Creating satisfaction in steady dating relationships: The role of personal goals and situational affordances.

This research extends previous work indicating that individuals are more effective at regulating their behavior when they are in goal-congruent contexts by examining whether individuals particularly need concrete goal-relevant situational affordances once they are in these broadly affirming contexts. Specifically, the authors explore this issue by using the broad context of steady dating relationships (i.e., intimacy-relevant contexts), and considering the role of both intimacy goals and intimacy-affording daily life situations in producing relationship satisfaction and maintenance over time. Results indicate that those with a strong focus on intimacy experience considerable relationship satisfaction regardless of whether they spend time in daily life situations that facilitate intimacy, whereas those without such a focus depend for satisfaction on the presence of intimacy-conducive situations (e.g., time alone with one's partner, or social support from one's partner). Discussion focuses on the theoretical implications of these findings for the Person x Situation literature. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Satisfaction with social support during crisis: Intimacy and self-esteem as critical determinants.

Satisfaction with social support was studied longitudinally in 113 17–40 yr old Israeli women following the outcome of both normal and medically complicated pregnancies (delivery by cesarean section, delivery of an infant weighing under 2 kg, or spontaneous abortion before the 3rd trimester). Ss were interviewed concerning the size of their social networks, the number of friends and family members in their networks, perceived intimacy with spouse, and perceived intimacy with at least 1 friend and 1 family member. Included in the interviews were measures of self-esteem, intimacy, social network structure, and satisfaction with support. Findings show that greater intimacy with spouse and with friends was related to greater satisfaction with support received during the crisis period. Intimate ties contributed to satisfaction with support independent of self-esteem, social network parameters, and type of pregnancy outcome. Social network parameters and pregnancy outcome were not related to satisfaction with support. Among Ss low in self-esteem, greater intimacy with family was related to lower satisfaction with support if the Ss lacked intimate ties with spouse or a friend. Clinical and social psychological theories regarding reaction to aid are discussed. (37 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Support behavior and relationship satisfaction in couples dealing with diabetes: Main and moderating effects.

This study examined associations between support behavior, i.e. active engagement and protective buffering, and relationship satisfaction in both patients with diabetes and their partners. Active engagement refers to supportive behavior characterized by involving one's partner in discussions, asking how the other feels, and problem solving strategies. Protective buffering refers to less supportive behavior characterized by denying fears and worries, and by pretending everything is fine. Furthermore, we examined whether there were interactive effects of these two support behaviors on patients' and partners' relationship satisfaction. At baseline (T1), 205 couples rated to which degree they received active engagement and protective buffering from their partners, and completed a measure of relationship satisfaction. At three follow-up assessments, couples were asked to fill out the same measures. Using dyadic data analytic approaches, we found relationship satisfaction to be positively associated with active engagement, and negatively with protective buffering, in both patients and partners. Moreover, we found a moderating effect, in that the negative association between protective buffering and relationship satisfaction was only present when levels of active engagement were relatively low. Again, these results were found for patients as well as their partners. We were able to replicate the T1 results at the other three assessment points. Our findings illustrate the need to consider adequate and less adequate support behaviors simultaneously, and to study the effects on both patients and partners. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Virtual social environments as a tool for psychological assessment: Dynamics of interaction with a virtual spouse.

Computer games are advocated as a promising tool bridging the gap between the controllability of a lab experiment and the mundane realism of a field experiment. At the same time, many authors stress the importance of observing real behavior instead of asking participants about possible or intended behaviors. In this article, the authors introduce an online virtual social environment, which is inhabited by autonomous agents including the virtual spouse of the participant. Participants can freely explore the virtual world and interact with any other inhabitant, allowing the expression of spontaneous and unprompted behavior. The authors investigated the usefulness of this game for the assessment of interactions with a virtual spouse and their relations to intimacy and autonomy motivation as well as relationship satisfaction with the real-life partner. Both the intimacy motive and the satisfaction with the real-world relationship showed significant correlations with aggregated in-game behavior, which shows that some sort of transference between the real world and the virtual world took place. In addition, a process analysis of interaction quality revealed that relationship satisfaction and intimacy motive had different effects on the initial status and the time course of the interaction quality. Implications for psychological assessment using virtual social environments are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

évaluation préliminaire des qualités psychométriques d'un système de codification du soutien conjugal pour le trouble de stress post-traumatique.

