Adult Intimate Relationships Research Articles

Adult Intimate Relationships and Psychological Adjustment

This study explored relations among perceived acceptance and behavioral control by intimate partners, remembrances of parents’ acceptance and behavioral control in childhood, and adults’ psychological adjustment. The study was conducted on 98 American adults (50 men and 48 women) between ages 18 and 50 (mean 26 years). Measures used were the Adult version of the Parental Acceptance-Rejection/Control Questionnaire for Mothers and Fathers(Adult PARQ/Control: Mother and Father); Intimate Partner Acceptance-Rejection/Control Questionnaire (IPAR/CQ); and, the Adult version of the Personality Assessment Questionnaire (Adult PAQ). Results showed significant positive correlations between psychological adjustment and perceived partner acceptance and parental acceptance for both women and men. Results also showed significant negative correlations between psychological adjustment and perceived partner control and parental control for both women and men. Regression analyses, however, revealed a significant independent effect of only paternal acceptance (but not of maternal and partner acceptance) on the psychological adjustment of men. Regression analyses also revealed significant independent effects of both paternal and maternal acceptance (but not partner acceptance) on the psychological adjustment of women.

Relationship trauma: Assessing the criteria of trauma in adult intimate abusive relationships

The present study analyzed the factor structure of items related to trauma experienced in the context of an abusive intimate adult relationship. One hundred and twenty male and female participants who experienced an abusive traumatic relationship completed the post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTRS) questionnaire, a 40-item scale, measuring several dimensions of relationship trauma. The scale was shown to have strong reliability (α = 0.97) and between 0.70 and 0.96 for the varying factors. Seven meaningful factors resulted from an exploratory factor analysis used to assess the performance of items related to trauma symptomatology in abusive relationships. These factors included: Physiological Anxiety Responses, Safety/Trust, Hyperarousal, Emotional/Cognitive Dysregulation, Intimate Relational Changes, Emotional/Psychological Distress, and Loss/Isolation. The PTRS questionnaire appears to be a reliable and valid screening tool for relationship trauma. Key words: Relationship, trauma, abusive relationships, post traumatic symptoms, factors.

Men Who Experienced Violence or Trauma as Children or Adolescents and Who Used Violence in Their Intimate Relationships

Understanding the lived experience of men who have committed violent acts against their intimate partners may provide insight into nursing interventions that may prevent or cease violence against women. Nurses have opportunities to intervene with men who use violence in their intimate relationships who present with a history of maltreatment or trauma as a child or young adult or who have a history of having been exposed to cultures that promoted violence. The purpose of this study was to gain insight into the lived, everyday experiences of men who have used violence in their intimate relationships, including the men's values, purposes, and choices they had in life. To answer the research question, “What is the lived experience of men who have used violence in their intimate relationships and who have used alcohol or other drugs?” a descriptive, phenomenological research design was undertaken. Unstructured individual interviews with seven men resulted in the emergence of 16 themes, three of which are described in this paper: being part of a family culture that promoted violence; being part of a non-family culture that promoted violence; and early experiences of maltreatment or trauma. The participants described how their experiences with maltreatment or trauma as children and young adults impacted their mental health as adults and their use of violence in their adult intimate relationships. The participants’ experiences provided insight into how nurses can intervene to prevent or stop violence against women and provided implications for future research.

Responding to the needs of others: The caregiving behavioral system in intimate relationships

The caregiving behavioral system has been identified as a vital component of adult attachment bonds, but until recently it has received relatively little attention in the adult attachment literature. In this article, we review recent theoretical and empirical developments on caregiving dynamics in adult intimate relationships, focusing on normative processes and individual differences. In doing so, we discuss the factors that facilitate or impede responsiveness in couples, and the importance of responsiveness for the development and maintenance of secure relationships. We conclude by discussing some key directions for future research.

Assessment of relationship-specific incentive and threat sensitivities: predicting satisfaction and affect in adult intimate relationships.

Self-report scales assessing relationship-specific incentive and threat sensitivity were created. Initial tests of factor structure and associations with relationship quality were conducted in a sample of persons in intimate relationships (Study 1). Associations with conceptually related measures were examined to determine convergent and discriminant validity in a sample of dating couples (Study 2). Cross-validation of the factor structure was established in engaged couples (Study 3) and in newlywed couples (Study 4). In Study 4, couples also engaged in a laboratory-based threat task (discussion about a significant marital problem) and incentive task (discussion about loving aspects of the partner/marriage). Relationship incentive sensitivity predicted higher positive affect after the incentive task for both husbands and wives. Relationship threat sensitivity predicted greater anxiety in response to the threat laboratory task for wives only. Implications of approach and avoidance motivations in close relationship processes and outcomes are discussed.

