for patient diabetes outcomes and suggest that attachment insecurity may be implicated in the instability of shared appraisal.

Relational ambivalence is conceptualized as having conflicting thoughts and feelings toward one’s partner or relationship. The current study explored how ambivalence about an ex-partner in a post-dissolution stage was associated with breakup distress as well as reconciliation. The moderating role of whether the relationship had previously cycled through breakups and renewals (on-off) or not (non-cyclical) was also examined. The 275 participants completed an initial survey following their most recent breakup (within the past 30 days) and up to five monthly surveys. Analyses showed cognitive and emotional ambivalence were associated with greater breakup distress and a greater likelihood of relationship renewal. Additionally, although cyclical partners had slightly greater emotional, but not cognitive, ambivalence toward their former partners, relationship type did not moderate the associations between ambivalence and breakup distress or reconciliation. The findings provide insights on how ambivalence could be incorporated into research on post-dissolution experiences.

Romantic relationships are one of the most important sources of well-being. Unfortunately, many people who begin relationships with high hopes later find that they are unhappy but unwilling or unable to leave. Why do people remain in unsatisfactory relationships? The present research examined whether elevated fear of change in anxiously attached individuals is associated with greater commitment to unsatisfying relationships. We found that fear of change mediated the association between attachment anxiety and commitment to relationships, and that fear of being alone was a serial mediator for the anxiety to commitment association along with fear of change.

Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a leading cause of accidental death in the U.S., and people with OUD may rely on romantic partners to dyadically cope with their illness. Guided by the communication theory of identity, this study examines the identity tensions experienced by couples managing OUD and how identity negotiations contribute to couples’ efforts to dyadically cope with OUD. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 dyads and 6 individuals (N = 44), all of whom were in relationships in which at least one partner was managing OUD. Analyses revealed that couples managing OUD experience three types of identity gaps: personal–relational, relational–enacted, and relational–communal identity gaps. These gaps coalesced around a central theme of couple identity paradoxes, which demonstrated the opportunities and potential downsides of dyadically coping with OUD. Findings deepen theoretical understanding of identity negotiation in couples and the role of relational identities in managing illness.

Secure ethnic-racial identity (ERI) is tied to well-being, especially for minority individuals; however, there is still little consensus on the key processes and optimal outcomes of various multiethnic-racial (ME-R; i.e., individuals with parents from different ethnic-racial groups) identity development models. In this study, we examine the critical incidents in personal and social relationships that are central to ME-R identity development. Twenty-nine ME-R individuals provided retrospective accounts of incidents and conversations they self-perceived to be critical to their ERI development. Four major themes emerged: incidents and conversations surrounding intergroup contact, confrontation, heritage, and appearance were all recalled as critical to ME-R identity development. These findings highlight the importance of studying the ways that ERI is constituted through interaction with others. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Cognitive biases are prevalent within the context of romantic relationships. The present research investigated biases about relationships after they have ended. In a longitudinal design (N = 184), individuals reported relationship quality at two time points, as well as rated relationship quality retrospectively. Results supported an ex-appraisal bias: individuals rated their past relationship quality more negatively in retrospect than they had actually reported at the time. This bias was present across participants who stayed together and those who broke up but was three times larger for those whose relationships had ended. This bias may be a motivated cognition that helps individuals let go of their ex-partners after a breakup.

The aims of the present study were to (1) adapt and validate the Cyber Dating Abuse Questionnaire (CDAQ) for young Chileans and (2) provide data on the prevalence of cyber dating abuse in young Chileans. As a sample, 1,538 Chilean high school and university students (14–24 years old) participated in the study (59.8% females). Results showed that the CDAQ had an adequate fit with the original correlated four-factor model as well as with a second-order factor model that considered the four scales as primary factors of two secondary factors: victimization (control and aggression from the victimization perspective) and perpetration (control and aggression from the perpetrator’s perspective). Reliability analysis also showed that the questionnaire presented satisfactory values for internal consistency. Scores on the CDAQ were positively correlated with traditional forms of assessing dating violence, providing new evidences of validity. Prevalence data showed cyber dating behaviors are common practices among young Chileans, with around three quarters of that population reporting being victims or aggressors. Finally, prevalence of control (around 72% for both perspectives) was higher than direct aggression (34.4% for victimization and 27% for direct aggression).

Communal coping is defined as the appraisal of a problem as shared and collaboration to address the problem. The goals of the present study were to apply a multi-method approach to (1) disentangle appraisal and collaboration, (2) establish links to relationships and health outcomes, and (3) demonstrate that collaboration mediates the relations of shared appraisal to outcomes. Self-report measures, an observational measure, and we-language were assessed in patients with type 2 diabetes and their spouses (n = 207). A confirmatory factor analysis distinguished the two components of communal coping; each component was linked to greater relationship quality and less psychological distress for patients and spouses as well as better diabetes self-care behaviors for patients. Mediation analyses suggested that the links of shared appraisal to these outcomes were largely accounted for by collaboration.

The present research tests how socioeconomic inequality (within romantic relationships) predicts relationship quality and observable expressions of emotion—examining longitudinal self-report and behavioral data from both partners of romantic couples. In Part 1, we examined the romantic partners’ self-reports of relationship quality at baseline and after three and a half months. In keeping with prior research on how power inequality undermines relationship satisfaction, couples defined by greater socioeconomic inequality showed a decline in relationship quality over time. In Part 2, we examined observer ratings of emotional expressions in the romantic partners’ conversations in the laboratory. Here, we found greater expression of negative emotion in the conversations of couples defined by greater inequality. Importantly, it was inequality itself—rather than whether one has higher or lower socioeconomic status than the partner—that significantly predicted changes in relationship quality and observable expressions of negative emotion. These findings have implications for how deepening economic inequality may manifest in the weakening of intimate bonds—the quality of which is central to the well-being of individuals and broader society.