Lack of social support (SS) is one of the most important factors influencing the development and maintenance of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and people living in couples seek the support of their spouse. To our knowledge, no study on PTSD has used an observational measure of SS in addition of the usual self-report method of measurement. The purpose of this study is to adapt the Social Support Interaction Global Coding System (SCIS) and to explore its psychometric properties using 20 support interactions videotaped with couples among whom a spouse has a PTSD diagnosis. Results suggest that the new SCIS (PTSD) shows satisfactory interrater reliability, good internal consistency and good convergent validity with self-reported measures of perceived support and marital adjustment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Support in marriage: Factors associated with on-line perceptions of support helpfulness.

Despite considerable research that has demonstrated the positive aspects of social support, little is known about the mechanisms that influence the experience of feeling supported. This study examined the association between proximal (e.g., support content) and distal (e.g., marital satisfaction) factors and the experience of feeling supported by one's partner. Sixty-one married couples participated in an interactive support exercise using a talk-table. Coders were asked to provide on-line ratings of perceived support helpfulness. The supportive interaction was coded using the Social Support Behavior Code. Women were more influenced by immediate aspects of the supportive interaction, and men were more influenced by distal relationship factors. Esteem support was associated with higher ratings of support helpfulness. Gender may moderate the impact of proximal and distal factors on feeling supported during a couple's interaction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social support, problem solving, and the longitudinal course of newlywed marriage.

Married couples (N = 172) were observed as newlyweds and observed again 1 year later while engaging in 2 problem-solving and 2 personal support discussions. Microanalytic coding of these conversations was used to examine associations between problem-solving and social support behaviors for 1 year and their relative contributions to 10-year trajectories of self-reported relationship satisfaction and dissolution. Results demonstrated that initially lower levels of positive support behaviors and higher levels of negative support behaviors predicted 1-year increases in negative emotion displayed during problem-solving conversations. Emotions coded from the initial problem-solving conversations did not predict 1-year changes in social support behaviors. Controlling for emotions displayed during problem-solving interactions eliminated or reduced associations between initial social support behaviors and (a) later levels of satisfaction and (b) relationship dissolution. These findings corroborate models that prioritize empathy, validation, and caring as key elements in the development of intimacy (e.g., Reis & Shaver, 1988) and suggest that deficits in these domains foreshadow deterioration in problem solving and conflict management. Implications for integrating support and problem solving in models of relationship change are outlined, as are implications for incorporating social support in education programs for developing relationships. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dyadic Adjustment in Chronic Illness: Does Relationship Talk Matter?

Relationship talk involves talking about the nature and state of one's relationship. To determine the effectiveness of talking about the relationship when one spouse has a chronic illness, the study involved completion of a confidential questionnaire by 182 married couples. Ninety of these were couples in which both partners were healthy, and 92 were couples in which one spouse had a chronic illness. Results of multilevel modeling analyses showed that the association between relationship talk and dyadic adjustment was stronger for women than for men and for couples with an ill spouse than for couples where both spouses were healthy. These findings highlight the importance of taking a relationship perspective and suggest that relationship talk is a potentially useful tool couples can use in their repertoire of relationship-enhancing behaviors during chronic illness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social network and marital support as mediators and moderators of the impact of stress and depression on parental behavior.

Structural equation modeling was used with a sample of 451 2-parent families to test an elaboration of J. Belsky's (1984) model of the determinants of parental behavior. Results largely support the model. Economic pressure disrupted parenting by increasing depression and undermining access to spouse support. Spouse support had both a direct effect on parenting and an indirect influence through depression. For mothers, spouse support moderated the impact of economic strain on parenting by reducing the disruptive impact of depression on parental behavior. Social network support only influenced parenting indirectly through depression. There was no support for the idea that social network support serves to buffer parental behavior against the adverse consequences of economic strain, nor was there evidence that it can compensate for low spouse support. The findings indicated, however, that spouse support is a more powerful determinant of quality of parenting when social network support is low. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Hard times and hurtful partners: How financial strain affects depression and relationship satisfaction of unemployed persons and their spouses.

