Issues in defining and assessing features of attachment figures: Reply to Kobak (2009).

This reply to Kobak’s (see record 2009-12106-002) comments on my article (see record 2009-12106-001) on dogs as attachment figures addresses three issues in defining and assessing features of attachment figures. These include whether some features are more critical than other features, different ways of assessing safe haven as a critical feature of an attachment figure, and whether attachment hierarchies are necessary to identify figures who fulfill the feature of safe haven. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Change in relationship quality for partners from lesbian, gay male, and heterosexual couples.

Growth curves for relationship quality over the first 10 years of cohabitation, controlling for separation, were estimated on the basis of survey data obtained over part or all of this time interval. Participants were both partners from 95 lesbian, 92 gay male, and 226 heterosexual couples living without children, and both partners from 312 heterosexual couples living with children. Relative to other partners, those from lesbian couples showed the highest levels of relationship quality averaged over all assessments. Pattern of change in relationship quality varied by type of couple. Partners from lesbian and gay male couples showed no change, those from heterosexual couples without children showed an early phase of accelerated decline followed by a leveling off, and those from heterosexual couples with children showed an early phase of accelerated decline followed by a 2nd phase of accelerated decline. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Developmental changes in relationship quality in gay and lesbian cohabiting couples.

Changes over 3 annual assessments were examined for both partners of 61 gay and 42 lesbian couples on current levels of attachment, autonomy, and equality in the relationship; the importance of attachment, autonomy, and equality in an ideal relationship; and relationship commitment. Lesbian partners rated ideal equality as more important than did gay partners; for both gay and lesbian partners, the importance of ideal attachment decreased over time; and for lesbian partners only, the importance of ideal equality changed curvilinearly over time. For both gay and lesbian partners, changes in relationship commitment over time were explained by changes in the discrepancy between current and ideal levels of equality as well as between current levels of attachment and current levels of autonomy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adjustment of young adolescents in two-parent nuclear, stepfather, and mother-custody families.

This study examined differences in the psychological adjustment (self-reports of global severity of psychopathology, goal directedness, and school-related problems) and correlates of the psychological adjustment of 234 seventh- and ninth-grade students who resided in two-parent nuclear (intact) families, stepfather families, or mother-custody divorced families. These three family structures were equivalent, or were equated statistically, on demographic and socioeconomic variables. Adjustment was unrelated to family structure, gender, and grade or to any interactions among these variables. However, trends in the correlates of adjustment were similar for adolescents in each of the three family-structure groups. Generally, adjustment was negatively related to family conflict and to the use of externalizing coping strategies; was positively related to the family dimensions of cohesion, expressiveness, and personal growth; and was positively related to social support from friends. Current models of adolescent adjustment are discussed, and the limitations of self-report data are noted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The nature and predictors of the trajectory of change in marital quality for husbands and wives over the first 10 years of marriage.

Four parameters of the trajectory of change in marital quality (initial status as well as linear, quadratic, and cubic patterns of change) were estimated for husbands and wives over the first 10 years of marriage (n?=?522 couples at Year 1 and 93 couples at Year 10). Both husbands and wives started their trajectories of change at fairly high levels of marital quality and showed a cubic pattern of change such that marital quality declined fairly rapidly in the early years of marriage, stabilized, and then declined again. Whereas individual-differences variables predicted the initial status of the trajectory, husbands and wives living with only their biological children showed a steeper decline in marital quality than husbands and wives living without children or stepchildren. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differences between couples who end their marriage by fault or no-fault legal procedures.

Spouses from 53 couples who ended their marriage by dissolution (DS), a form of no-fault divorce, were compared with spouses from 59 couples who ended their marriage by fault-based divorce (DV). DV husbands were younger than DS husbands. DV couples were less likely to have pooled finances, and they had more sons than did DS couples. For growth curves over the first 4 years of marriage, relative to DS wives, DV wives had lower starting levels for liking of spouse, trust, and marital quality; higher starting levels for dysfunctional beliefs about relationships and psychological distress; weaker declines in extrinsic motives for being married; and stronger declines for love for spouse. Relative to DS husbands, DV husbands showed a stronger increase in dysfunctional beliefs about relationships. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interaction of sex role self-concept with relationship quality and relationship beliefs in married, heterosexual cohabiting, gay, and lesbian couples.

