Marital locus of control and marital problem solving.

Examined the relation between 88 couples' (mean age 32.67 yrs) marital locus of control and their approach to marital problem solving. Ss completed Rotter's Internal–External Locus of Control Scale and the Miller Marital Locus of Control Scale. It was predicted that internals for marital satisfaction would more actively engage in problem solving than externals and that couples who confronted problems in a constructive rather than an avoidant or destructive style would arrive at better solutions and would be happier with them. Behavioral measures of conflict resolution style and problem-solving ability were derived from videotapes of the couples as they dealt with commonly encountered marital conflict situations. The data support the hypotheses and suggest that internals for marital satisfaction are more active and direct in their problem solving than are externals. Internals were more effective in communicating and achieving their desired goals and reported higher levels of marital satisfaction than externals. Active engagement in the discussion of marital issues by couples resulted in more effective problem solving than styles characterized by avoidance. Destructive marital interaction was related to poor problem solutions and lower self-reported ratings of solution satisfaction. (45 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive appraisals, neuroticism, and openness as correlates of coping strategies: An integrative model of adptation to marital difficulties.

Investigated the factors related to the choice of 2 coping strategies, distancing/avoidance and planful problem-solving, in the context of marital relationships. The role of cognitive appraisals of marital difficulties, and personality traits of neuroticism and openness, in the choice of coping strategies used to solve marital difficulties was investigated with a sample of 200 couples (women aged 18-60 yrs; men aged 19-69 yrs). Results of standard multiple regression analyses showed for both genders that neuroticism was positively associated with distancing/avoidance, whereas openness was positively associated with planful problem-solving. In addition, results indicated that an individual who appraised his or her marital difficulties as threatening, compared to his or her resources, was more likely to use distancing/avoidance as coping strategy. Implications of these findings for coping theories are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-criticism and conflict resolution in romantic couples.

120 heterosexual college student couples (mean age 21.5 yrs) completed measures of self-criticism and relational schemas and then attempted to resolve 2 conflicts while being videotaped. Overt hostility was rated from the videotapes. In both girlfriends and boyfriends, self-criticism was associated with negative relational schemas and more negative cognitive-affective reactions during the conflict resolution task. Self-critical women displayed greater overt hostility towards their partners. Structural equation modeling (SEM) demonstrated that negative relational schemas functioned as mediating variables that explained negative cognitive affective reactions during the task. The SEM also showed that, in women, negative cognitive-affective reactions predicted overt hostility, which in turn predicted partners' distress and overt hostility. The results bolster cognitive interpersonal analyses of depression by illustrating how cognitive structures associated with a hypothesized vulnerability (self-criticism) can have important interpersonal correlates. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Work-to-relationship conflict: Crossover effects in dual-earner couples.

To better understand the outcomes for couples whose work interferes with their relationships, with an emphasis on the crossover effects that can occur in close relationships, we examined experienced work-to-relationship conflict and perceptions of partner's work-to-relationship conflict for both members of 113 dual-earner couples. Outcomes of interests included relationship tension, health symptoms, and relationship satisfaction. Results indicate that personal work-to-relationship conflict and perceptions of partner's work-to-family conflict were related to personal as well as partner outcomes; a variety of direct crossover effects were demonstrated. The actor-partner interdependence model was incorporated to account for issues of interdependent data that naturally occur in relationship dyads, a methodological issue not typically addressed and accounted for in the dyadic work-family interface literature. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Optimism in close relationships: How seeing things in a positive light makes them so.

Does expecting positive outcomes--especially in important life domains such as relationships--make these positive outcomes more likely? In a longitudinal study of dating couples, the authors tested whether optimists (who have a cognitive disposition to expect positive outcomes) and their romantic partners are more satisfied in their relationships, and if so, whether this is due to optimists perceiving greater support from their partners. In cross-sectional analyses, both optimists and their partners indicated greater relationship satisfaction, an effect that was mediated by optimists' greater perceived support. When the couples engaged in a conflict conversation, optimists and their partners saw each other as engaging more constructively during the conflict, which in turn led both partners to feel that the conflict was better resolved 1 week later. In a 1-year follow-up, men's optimism predicted relationship status. Effects of optimism were mediated by the optimists' perceived support, which appears to promote a variety of beneficial processes in romantic relationships. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The roles of conflict engagement, escalation, and avoidance in marital interaction: A longitudinal view of five types of couples.