The process linking unemployment and economic hardship to depression and marital or relationship satisfaction in couples was examined. Using structural equation modeling, the authors tested models in which financial strain and partners' symptoms of depression influence the behavioral exchange of the couples in terms of social support and social undermining and, in turn, the effects of support and undermining on relationship satisfaction and depressive symptoms. The analyses were based on longitudinal data from 815 recently unemployed job seekers and their spouses or partners. The results demonstrated that financial strain had significant effects on depressive symptoms of both partners, which in turn led the partner to withdraw social support and increase social undermining. Reduced supportive and increased undermining behaviors had additional adverse effects on satisfaction with the relationship and on depressive symptoms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Preinteraction expectations, marital satisfaction, and accessibility: A new look at sentiment override.

This study investigated spouse expectations immediately prior to a marital interaction and also examined whether the accessibility of evaluative judgments about the partner and the marriage advances understanding of marital satisfaction and its correlates. Ninety-two couples participated in the study. As hypothesized, marital satisfaction correlated with preinteraction expectations of partner behavior and with current affect, and expected partner behavior mediated the relation between satisfaction and affect. Response latency to make evaluative judgments of the partner and the marriage moderated the relation between satisfaction and expected partner behavior for husbands. The findings are integrated with basic research on attitudes, and their clinical implications are outlined. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

When pleasure begets pleasure: Recipient responsiveness as a determinant of physical pleasuring between heterosexual dating couples and strangers.

Contrary to the notion that positive verbal responses reinforce behavior, research on physical pleasuring has demonstrated that positive verbal responsiveness from a recipient of pleasurable vibrations inhibits, rather than facilitates, heterosexual pleasuring. The present research examined the role of recipient responsiveness in interpersonal pleasuring through comparison of established dating couples with ad hoc pairs. Using the pleasure paradigm developed by the 1st author et al (1976), 160 undergraduate couples—either established dates or ad hoc pairs—delivered intensity-graded pleasurable vibrations to the buttocks and thighs of a recipient. It was predicted that among dating couples, intimacy would be perceived as appropriate; hence, responsiveness would facilitate rather than inhibit pleasuring. In the case of strangers, however, it was expected that intimacy would be perceived as inappropriate; hence, responsiveness would not facilitate pleasuring. Results support the predictions. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social support from family and friends as a buffer of low spousal support among mothers of critically ill children: A multilevel modeling approach.

Objective: To investigate whether social support from family and friends (family/friend support) attenuated ("buffered") adverse effects of having low spouse support (spousal support) among mothers of children undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Design: One hundred sixty-three married mothers who were their child's primary caregiver during treatment completed assessments during the child's hospitalization for HSCT and 3-, 6-, and 12-months post-HSCT. Measures: Family/friend support and spousal support were assessed during hospitalization. Maternal physical and mental health-related functioning (the main outcome measures) were assessed at all timepoints. Results: Multilevel modeling was used to analyze trajectories of maternal functioning. Findings indicated that mothers with low spousal support and low family/friend support demonstrated the worst functioning across all timepoints. Mothers with low spousal support and high family/friend support demonstrated significantly better functioning, supporting the hypothesized buffering effect. Their functioning compared to the functioning of mothers with high spousal support. Moreover, mothers with high family/friend support demonstrated trajectories of physical health-related functioning that were more stable than the trajectories of mothers with low family/friend support. Conclusion: These findings have clinical implications in addition to advancing knowledge of social support processes among couples coping with the shared stressor of a child's life-threatening illness and treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The moderating effect of work-linked couple relationships and work–family integration on the spouse instrumental support-emotional exhaustion relationship.

Based on boundary theory and conservation of resources theory, we argue that employees with a spouse in the same occupation or workplace (referred to as work-linked couples) enhance the effectiveness of spousal instrumental support in reducing emotional exhaustion. In the first study of nurses (n = 103), we found that work-linked couples have more highly integrated work and family roles than participants whose spouses did not share an occupation or workplace. In a second study of working adults (n = 484), we found that work-linked couples have a stronger relationship between spouse instrumental support and the reduction of emotional exhaustion; this moderated relationship was mediated by their work–family integration. We discuss the implications of these findings for the study of work and family roles, social support, and emotional exhaustion, and provide suggestions for future research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relation of verbal, affective, and physical intimacy to marital satisfaction.

