Conflict In Close Relationships Research Articles

Examining the trajectory of relational conflict leading up to and after an anticipated stressor

AbstractA wealth of research suggests that as stress increases, so does conflict in close relationships. But is this always the case? Specifically, how does the trajectory of conflict unfold in the period before and after an acute and anticipated major life stressor? We capitalize on a 44‐day dyadic diary where one partner was preparing for the New York State Bar Exam (N = 312 couples) to explore the trajectory of conflict leading up to the exam, as well as how these patterns differed once exams finished. Results revealed that examinees and partners reported statistically meaningful decreases in conflict as exams approached, which contrasts prior research. This was followed by a spike in the likelihood of conflict immediately after exams were finished, and a quick return to low likelihoods of conflict one week after exams. This work highlights how couples, even in the face of stress, regulate their emotions and engage in relationship maintenance processes. However, relationship frustrations tend to be expressed—resulting in conflict—once the stressor is over. Not only does this work inform theories about relational conflict during times of stress, but it also highlights the need to study the dynamics of stress before, during, and after meaningful life events.

Stress generation hypothesis of depressive symptoms in interpersonal stressful life events: The roles of cognitive triad and coping styles via structural equation modeling

The Stress Generation Hypothesis (SGH) suggests that depressive symptoms lead to stressful interpersonal life events. Based on this hypothesis, a theoretical model was proposed, which tested whether depressive symptoms predict interpersonal conflict via the cognitive triad, emotion-focused coping, and conflict tendency. A non-clinical sample of undergraduate university students (N = 313) participated in the present study. Most participants were female (251 women, 62 men). The mean age of the sample was 20.27 (SD = 3.75). Participants completed a questionnaire set composed of the Beck Depression Inventory, Cognitive Triad Inventory, The Ways of Coping Scale, Conflict Tendency Scale, and Form of Conflict in Close Relationships. According to the model, depressive symptoms were significantly associated with emotion-focused coping and negative cognitive triad, both of which were related with conflict tendency that was in turn associated with conflict frequency. The model explained 24% of the variance in conflict frequency. In future studies and psychotherapy practice, depressive symptoms, emotion-focused coping, and negative attributions about the self, others, and the future should be taken into account with regard to interpersonal conflict.

Do you get where I'm coming from?: Perceived understanding buffers against the negative impact of conflict on relationship satisfaction.

Conflict can have damaging effects on relationship health. But is all conflict detrimental? Across 7 studies, we tested the overarching hypothesis that conflict in close relationships is only detrimental when people do not feel their thoughts, feelings, and point of view are understood by their relationship partners. Supporting this, conflict was negatively associated with relationship satisfaction among participants who perceived their romantic partner as less understanding, but not among those who felt more understood by their partners. This was true cross-sectionally (Study 1), experimentally (Studies 2, 3, 6a, and 6b), in daily life (Study 4), and for both members of couples pre- to postconflict conversation in the laboratory (Study 5). The buffering effects of feeling understood could not be explained by people who felt more understood being more understanding themselves, having more general positive perceptions of their partners, fighting about less important or different types of issues, engaging in more pleasant conflict conversations, or being more satisfied with their relationships before the conflict. Perceived understanding was positively associated with conflict resolution, but this did not explain the benefits of feeling understood. Evidence from Studies 6a and 6b suggests that feeling understood during conflict may buffer against reduced relationship satisfaction in part because it strengthens the relationship and signals that one's partner is invested. Overall, these studies suggest that perceived understanding may be a critical buffer against the potentially detrimental effects of relationship conflict.

Health Implications of Conflict in Close Relationships

AbstractWe summarize the large body of research conducted over the previous 30 years on the link between interpersonal conflict and physiological outcomes, with a focus on implications for health. Specifically, we review evidence that conflict in close, romantic relationships affects internal bodily processes, including cardiovascular, endocrine, and immune function, as well as objective health indicators. We focus on studies that have utilized standardized, laboratory‐based conflict discussions, as we believe this methodology provides the clearest picture of how conflict affects health. It is our hope that this general overview serves as a useful introduction to the state of the field.

Assisting couples to develop healthy relationships: Effects of couples relationship education on cortisol

Couple conflict in unhappy marriages is suggested to impair individual health via chronic psychophysiological stress reactions in couples' everyday lives. As a consequence, we hypothesized that standard couples relationship education (CRE) would decrease psychophysiological stress, namely salivary cortisol levels, during couple conflict in the laboratory as compared to a standard psychological stress paradigm. We considered cortisol to be of particular interest in this context, as it mediates endocrine and immune responses to stress, and thus might influence couples' health. Salivary cortisol was repeatedly investigated in 61 couples during (a) a standard psychological stress test with no relevance for the couples, and (b) a standard couple conflict discussion in the laboratory before and after CRE. In addition, increases in self-evaluated relationship quality were analyzed with regard to their influence on salivary cortisol. Data were analyzed using multilevel modeling. Cortisol responses to the couple-external psychological stress test were unaffected by CRE, but specifically cortisol responses during the couple conflict discussion were significantly reduced following CRE compared to pre-intervention levels. Moreover, cortisol decreases during conflict were partially mediated by increases in self-reported relationship quality following CRE. These data suggest that CRE might buffer the harmful effects of repeated conflict in close relationships. Rather than ameliorating overall stress resilience, CRE might thus specifically improve individual health through increased relationship quality and reduced HPA axis activity during couple conflict.