Examined the relationship between sex-role self-concept (masculine, feminine, undifferentiated, and androgynous) and relationship quality and dysfunctional relationship beliefs among 44 married (mean age 29.68 yrs), 35 heterosexual cohabiting (mean age 28.68 yrs), 50 homosexual (mean age 31.28 yrs), and 56 lesbian (mean age 31.18 yrs) couples. Ss completed questionnaires on demographic and background information, the Bem Sex-Role Inventory, a relationship beliefs inventory, and relationship quality assessments. Individual partner analyses revealed that relationship quality and relationship beliefs differed by Ss' sex-role self-concept. Androgynous and feminine Ss reported higher relationship quality than masculine and undifferentiated Ss; androgynous Ss had fewer "disagreement is destructive" beliefs than feminine Ss; and androgynous Ss had fewer "partner cannot change" beliefs than undifferentiated Ss. Couple analyses showed a relation between partners' sex-role self-concept only for the heterosexual cohabiting couples. For these couples, masculine men tended to pair with feminine or undifferentiated women, and androgynous partners tended to pair together. Relative to other couples, those in which one or both partners were androgynous or feminine reported the highest relationship quality; couples in which one or both partners were undifferentiated or masculine reported the lowest. These effects did not vary by type of couple. It is concluded that sex-role self-concept is a robust factor in appraisals of relationship quality. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychologists' attitudes and activities regarding nuclear arms.

Investigated the attitudes and activities of 297 members of the American Psychological Association (APA) concerning a nuclear freeze/disarmament, using a 20-item questionnaire. Results show that the majority of Ss agreed with the stance posited by the APA's Council of Representatives and were not supportive of psychologist/private citizen role separation. The majority of Ss participated in reading relevant literature, signing petitions, and engaging in informal discussions. (10 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationship quality of partners in heterosexual married, heterosexual cohabiting, and gay and lesbian relationships.

Studied the relationship quality of 44 married, 35 heterosexual cohabiting, 50 male homosexual, and 56 female homosexual monogamous couples. Each couple lived together and did not have children in the home. Relationship quality was dimensionalized as love for partner (LP), liking of partner, and relationship satisfaction (RS). Cohabiting partners had the lowest LP and RS scores on a questionnaire assessing relationship quality. Differences were found among partner types on barriers to leaving the relationship, alternatives to the relationship, a belief that mind reading is expected in the relationship, masculinity, femininity, androgyny, dyadic attachment, shared decision making, and perceived social support from family. The 4 groups did not differ in psychological adjustment. For each type of couple, LP was related to many barriers to leaving the relationship and high dyadic attachment; liking of partner was related to few alternatives to the relationship, high dyadic attachment, and high shared decision making; and RS was related to many attractions, few alternatives, few beliefs regarding the destructiveness of disagreement, high dyadic attachment, and high shared decision making. Results are discussed in the context of existing models of relationship quality. (57 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relation of eighth graders' family structure, gender, and family environment with academic performance and school behavior.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 80(3) of Journal of Educational Psychology (see record 2008-10692-001). Table 2 contained incorrect data. The first column of data contained correlations whose signs should have been reversed. The complete correct table appears in the erratum.] The purpose of this study was to assess how family structure, gender, and family environment were related to both academic performance (end-of-the-year grades and quantitative and verbal achievement factor scores) and school behavior (number of days absent, number of days tardy, and number of in-school detentions). Subjects were 219 middle-class eighth graders (96 boys, 123 girls). Generally, students in two-parent nuclear families had better academic performance and less problematic school behavior than did students in either mother-custody or stepfather families. Boys had more detentions than did girls. Despite significant differences among the three family structures, the family structure variable accounted at most for only 7% of the variability in academic performance and school behavior. A family environment that emphasized achievement and intellectual pursuits accounted for variability in end-of-the-year grades beyond that accounted for by family structure, gender, and family conflict. The joint consideration of family structure, gender, and family environment accounted at most for 17% of the variance in academic performance and school behavior. For students in the mother-custody and stepfather families, contact with father was unrelated to academic performance. Findings are discussed in terms of models of achievement motivation and behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)