Explored the relation of verbal, affective, and physical intimacy—to marital satisfaction in 43 couples (aged 18–59 yrs). The majority of Ss had sought counseling for marital problems. Ss completed questionnaires on intimacy and marital satisfaction and were then audiotaped during a discussion of their relationship. The 3 types of intimacy were highly predictive of both perceived marital satisfaction and a measure of thought and behaviors indicative of potential for divorce. Measures of verbal and affective intimacy made stronger contributions to the prediction of marital satisfaction than did physical intimacy. The interactions among the 3 types of intimacy did not contribute significantly to the prediction of satisfaction, nor was there any evidence of a curvilinear relation between measures of intimacy and measures of satisfaction. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Personal Costs of Citizenship Behavior: The Relationship Between Individual Initiative and Role Overload, Job Stress, and Work-Family Conflict.

By and large, prior research has focused on the positive aspects of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). D. W. Organ and K. Ryan (1995), though, suggest that individuals who engage in high levels of OCB may become overloaded. This research explores the relationship between a specific type of OCB--namely, individual initiative--and role overload, job stress, and work-family conflict. Results from a sample of 98 couples indicate that higher levels of individual initiative (as assessed by the spouse or significant other) are associated with higher levels of employee role overload, job stress, and work-family conflict. The findings also suggest that the relationship between individual initiative and work-family conflict is moderated by gender, such that the relationship is stronger among women than among men. Some implications of this work and directions for future research are discussed as well. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sequential analysis of chronic pain behaviors and spouse responses.

Social reinforcers such as spouse behaviors have been hypothesized to be important in maintaining chronic pain behavior. This study used direct observation to test whether solicitous and aggressive spouse behaviors systematically precede and follow patient pain behaviors. 50 chronic pain patients and spouses and 33 control couples were videotaped performing specified tasks. Spouse solicitous behaviors were significantly more likely to precede and follow nonverbal pain behaviors, and nonverbal pain behaviors were significantly less likely to follow spouse aggressive behaviors in pain than in control couples. Within couples, spouse solicitous behaviors preceded and followed verbal and nonverbal pain behaviors beyond chance levels more often in pain than in control couples. Results support an operant conceptualization of factors maintaining chronic pain behaviors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Communication and intimacy in the marriages of depressed patients.

Marital discord is common among depressed patients. To explain the concurrence of depression and marital discord, it was hypothesized that depressed patients and their spouses have weak relationship-coping abilities, specifically communication, problem solving, and capacity for intimacy. 17 depressed patients and their spouses were compared with 17 control couples on a communication task, an intimacy interview, and self-reports of marital satisfaction. Results indicated that, compared with control Ss, the depressed patients and their spouses (1) reported greater marital dissatisfaction, (2) demonstrated poorer communication and problem-solving ability, and (3) were more likely to have an impaired capacity for establishing and maintaining intimacy. The implications for understanding the development of depression and marital discord are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Maintenance of satisfaction in romantic relationships: Empathy and relational competence.

On the basis of a series of recent investigations linking personality, social behavior, and social satisfaction, as well as the theoretical concept of relational competence, we propose a model of relationship satisfaction. The model is based on the notion that personality in general and empathy in particular affect relationship satisfaction through their influences on specific mediating behaviors. The tenets of the model were tested by assessing the key constructs for both members of 264 heterosexual romantic couples. In general, the model was strongly supported, as three separate facets of dispositional empathy had separate and predictable influences on self-reported behavior, which in turn significantly influenced partners' perceptions of those behaviors. Also as expected, perceptions of partner behavior were significant influences on one's satisfaction with the relationship. The model worked especially well for longer term relationships and somewhat better for predicting female behavior; the role of one facet of empathy—perspective taking—was especially strong for longer relationships. Thus, the model appears to be a fruitful way to examine the role of personality on social and psychological well-being. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)