73 couples were studied at 2 time points 4 yrs apart. A typology of 5 groups of couples is proposed on the basis of observational data of Time 1 resolution of conflict, specific affects, and affect sequences. Over the 4 yrs, the groups of couples differed significantly in serious considerations of divorce and in the frequency of divorce. There were 3 groups of stable couples: validators, volatiles, and avoiders, who could be distinguished from each other on problem-solving behavior, specific affects, and persuasion attempts. There were 2 groups of unstable couples: hostile and hostile/detached, who could be distinguished from each other on problem-solving behavior and on specific negative and positive affects. A balance theory of marriage is proposed, which explores the idea that 3 distinct adaptations exist for having a stable marriage. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceptions of the cognitive compensation and interpersonal enjoyment functions of collaboration among middle-aged and older married couples.

Perceptions of cognitive compensation and interpersonal enjoyment of collaboration were examined in three hundred middle-aged and older couples who completed measures of perceptions of collaboration, cognitive ability, marital satisfaction, an errand task and judged their spouse's affiliation. Older adults (especially men) endorsed cognitive compensation and interpersonal enjoyment and reported using collaboration more frequently than middle-aged adults. Greater need for cognitive compensation was related to lower cognitive ability only for older wives. Greater marital satisfaction was associated with greater interpersonal enjoyment. These two functions related to reports of more frequent use of collaboration and perceptions of spousal affiliation in a collaborative task. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Seeking security or growth: A regulatory focus perspective on motivations in romantic relationships.

Using a multimethod approach, we examined how regulatory focus shapes people's perceptual, behavioral, and emotional responses in different situations in romantic relationships. We first examined how chronic regulatory focus affects romantic partners' support perceptions and problem-solving behaviors while they were engaged in a conflict resolution discussion (Study 1). Next, we experimentally manipulated regulatory focus and tested its effects on partner perceptions when individuals recalled a prior conflict resolution discussion (Study 2). We then examined how chronic regulatory focus influences individuals' emotional responses to hypothetical relationship events (Study 3) and identified specific partner behaviors to which people should respond with regulatory goal-congruent emotions (Study 4). Strongly prevention-focused people perceived their partners as more distancing and less supportive during conflict (Studies 1 and 2), approached conflict resolution by discussing the details related to the conflict (Study 1), and experienced a negative relationship outcome with more agitation (Study 3). Strongly promotion-focused people perceived their partners as more supportive and less distancing (Studies 1 and 2), displayed more creative conflict resolution behavior (Study 1), and experienced a negative relationship outcome with more sadness and a favorable outcome with more positive emotions (Study 3). In Study 4, recalling irresponsible and responsible partner behaviors was associated with experiencing more prevention-focused emotions, whereas recalling affectionate and neglectful partner behaviors was associated with more promotion-focused emotions. The findings show that regulatory focus and approach–avoidance motivations influence certain interpersonal processes in similar ways, but regulatory focus theory also generates novel predictions on which approach–avoidance models are silent. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of marital role problems and the self-concept on wives' depressed mood.

Evaluated the mutual contribution of role interaction problems and self-concept to the depressed mood of wives in the marital relationship, using a linear recursive model incorporating path analysis and multiple regression. A random sample of married couples was interviewed, including 85 couples that had a child or children younger than 6 yrs old and in which the wife was less than 45 yrs old; 88 couples with a child or children aged 6–18 yrs, the wife being of any age; 81 couples with no children at home and the wife aged 45–59 yrs; and 82 couples with no children at home and the wife older than 60 yrs old. Roles selected to measure interaction problems included cooking, housekeeping, companionship to spouse, and caring for children. Role disagreement, depressed mood, and wives' self-concepts and the actual and perceived appraisals of the husbands for the wives were measured. Results indicate that the path model proposed a causal effect of marital role disagreement and reflected self-concept on wives' depressed mood. The key variable in the model was wives' perceptions of husbands' evaluations, which had a direct effect on wives' mood and mediated much of the effect of role disagreement on wives' depressed mood. (4 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attachment, group attraction and self-other agreement in interpersonal circumplex problems and perceptions of group members.

Graduate students (N=76) fulfilling a class requirement for interpersonal group participation completed measures of interpersonal problems and adult attachment at pretest. At the midpoint and at termination they completed measures of interpersonal problems and group attraction and provided interpersonal circumplex ratings of each fellow group member. As predicted, selected attachment insecurities were significantly correlated with interpersonal problems and group attraction. Attachment anxiety and avoidance, also as hypothesized, were associated with discrepancies in self-other perceptions. Whereas members with attachment avoidance tended to overestimate hostile and hostile-submissive problems, members with attachment anxiety were likely to overestimate interpersonal problems in the "friendly" half of the circumplex. Implications for the conceptualization of attachment-based distortions and interpersonal learning in group therapy are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Forgiveness and Conflict Resolution in Marriage.