Emotion regulation in emerging adult couples: Temperament, attachment, and HPA response to conflict

Difficulty managing the stress of conflict in close relationships can lead to mental and physical health problems, possibly through dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, the neuroendocrine stress response system. Temperament, an individual characteristic, and attachment, a dyadic characteristic, have both been implicated in emotion regulation processes and physiological reactivity, yet there is no clear consensus on how the two work together to influence the stress response, especially after childhood. The present study investigated the ways in which temperament and attachment together predict HPA response in emerging adult couples. Analyses using multilevel modeling (HLM) found that partners’ dyadic fit on attachment avoidance impacted females’ cortisol response patterns, and attachment avoidance further moderated the effect of males’ emotionality on both their own and their partners’ cortisol. Results are discussed in terms of emotional coregulation processes in romantic attachment.

Can differences in stress perception and coping explain sex differences in depressive symptoms in adolescents?

A four-year longitudinal study explored the different contribution of low self-esteem, different types of stressors, conflict in close relationships and avoidant coping to the explanation of depressive symptomatology in adolescents. One hundred and ninety adolescents, 101 females and 89 males, participated in four annual assessments using diverse instruments. ANOVAs repeated measurements revealed a higher stress level, more conflicts with mothers and more avoidant coping in females as compared to males at the age of 14 years. Males showed fewer depressive symptoms and higher positive self-esteem at all times. Multiple regression analysis revealed that stress and avoidant coping in early and mid-adolescence explained a significant proportion of depressive symptoms among females in late adolescence. Among males, only the level of conflicts with friends in early adolescence contributed to their level of depressive outcome in late adolescence.

The role of child maltreatment and attachment style in adolescent relationship violence.

Utilizing attachment theory as a basis for conceptualizing close relationships among adolescents, this study investigated two important relationship risk factors (child maltreatment, and adolescent self-perceived insecure attachment style) as predictors of "offender" and "victim" experiences in youth relationships. In addition to considering the influence of these risk factors, we further considered their interaction in predicting conflict in close relationships. Of interest was the extent to which attachment styles may function as a moderator of the relationship between childhood abuse and current abuse in teen close relationships. High school students (N = 321) in grades 9 and 10 completed questionnaires tapping their histories of maltreatment, currently viewed styles of attachment, and conflict in close relationships over the past 6 months. Maltreatment alone emerged as the most consistent predictor, accounting for 13-18% of the variance in male's physically, sexually, and verbally abusive behaviors; in contrast, it was not highly predictive of female's abusive behaviors. Maltreatment was predictive of victimization experiences for both males and females. Attachment style did not substantially add to the prediction of relationship conflict beyond maltreatment; however, avoidant attachment style emerged repeatedly as a significant predictor of female abusiveness and victimization. Attachment self-ratings were found to function as a moderator of child maltreatment in predicting primarily male coercive behavior towards a relationship partner as well as predicting male's experience of coercion from a partner. Thus, the presence of childhood maltreatment and adolescent self-perceived insecure attachment style applies predominantly to male youth. The implication of these gender differences for understanding relationship violence is discussed.

Social support, social conflict, and adjustment among adolescents with cancer.

Evaluate support and conflict in close relationships of adolescents in active medical treatment for cancer. Family and friend perceptions of supportive and conflictual behaviors were examined in relation to psychological distress, taking into account the impact of functional impairment induced by the illness. Using self-report questionnaires, 50 adolescents between the ages of 12 and 20 years rated the frequency of supportive and conflictual interactions with parents, siblings and best friends. Results indicated that perceived maternal conflict was associated with psychological distress. Conflict with fathers, siblings, and best friends was not associated with distress. Supportive aspects of close relationships did not predict psychological distress. The amount of physical impairment accounted for the most variance in distress, contributing between 35% and 38% of the variance. Results suggest that mother-adolescent conflict would be an appropriate target for psychosocial interventions.

Conflict in close relationships: An attachment perspective.

Conflict in close relationships: An attachment perspective.

Conflict in close relationships: an attachment perspective.

