This study examined the qualitative differences between the types of strengths identified by satisfied versus distressed couples seeking a Marriage Checkup. We hypothesised that distressed couples would nominate less intimate strengths, while satisfied couples would nominate more intimate strengths. We found that distressed partners were significantly more likely to nominate items from a Parallel Support category, whereas satisfied women, but not men, were significantly more likely to nominate items from an Intimate/Affectionate category. These findings suggest that an indicator of developing couple distress is the point where couples begin to focus their attention on less emotionally vulnerable relationship aspects.

This study explored which parent–child relationship factors are most important in predicting children's and parents’ anxiety. The participants were 52 fathers, 52 mothers, 30 sons and 30 daughters. Parents completed a measure of anxiety and a measure of the parent–child relationship. Children completed two measures of anxiety. Mothers’ communication was found to be the only significant predictor of sons’ anxiety. Daughters’ anxiety was significantly predicted by fathers’ communication and mothers’ satisfaction with parenting. These findings signal the important role the opposite-sex parent has in children's anxiety. Moreover, feeling supported as a parent and having the ability to communicate effectively with their children are important predictors of parents’ wellbeing.

Close relationships play a crucial role in physical and psychological well-being. However, the mechanisms through which relationship factors may enable individuals to maintain overall health have not been widely explored. The primary objective of this study was to examine the mediating role of emotion regulation and sleep in the link between romantic relationship attachment and health. Additionally, differences in sleep patterns and emotion regulation across romantic relationship attachment styles were explored. The survey inquired about the quality and quantity of sleep, attachment quality, emotion regulatory factors, and overall health. The participants included 172 undergraduate students (17–30 years) at a midwestern U.S. university. Romantic relationship attachment security was associated with better sleep, better emotion regulatory strategies, and health. Sleep and emotion regulatory strategies mediated the association between attachment and sleep patterns in a three-path mediation. Findings show greater disruptions in sleep patterns and emotion regulatory factors across attachment styles (i.e., secure, preoccupied, dismissive, and fearful attachment). The findings have implications for sleep disorder intervention programs that emphasise better emotion regulatory strategies and promote healthy relationship patterns.

This study investigated cross-sex best friendships in the experience and expression of jealousy within romantic relationships. Survey data (N = 346) revealed engaged-to-be-married individuals, compared to single, dating and married individuals, have the most negative attitudes regarding cross-sex best friendships. Results further indicated preventive jealousy experience is a predictor of rival-focused jealousy expression, and reactive jealousy experience is a predictor of both constructive and destructive jealousy expressions. Findings also suggest attitudes toward cross-sex best friendships can mediate the relationship between how jealousy is experienced and expressed in relation to reactive jealousy experience and destructive jealousy expression. Implications are discussed regarding how cross-sex best friendships can adversely affect romantic relationships.

Saudade is a psychological reaction to the absence of significant others or familiar places. The correlates of the experience of saudade were examined using a sample of Portuguese adults. Two hundred and twenty-seven participants of both genders, aged 20–65, were presented with (a) the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), (b) the Positive and Negative Affect Schedules (PANAS), (c) the brief Loneliness Scale (ULS-6), (d) the Neo Five-Factor Personality Inventory (NEO-FFI), and (e) an experience of saudade two-item scale. Experience of saudade was more often reported by females than by males, and positively correlated with negative affect, loneliness, and neuroticism.

The present study examines the influence of attachment style on the communication choices people make in response to relational dissatisfaction and disengagement. A path analysis models these choices, showing that a secure attachment style predicts the use of voice and de-escalation. A preoccupied style predicts neglect, loyalty, and de-escalation. A dismissing-avoidant style also leads to neglect and loyalty, but predicts behavioural de-escalation. Finally, a fearful-avoidant style indicates more limited communication choices and relational exit. The model shows the possibility of strategically made communication choices changing the results of these attachment style outcomes. Pathways through the model show that active communication choices lead to more positive long-term relational outcomes and passive choices predict relational challenges.