Two studies examined whether forgiveness in married couples is associated with better conflict resolution. Study 1 examined couples in their 3rd year of marriage and identified 2 forgiveness dimensions (retaliation and benevolence). Husbands' retaliatory motivation was a significant predictor of poorer wife-reported conflict resolution, whereas wives' benevolence motivation predicted husbands' reports of better conflict resolution. Examining longer term marriages, Study 2 identified three forgiveness dimensions (retaliation, avoidance and benevolence). Whereas wives' benevolence again predicted better conflict resolution, husbands' avoidance predicted wives' reports of poorer conflict resolution. All findings were independent of both spouses' marital satisfaction. The findings are discussed in terms of the importance of forgiveness for marital conflict and its implications for spouse goals. Future research directions on forgiveness are outlined. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Associations among experiential avoidance, couple adjustment, and interpersonal aggression in returning Iraqi war veterans and their partners.

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to examine the role of experiential avoidance (EA) in relationship adjustment, psychological aggression, and physical aggression among military couples. Method: The sample was composed of 49 male soldiers who recently returned from deployment to Iraq and their female partners. As part of a larger study, participants completed self-report measures of emotional avoidance (EA; Acceptance and Action Questionnaire–II), relationship adjustment (Dyadic Adjustment Scale), and conflict (Conflict Tactics Scale–2). Data from men and women were simultaneously modeled with the actor–partner interdependence model. Results: Men's EA was associated with decreases in relationship adjustment and increases in physical aggression perpetration and victimization. For women, relationship adjustment was not associated with EA, but greater EA among women was associated with decreased relationship adjustment for male partners. Associations among EA and psychological aggression were nonsignificant. Conclusions: These data provide evidence that EA may play a critical role in the relationships of couples following deployment and highlight the importance of targeting EA in couple therapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Locus of control, interpersonal trust, and assertive behavior among newlyweds.

This study related 2 cognitive personality characteristics—locus of control and interpersonal trust—to assertive behavior in a sample of recently married couples. For 86 childless couples who had been in their 1st marriages for less than 1 yr, assertive behavior was measured by the Inventory of Marital Conflicts, an observational procedure in which couples resolve disagreements about hypothetical marital problems. Hypotheses were formulated in terms of individual locus of control (Rotter's Internal–External Locus of Control Scale) as well as 2 combinations of locus of control and interpersonal trust (Rotter's Interpersonal Trust Scale): internal–low trust and external–high trust. Results show that internal husbands were more assertive than external husbands in the marriage conflict situation, that external–high trust husbands were least assertive, and that internal–low trust wives were highly assertive. Findings are interpreted in light of previous locus-of-control and trust research, and in terms of unconventional marital role behavior. (29 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Three-year follow-up of same-sex couples who had civil unions in Vermont, same-sex couples not in civil unions, and heterosexual married couples.

This study was a 3-year follow-up of 65 male and 138 female same-sex couples who had civil unions in Vermont during the 1st year of that legislation. These couples were compared with 23 male and 61 female same-sex couples in their friendship circles who did not have civil unions and with 55 heterosexual married couples (1 member of each was a sibling to a member of a civil union couple). Despite the legalized nature of their relationships, civil union couples did not differ on any measure from same-sex couples who were not in civil unions. However, same-sex couples not in civil unions were more likely to have ended their relationships than same-sex civil union or heterosexual married couples. Compared with heterosexual married participants, both types of same-sex couples reported greater relationship quality, compatibility, and intimacy and lower levels of conflict. Longitudinal predictors of relationship quality at Time 2 included less conflict, greater level of outness, and a shorter relationship length for men in same-sex relationships and included less conflict and more frequent sex for women in same-sex relationships at Time 1. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Nonsuicidal self-injury in young adolescent girls: Moderators of the distress-function relationship.

This study examined nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) in a community sample of young adolescent girls. Potential moderators of the relationships between different types of distress (internal and interpersonal) and particular functions of NSSI (emotion-regulation and interpersonal) were explored. Participants included 94 girls (49% Hispanic; 25% African American) ages 10-14 years who completed questionnaires regarding self-injurious behavior and other constructs of interest. Fifty-six percent of girls (n = 53) reported engaging in NSSI during their lifetime, including 36% (n = 34) in the past year. Internal distress (depressive symptoms) was associated with engaging in NSSI for emotion-regulation functions, and rumination moderated the relationship between depressive symptoms and engaging in NSSI for automatic positive reinforcement. Interpersonal distress (peer victimization) was associated with engaging in NSSI for social reinforcement, and quality of peer communication moderated this relationship. The clinical implications of these findings include designing preventions that address the particular contexts of self-injurious behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A prospective interpretation of unconscious processes during psychoanalytic psychotherapy.