This study investigated how perceptions of current dating partners and relationships change after people with different attachment orientations attempt to resolve a problem in their relationship. Dating couples were videotaped while they tried to resolve either a major or a minor problem. Confirming predictions from attachment theory, men and women who had a more ambivalent orientation perceived their partner and relationship in relatively less positive terms after discussing a major problem. Observer ratings revealed that more ambivalent women who tried to resolve a major problem displayed particularly strong stress and anxiety and engaged in more negative behaviors. Conversely, men with a more avoidant orientation were rated as less warm and supportive, especially if they discussed a major problem. These results are discussed in terms of how highly ambivalent and highly avoidant people differentially perceive and respond to distressing events.

Group membership, social rules, and power: A social-psychological perspective on emotional communication

This paper reviews research on the language and communication of emotion in interpersonal situations between people in different social groups. Three main areas are reviewed: self-disclosures between people of different ages or different social status, conflict in close relationships, including the tendency of men to withdraw and women to engage conflict; and assertive communication. All these contexts are highly rule-governed, and power is also a highly salient variable in all of them. Overall, the literature suggests that people communicate their emotions in such difficult contexts using strategies that maximise their own comfort and sense of power. These strategies are closely tied to sociostructural power differences.

Sad and guilty? Affective influences on the explanation of conflict in close relationships.

Sad and guilty? Affective influences on the explanation of conflict in close relationships.

Sad and guilty? Affective influences on the explanation of conflict in close relationships.

What is the role of mood in the way people explain interpersonal conflicts in their close relationships? On the basis of the multiprocess Affect Infusion Model (AIM) of judgments (J. P. Forgas, 1992a, in press), 3 experiments found a nonobvious pattern of greater mood effects on attributions for serious rather than simple conflicts. In Experiment 1, sad Ss blamed themselves more for conflicts than did happy Ss. Experiment 2 found that in a field setting, sad persons attributed real-life conflicts more to internal, stable, and global causes and did so more for serious than for simple conflicts. Experiment 3 replicated these findings in the laboratory and also produced reaction time data showing that it was the longer processing recruited by more serious conflicts that accentuated these affect-priming effects, as predicted by the AIM

A Behavioral Self-Report Technique for Assessing Conflict in Close Relationships

This paper describes the development of a behavioral self-report measure of conflict in everyday life. The method entails using a structured disagreement record to track conflicts as they occur on a daily basis. This record assesses information such as the length of the disagreement, who initiated the disagreement and time of day as well as assessments of the intensity, resolution and stability of the conflict. These disagreement records were used in a longitudinal study of twenty-five dating couples; results indicate that dimensions of conflict as described on the disagreement records were related to both global properties of the relationship (for example, love, ambivalence) and relationship continuance versus noncontinuance.

Prototypes of Intimacy and Distance in Same-Sex and Opposite-Sex Relationships

Differences between men's and women's conceptions of intimacy and distance may be a source of misunderstanding and conflict in close relationships. Although there is already an extensive literature on sex differences in intimacy, the meaning of the findings is somewhat unclear because each set of authors adopts a unique operational definition of intimacy. Often, this definition has been affected by the tendency to equate intimacy with self-disclosure. Distance (the opposite of intimacy, if intimacy is conceptualized as closeness) has been left largely unexplored in previous research and its relation to intimacy is unclear. In the present study, the components of intimacy and distance were delineated by asking men and women to describe an intimate and a distant experience with a member of the opposite sex and a member of the same sex. Prototypes were constructed by submitting the features mentioned in each kind of experience to hierarchical cluster analysis. The results revealed more similarities than differences between men's and women's conceptions of intimacy and distance. A conceptualization of intimacy emerged with a focus on appreciation and affection rather than self-disclosure. Distance appeared to revolve around dissatisfaction with and disapproval of the partner. Analyses of variance on specific features revealed sex differences and relationship differences that were consistent with previous research. Sex differences in the description of distance reflected the status or power differential between men and women.

Cognitive processes and conflict in close relationships: an attribution-efficacy model.

A recently proposed model of cognitive processes underlying conflict in close relationships (Doherty, 1978, 1981a, 1981b) is revised and tested in two studies. Central to the original model are the causal attributions made for conflict and the perceived efficacy or ability to resolve conflict. The model is revised to incorporate judgments of responsibility and to provide a closer link to self-efficacy theory. The first study examines attributions and efficacy expectations in mother-child relationships. As anticipated, only weak evidence was obtained for predictions retained from the original model, high-lighting the relationship-specific nature of cognitive processes for conflict in families. A second study examines husband-wife relationships and provides evidence for the usefulness of an attribution-efficacy model for marital conflict. The attributional component of the model received greater support than that pertaining to efficacy expectations. In both studies, support was obtained for the proposal that the relation between conflict dimensions (e.g., blame) and causal dimensions is mediated by judgments of responsibility. The significance of the revisions to Doherty's model for understanding conflict in close relationships is discussed, and several avenues for further research are outlined.

Cognitive processes and conflict in close relationships: An attribution-efficacy model.

Cognitive processes and conflict in close relationships: An attribution-efficacy model.