Multiple theories and models (e.g., attachment theory, rejection sensitivity) suggest that relationship expectations, such as views of others as trustworthy, reliable and supportive, are important outcomes of relationship experiences. We used a new measure to assess children's (N = 837, age 9 to 13 years) optimistic and pessimistic relationship expectations of their family relationships separate from their expectations of peers/others. Our aim was to investigate whether family structure, interparental conflict and parenting dimensions were important correlates of these two aspects of children's relationship expectations. Six maternal and paternal dimensions of parenting were measured, including warmth, rejection, structure, chaos, autonomy support, and coercive behaviour. Children who reported witnessing more interparental conflict had more negative relationship expectations about their family and about others, but these associations were no longer significant when the parenting dimensions were considered. Family structure was not associated with children's relationship expectations of peers/others, but children who had experienced parental divorce had less positive family relationship expectations. Overall, many of the six parenting dimensions were associated with family expectations, but fewer were associated with expectations of peers/others. Further, the maternal parenting dimensions associated with children's relationship expectations differed from the paternal dimensions. These findings are important for understanding how children think about their relationships and may guide the development of interventions targeting children of divorce.

Intimate relationship satisfaction was evaluated by 258 (male and female) dating, engaged, and married Chinese individuals on four dimensions (emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and physical), which were examined in relation to several personal and social characteristics (emotional intelligence, extraversion, neuroticism, agreeableness, self-esteem, partner's physical attractiveness, traditional Chinese values, gender attributes, interpersonal trust, locus of control, and family emotional support) as hypothesised predictors of relationship intimacy. In turn, the four relationship dimensions were tested as predictors for satisfaction of the belongingness need. Correlations confirmed the hypothesised relationships that the personal and social variables had with the four intimate relationship dimensions, while regressions revealed different patterns of predictors across gender for each of the relationship dimensions. Also, plots of the different mean scores on the four relationship dimensions for dating, engaged, and married individuals revealed very similar patterns, with engaged persons consistently showing the highest scores on all four dimensions. In addition, overall satisfaction with one's intimate relationship proved to be a predictor of satisfaction of the belongingness need for both genders. The discussion centres on the variables that predicted the intimate relationship dimensions and on gender differences in those variables and in variables that predicted satisfaction of the belongingness need.

The effect of a relationship separation on wellbeing is substantial. However, without divorce parameters, individuals in dating or cohabiting relationships may struggle to access support mechanisms. A systematic review was conducted to identify controlled trials of interventions targeting individuals who have experienced a non-marital relationship separation, to supplement the divorce literature. The aim of the review was to assess the impact of these interventions on mental health. Five articles were identified through PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES and Medline databases. Overall, two of the trials reported a significant improvement in specific mental health outcomes at post-test and/or follow-up. Of the two trials demonstrating efficacy in mental health outcomes, one used a weekly, forgiveness-based group intervention and the other was a writing-based, self-initiated intervention. A lack of trials testing theory-driven interventions for relationship separation is of particular concern. Limitations of the existing literature and corresponding directions for future research are discussed.

Coping with psychological suffering after combat deployment has been identified across a diverse range of wars and countries as having the potential to negatively influence the long-term wellbeing of female partners of veterans. The aim of the study was to explore whether romantic partners of veterans (N = 97) suffered higher levels of psychological distress and destructive relationship conflict, lower relationship satisfaction and perceived social support when compared to female Australians in the civilian population (N = 87). Australian participants completed an anonymous online survey, and overall means were calculated for each group and compared using independent samples t tests. Results from the study indicated strong support for all research hypotheses in the expected directions. Research findings suggest that Australian females romantically involved with Afghanistan War veterans are more vulnerable to experiencing relationship dysfunction and are at an increased risk of impaired psychological health in the Australian population.