Describes the use of the prospective approach (PA) to resolve intrapsychic conflict in a 28-yr-old woman who complained of incestuous flashbacks about events that had occurred during her childhood. The PA is a technique for interpreting the latent content of patients' narratives and dreams. It proposes that intrapsychic conflict impairs the patients' predictive abilities. The PA may be implemented during all phases of treatment to examine whether the patient is able to predict the interpersonal outcomes of imminent events. During the initial alliance phase, patients use the therapists' responses to predict upcoming change. During the working-through phase, patients rely on their own perceptions to assess future outcomes. During the termination phase, patients predict outcomes from the responses of significant others. In this case, the S resolved her ambivalence about incest allegedly perpetrated by her father through a series of powerful dreams. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gender differences in the link between marital support and satisfaction in older couples.

Recent work on social support in marriage indicates that the link between marital satisfaction and social support is stronger for wives than husbands (D. Julien and H. J. Markman; see record 1992-08896-001). Hypotheses based on these findings and on studies of interpersonal perception were tested on a sample of 69 older married couples (mean age 74 yrs). The separate effects of giving, receiving, and reciprocity on spouses' marital satisfaction and well-being were examined. Analyzing the data separately for husbands and wives reveals that perceptions of social support in marriage are more strongly related to the marital satisfaction and general well-being of wives than husbands. Methodological and theoretical interpretations are offered that shed light on the differences between men and women in the meaning of social support in marriage. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Système d'Observation des Dimensions d'Interaction (SODI): validation canadienne fran?aise de l'Interactional Dimensions Coding System (IDCS).

Studied the psychometric properties of a modified French version of the IDCS (D. Julien and H. J. Markman, 1987). Ss were 40 husbands and 40 wives (all aged 21–44 yrs). Based on a measure of marital adjustment, 20 couples were classified as well adjusted and 20 couples as poorly adjusted. Intergroup differences from the results of the IDCS applied to videotapes of marital conflict discussions were analyzed. Correlations between IDCS results and Ss' perceptions of relationship problems, behavioral measures of interactional intimacy, and psychological symptoms also were determined. The predictive validity of the IDCS was established by analyzing interactions between IDCS scores and measures of marital satisfaction obtained 1 yr later. Gender differences were determined. Several French-language instruments, including French versions of the Marital Adjustment Test (H. Locke and K. Wallace, 1959), and the Symptom Checklist-90—R, were used. (English abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prayer as a coping strategy for chronic pain patients.

Prayer as a coping mechanism was examined in a group of 105 persons (average age 45 yrs) experiencing chronic pain for an average of 4.3 yrs. Previous research suggested that prayer may actually be associated with increased disability among individuals who develop a permanent, painful condition of 6 mo duration or longer. Assessment instruments included the Medical Coping Modes Questionnaire and 2 subscales of the West Haven-Yale Multidimensional Pain Inventory; prayer was measured by the Diverting Attention/Praying-Hoping Subscale of the Coping Strategies Questionnaire. Consistent with previous research, individuals who endorsed a greater use of prayer to cope with their pain also reported a greater degree of disability. Follow-up statistical analyses suggested that prayer was associated with avoidance suggestive of a passive coping response. Additional research is needed to clarify the relationship of prayer to avoidance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Verbal interaction and supervisor perception in counselor supervision.

20 dyads of masters-level counseling practicum students (aged 23–52 yrs) and their supervisors (aged 28–51 yrs) were audiotaped during 1 supervisory session. The counselor trainee's and supervisor's verbal interaction in supervision was rated using a 15-category system for analyzing supervisor–teacher interaction. These scores were correlated with the trainee's perceptions of the supervisor on the interpersonal influence characteristics of expertness, attractiveness, and trustworthiness, as measured by a supervisor rating form. 45 Pearson correlations between measures were calculated, with 8 comparisons reaching the .05 level of significance. Significant relationships were found between some categories of verbal behavior and 1 or more perceived supervisor characteristics. It is concluded that a moderate relationship exists between the nature of the interaction in supervision and perceptions the counselor forms about the supervisor. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)