Court-Mandated Group Treatment for a Violent Woman: Roxy

Significant debate exists in the field about when to respond and how best to intervene when partner violence has occurred. This case study tells the story of a woman who was arrested for partner violence and was court-ordered to a 52-week treatment program. Her childhood was one of ongoing trauma, abuse, and abandonment. As an adult, all of her adult intimate relationships included violence. She was sometimes the victim, sometimes the offender, and often both. The program she attended, NOVA Non-Violent Alternatives, uses a psychotherapeutic approach of cognitive–behavioral strategies grounded in attachment theory, trauma theory, and social learning theory. In addition to learning specific skills for emotional self-regulation, communication, and respectful relationships, clients examine the influences of their family of origin experiences—and how those shaped their beliefs about themselves, their intimate relationships, and how they get their emotional needs met—and share these insights in the group. Roxy’s narrative illustrates the generational nature of family trauma and violence. Although despairing because of her ongoing problems, she would not have sought help on her own. It took the authority of the court to require her to get help and then to hold her accountable.

What's Reality Got to Do with It?: Projective Processes in Adult Intimate Relationships

Freud and Klein describe projective processes—projection, projective identification, and the repetition compulsion—that cause interpersonal distortions not only in the psychotherapy relationship but in adult intimate relationships as well. Winnicott's theory of the use of an object describes a way of relating that is free of the distortions of projection, opening up the possibility of differentiation between intimate partners. Two case examples illustrate how addressing projective processes assisted one patient in extricating herself from a psychologically abusive relationship and helped a couple in treatment to move from object relating to object use. It is argued that the use of these psychoanalytic theories has an important role within a modern relational social work practice.

Abolishing Marriage: Can Civil Partnership Cover it?

This paper argues that all adult intimate relationships should be regulated under one single statute. This statute should be the Civil Partnership Act 2004 (which currently applies to same sex couples). The Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 (which applies to opposite sex couples), should be repealed; it should not be amended to include same sex couples. There would, as a consequence, be no such thing as (legal) marriage. Marriage as a legal construct is a heterosexual and patriarchal institution and is therefore so fundamentally flawed it is beyond the possibility of successful reform or repair. The present system of having two distinct legal means of relationship recognition is akin to sexual apartheid and is therefore unsustainable in the long term. Having a legal system which recognises only one form of legal partnership would therefore formally end a discriminatory system. Despite its drawbacks, Civil Partnership does not have the same extent of symbolic and practical degree of flaws as marriage.

Abolishing Marriage: Can Civil Partnership Cover it?

This paper argues that all adult intimate relationships should be regulated under one single statute. This statute should be the Civil Partnership Act 2004 (which currently applies to same sex couples). The Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 (which applies to opposite sex couples), should be repealed; it should not be amended to include same sex couples. There would, as a consequence, be no such thing as (legal) marriage. Marriage as a legal construct is a heterosexual and patriarchal institution and is therefore so fundamentally flawed it is beyond the possibility of successful reform or repair. The present system of having two distinct legal means of relationship recognition is akin to sexual apartheid and is therefore unsustainable in the long term. Having a legal system which recognises only one form of legal partnership would therefore formally end a discriminatory system. Despite its drawbacks, Civil Partnership does not have the same extent of symbolic and practical degree of flaws as Marriage.

Able to Live, Laugh and Love

The autobiographical documentary film "18q - a valuable life", is one attempt to redefine the place of disability in contemporary western society. My work presents some key moments in my life and that of my family since the birth of my youngest child, Allycia in 1995. Allycia was born with a rare genetic condition affecting the 18th chromosome resulting in her experiencing the world somewhat differently to the rest of the family. The condition, which manifests in a myriad of ways with varying levels of severity, affects individuals' physical and intellectual development (Chromosome 18, n. pag.). While the film outlines the condition and Allycia's medical history, the work is primarily concerned with the experiences of the family and offering an alternate story of disability as "other". Drawing on Rosemarie Garland Thomson's notion of shape structuring story ("Shape") and Margrit Shildrick's discussion of becoming vulnerable as theoretical foundations, I reflect on how the making of the film has challenged my previously held views about disability and ultimately about myself.