Extradyadic involvement — emotional, romantic, or sexual involvement with another person outside of one's romantic relationship — may have serious personal and relational consequences. The current research examines extradyadic involvement in two samples of individuals in relationships and identifies subgroups of people based on their engagement in different types of extradyadic behaviour. To assess involvement in such behaviour, we created a new behavioural inventory intended to broaden the conceptualisation of types of extradyadic behaviours. Subgroups of individuals who engage in these behaviours were extracted using latent class analysis. Study 1 assessed undergraduate students in relationships (N = 339), and results revealed four classes of individuals: loyal, confiding, deceptive, and unfaithful. Follow-up tests demonstrated that these classes of individuals differed significantly in ways that are consistent with the investment model and attachment theory. Study 2 (N = 202) replicated the four-class solution, as well as the group differences in relationship functioning and attachment orientations. Results suggest theoretically consistent typologies of extradyadic behaviour that may be useful in differentiating deceptive behaviour in close relationships in a more precise way.

This study looked at lay theories of how people with personality disorders (PDs) are perceived to cope with their interpersonal relationships. In all, 213 participants read 14 vignettes derived from Oldham's and Morris's (2000) book describing DSM III personality disorders for a popular audience. Participants were invited to do six ratings, including how happy each person in each vignette appeared to be and how successful at establishing long-term relationships. Effect sizes for each question across the 14 vignettes were small to medium. The six ratings factored into a single social adjustment scale, and there were many differences across the PDs on this measure. Those with dependent PD were judged as most successful in their social relationships while those who were schizoid PD were judged as least successful. A similar analysis using the three higher order clusters showed significant differences: Cluster C disordered people were judged as better adjusted than Cluster A people. Limitations of the methodology and implications are discussed.

This study evaluated the Bullying: The Power to Cope program (Bernard, 2012), which is designed to teach children the ideas espoused in the practice of rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT) to employ in response to bullying. Self-report data were collected at pre- and post-test of children's cognitive, behavioural, and emotional coping responses to four written bullying vignettes. At pre-test, children's personal qualities of intrinsic resiliency were also measured. The sample consisted of 139 participants in Melbourne, Australia (n = 80 in the experimental group and n = 59 in the control group), aged from 10 to 14 years. Results indicated children in the experimental group improved in cognitive and emotional coping responses relative to children in the control group. Females showed greater improvement than males in coping responses to bullying as a consequence of the intervention. Entering levels of intrinsic resiliency did not moderate the effects of the intervention program on children's coping responses. The cognitive and emotional coping responses of females to bullying vignettes (pre-test) were significantly more negative and emotionally intense than males. The implications of these findings are discussed, as well as limitations and directions for future research.

The goal of this study was to elicit and analyse teachers’ reflections on the benefits of the implementation of the SEL program in Latvia, both in regard to benefits for the students and in regard to benefits for themselves. The school-wide Latvia SEL program was initiated during the 2012–13 academic year and to date has been implemented in 41 Latvian schools. In order to ascertain the teachers’ views on issues of program effectiveness, seven focus groups were organised consisting of teachers who had participated in the SEL program implementation. Thematic analysis of the focus group discussions indicated that the teachers appreciate various benefits of the SEL program, but among the most prominent themes were those concerning improved relationships, both student-student and student-teacher relationships. The views expressed by the teachers align with previous studies implying the significance of the teachers’ own social and emotional competencies in facilitating quality maintenance of the program.

Although there is considerable support for the influence of maternal attachment on children's development (see Gerhardt, 2015), this is one of the first studies to examine the effects of maternal prenatal reports of attachment representations with close others on reports of infants’ health. Mothers (N = 483) completed surveys to assess attachment and depression in the second or third trimester of pregnancy, infants’ health over the first 6 months, and depression and infant temperament when infants were 6 months old. We found that insecure mothers, as compared to secure mothers, were more likely to report that their infants experienced colic and illnesses associated with immune, cardiovascular, and respiratory systems. It may be that secure mothers experience less anxiety associated with parenting and, as expected, were consistently found to report lower levels of infant illness symptoms. Alternatively, secure mothers would be expected to provide more consistent and responsive care compared to insecure mothers, which may also influence their infants’ physical health (see also Gerhardt, 2015). Future research needs to further explore this finding — do secure mothers simply perceive their infants to be healthier due to their own low anxiety or are infants of secure mothers healthier due to consistent and responsive care received?

It is believed that conflict exists on a spectrum, which holds interest for many relationship researchers. However, it is not well understood how music is utilised within couples when they engage in conflict, considering music has been known to assist in reducing physiological, emotional, and social regulation. The proposed study explored how music was utilised in times of conflict for couples through a grounded theory approach. The main themes that emerged were: variability of choice, knowledge of partner's habits, communication, similarity of style, relational distance, repair attempt, music utilisation as relational engagement, emotional regulation, and hopeful togetherness. These themes are presented in a theoretical model of how couples utilise music to regulate social, emotional, and biological domains of their relationship.

The current study investigated how a sample of adolescents perceived the level of equity with friends, teachers, parents, and siblings; and how equity influenced adolescents’ affect. Analysis of responses from 208 Australian secondary students showed that level of perceived equity influenced positive and negative affect. Respondents’ mean scores showed they were more benefitted in their relationships with parents, siblings, friends and least benefitted in relations with teachers. Respondents were most frequently equitable in their relationships with friends. Importantly, consistent with previous research, negative affect was consistently associated with both the underbenefitted and overbenefitted conditions, particularly in relationships with parents and teachers. In conclusion, the findings confirm the initial proposition of equity theory when applied to multiple relationships with adolescents.

Two studies investigated how the development and maintenance of old and new relationships predict spontaneous and reactive self-concept change. For Study 1 (n = 143), freshmen in their first 8 weeks of college completed a Twenty Statements Test (TST), and indicated how close they felt in their established and new relationships. Eight weeks later, they indicated which aspects on the TST had changed. The results showed that closeness to old relationships at Time 1 predicted fewer deletions to their Time 2 TST, whereas closeness to new relationships at Time 1 predicted more additions to their Time 2 TST. For Study 2 (n = 195), participants completed a Big Five personality measure and closeness measure at two time points. The results showed that decreased closeness in old relationships at Time 2 predicted overall change to personality profiles. Implications for the link between relationships and self-concept change are discussed.

This cross-sectional research focused on social problem solving (SPS) as a field within social behaviour among Hungarian 10-, 14-, and 16-year-olds (N = 459) in connection with people who considerably affect one's SPS (mothers, fathers, teachers, peers). We used the Social Problem Solving Inventory — Revised (SPSI–R; D'Zurilla, Nezu, & Maydeu-Olivares, 2002; factors: PPO = Positive Problem Orientation; NPO = Negative Problem Orientation; RPS = Rational Problem Solving; I = Impulsivity; A = Avoidance) as a measurement. The content of the original questionnaire has not been changed; the only applied modification concerns the instruction of being person-based when filling in the questionnaire. Based on the results, mothers’ and children's opinion were quite similar in all age groups. Fathers believed that RPS and PPO are more typical, contrary to their children's standpoint (only among 16-year-olds). The teachers saw fewer differences between pupils in terms of their SPS as they spent more years together. In light of the collected data, person-based SPS differs mainly in terms of NPO and A.

Little research exists on how partners of sex offenders are perceived. Using attachment theory, we hypothesised that one's attachment would generalise to perceptions of sexual offenders and their partners. One hundred and six British adults’ attachment styles were assessed, as well as perceptions of sex offenders and their partners. Generally, perceivers’ attachment avoidance was associated with positive perceptions of both partners and offenders, while attachment anxiety was associated with negative perceptions of partners but positive perceptions of sex offenders. Perceptions of sex offenders and their partners were highly correlated and negative in nature, and sex offenders were more negatively perceived.