The Intergenerational Transmission of Relationship Quality

Using a social learning perspective and the spillover assumption of the family systems perspective, the current study sought to examine the assumptions that remarriage quality is potentially a stronger predictor of adult children's later relationship attitudes, behaviors, and quality than the parents' first marriage. A total of 513 young adults completed a questionnaire regarding the quality of their parents' marital relationships and various aspects of their own committed relationships. Although quality of parents' first marriage predicted aspects of adult children's current committed relationships, for children whose parents remarried, results suggested that parental remarriage quality has more influence on current relational dimensions than the quality of their parents' first marriage. For adult children's intimate relationships, a parental remarriage may provide the more current model of marital interactions and may carry the greater potential for influence.

Attachment styles in adult intimate relationships: comparing women with bulimia nervosa symptoms, women with depression and women with no clinical symptoms

Objective Previous studies examining attachment styles in women with eating problems have investigated parental or peer relationships; this study investigated attachment styles in partner relationships. Women with clinical levels of bulimic symptoms (N = 55), subclinical bulimic symptoms (N = 42), depression but no eating problems (N = 44) and no eating or depressed problems (N = 80) from largely a community sample participated. Method Participants who responded to advertisements completed self-report questionnaires. Results Women with eating disorders and depression reported insecure attachment to partners and negative feelings towards their partner. Women in the control group reported secure attachment and positive feelings towards their partner. Discussion Insecure attachment and poor-quality relationships are problematic for women with clinical disturbances. Further exploration of treatment and development of models of aetiology and maintenance of these disorders should consider functioning in relationships. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.

Intimate Adult Relationships, Quality of Life and Psychological Adjusment

The purpose of this study was to assess relations between adult intimacy, quality of life, and psychological adjustment. Data were collected in the United States from a sample of 64 college students. The measuring instrumentsused were Personal Information Sheet, Adult version of the Personality Assessment Questionnaire (Adult PAQ), Intimate Partner Acceptance-Rejection/Control Questionnaire (IPAR/CQ), and Life Descriptive Scale (LDS). Results revealed significant positive correlations between intimate adult relationships, the quality of life and psychological adjustment. Results also revealed significant independent influences of intimate adult relationships and the quality of life of the respondents on their psychological adjustment.

Childhood abuse and neglect and adult intimate relationships: a prospective study

Objective: The present study extends prior research on childhood maltreatment and social functioning by examining the impact of early childhood physical abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect on rates of involvement in adult intimate relationships and relationship functioning. Method: Substantiated cases of child abuse and neglect from 1967 to 1971 were matched on gender, age, race, and approximate family class with non-abused and non-neglected children and followed prospectively into adulthood. Between 1989 and 1995, 1,196 participants (676 abused and neglected and 520 controls) were administered a 2-hour in-person interview, including a psychiatric assessment and a variety of standardized rating scales. Results: Male and female abuse and neglect victims reported higher rates of cohabitation, walking out, and divorce than controls. Abused and neglected females were also less likely than female controls to have positive perceptions of current romantic partners and to be sexually faithful. Conclusions: Although previous research on childhood maltreatment and adult intimate relationships has emphasized outcomes for female victims of childhood sexual abuse, present findings suggest that other forms of early maltreatment (physical abuse and neglect) also have a negative effect on both males’ and females’ ability to establish and maintain healthy intimate relationships in adulthood.

Association between depression and abuse by partners of women attending general practice: descriptive, cross sectional survey

Objective To explore the association between depression and physical, emotional, and sexual abuse by partners or ex-partners of women attending general practice.Design Descriptive, cross sectional survey.Setting 30 general practitioners in...

Experience of maltreatment as a child and acceptance of violence in adult intimate relationships: mediating effects of distortions in cognitive schemas.

Links exist between being subjected to maltreatment as a child and tendencies to accept violence as normative in adult relationships. Constructivist Self Development Theory suggests that such relationships may be affected by "cognitive disruptions" in "self" and "other" schemas. Mediating effects of distorted cognitive schemas on the association between history of child maltreatment and the acceptance of violence in intimate interpersonal relationships were investigated among 433 men and women. Outcomes indicated that individuals who reported childhood maltreatment were more likely to display distortions in their cognitive schemas and those individuals with disrupted schemas were more likely to accept relationship violence. Least-square multiple regression analyses revealed that distorted beliefs fully mediated the relationship between reporting childhood maltreatment and acceptance of violence, for both men and women. Subsidiary analyses suggested that this full mediation was replicated for schemas involving the self but not for schemas about others.

Experience of Maltreatment as a Child and Acceptance of Violence in Adult Intimate Relationships: Mediating Effects of Distortions in Cognitive Schemas

Experience of Maltreatment as a Child and Acceptance of Violence in Adult Intimate Relationships: Mediating Effects of Distortions in Cognitive Schemas

A Secure Base: Responsive Support of Goal Strivings and Exploration in Adult Intimate Relationships.

A theoretical framework is proposed for examining the interpersonal processes involved in the support of a relationship partner's goal strivings, personal growth, and exploratory behavior, and for examining consequences of receiving either responsive or unresponsive support in this domain. These processes were examined using both observational and experimental methods. In Phase 1, couples were videotaped as they discussed personal goals for the future. In Phase 2, support behavior was experimentally manipulated to examine immediate effects on the recipient. Results indicated that responsive (nonintrusive) support of a relationship partner's goal strivings and explorations have important implications for the recipient's happiness, self-esteem, and perceived likelihood of achieving specific goals. The importance of research examining this type of support is discussed.

Controversy Over Couples in Canada: The Evolution of Marriage and Other Adult Interdependent Relationships

The issue of how to recognize different types of intimate adult relationships remains a source of controversy in Canada. In this paper, the author surveys the evolution of the current debate surrounding four types of intimate adult relationships that fall outside the traditional definition of marriage: common-law marriage, same-sex partnerships, polygamy, and non-conjugal interdependent relationships. The author begins by examining how Canadian legislatures began in the 1970s to grant spousal rights for a variety of purposes to opposite-sex partners who cohabited in conjugal relationships, and the courts began to recognize property claims using the constructive trust. In Miron v. Trudel (1995), the Supreme Court of Canada held that the failure to grant certain spousal rights to a common-law partner violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. However, the Court held in Nova Scotia (Attorney General) v. Walsh (2002) that it is not discriminatory to deny opposite-sex partners statutory marital property rights, since they have chosen not to marry. While Walsh appears inconsistent with Miron and is unfair to women, it reflects a desire to give marriage a unique and privileged status, and to recognize that a different legal regime may govern those who choose to live together without marrying.The greatest controversy now concerns the recognition of same-sex relationships. The Supreme Court of Canada ruled in M. v. H. (1999) that the failure to give same-sex partners the same rights as opposite-sex unmarried partners violates the Charter. Two appellate courts have recently held that to deny same-sex partners the right to marry violates their human dignity and is therefore unconstitutional. The federal government has formulated a Draft Bill that would give same-sex couples the right to marry, and has made a reference to the Supreme Court asking, among other questions, whether the Bill is consistent with the Charter. The author argues that to deny same-sex partners the right to marry violates the Charter. While judicial activism in this area has been criticized, the denial of marriage rights to same-sex couples would represent a failure to respect the rights of a discrete and insular minority. Courts have now made same-sex marriage legal in two provinces, and it seems inevitable that it will soon be recognized everywhere in Canada.Opponents claim that this trend could lead to the legal recognition of polygamous relationships, but the author rejects this argument. As for non-conjugal relationships, the Law Commission of Canada (2001) recommended legal recognition of a range of such relationships. The author argues that there are contexts in which this is appropriate, but that conjugality should remain a central legal concept for determining rights and obligations.

Implications of Childhood Externalizing Problems for Young Adults

This study uses data from a national sample of married individuals and their offspring to explore the relationships between childhood externalizing problems and adult psychological well‐being, social support, and intimate relationship quality. The results indicate that childhood problems predict lower levels of adult psychological well‐being, kin support, and relationship quality. The relationship between childhood problems and adult intimate relationship quality, and that between childhood problems and later parent‐child relationship quality, is explained after accounting for the reciprocal influences of childhood problems and the quality of teen parent‐child relations. This finding suggests that the best way for parents to prevent and offset their offspring's difficulties is to maintain quality relationships with them.