Conflict In Romantic Relationships Research Articles

Conflict and Intimacy in Emerging Adults’ Romantic Relationships and Depressive Symptoms: The Mediating Role of Identity and Couple Satisfaction

Romantic relationships in emerging adulthood may be associated with depression, but the role of possible mediators of this relationship remains to be explored. The present study tested a serial mediation model where intimacy and conflict in romantic relationships were predictors of depressive symptoms through the mediation of couple satisfaction and identity satisfaction. The study was conducted on a sample of 268 Italian emerging adults, 60% female (Mage = 19, ds = 1.4), all involved in a heterosexual romantic relationship. The results showed that the association between intimacy and depressive symptoms was direct and sequentially mediated through couple satisfaction and identity satisfaction. A single mediation pathway through identity satisfaction alone also emerged. The association between conflict and depressive symptoms was direct and sequentially mediated through couple satisfaction and identity satisfaction. These findings suggest the importance of helping emerging adults develop appropriate skills in managing conflict and intimacy in romantic relationships as useful resources for identity satisfaction and depression prevention.

The interplay of negative urgency and cognitive reappraisal in couples' communication conflict.

Little is known about the individual factors that potentiate communication conflict in romantic relationships. This study examined the main and interactive effects of two types of emotion regulation in 1240 couples enrolled in an online relationship intervention. Results revealed that higher levels of actors' communication conflict were associated with actors' greater negative urgency and lower cognitive reappraisal. Furthermore, actors' cognitive reappraisal acted as an inhibitor of communication conflict, but only for actors with low levels of negative urgency. Partner effects on perceived actor conflict followed a similar pattern. There was no evidence that the emotion regulation of one partner moderated the effect of the emotion regulation of the other. These results highlight the importance of considering the contribution of couples' emotion regulation in the etiology of their communication conflict and selecting interventions that best match their emotion regulation needs.

Fairness and Responsibility in Couples' Financial Discussions

This study investigates the role of financial conflict in romantic relationships. Participants (N = 221) first reported on their financial disagreements with their partners and rated a number of relationship attributes. Two days later, they were randomly assigned to recall either fair or responsible financial behaviour from their partner and rate the same relationship attributes again. Both recall tasks were successful at improving perceived financial communication and perceived partner spending but not financial worry or financial satisfaction. In sum, findings showed recalling any positive financial act can benefit the relationship regardless of which financial topics people fight about. The task was no more effective at improving relationship and financial outcomes when the condition matched the pre-existing conflict’s theme. Implications for relationship therapists as well as financial counsellors will be discussed.

Child Contact, Partner Conflict, and Psychological Distress Among Incarcerated Fathers: Testing the Mediating Role of Perceived Social Support.

The mechanism(s) through which child contact can lead to more positive mental health and romantic relationship outcomes among incarcerated fathers are not sufficiently studied. The present study tests whether the associations between frequency of child contact and later psychological distress and conflict in romantic relationships are mediated by perceived social support. Self-reported longitudinal data from a sample of incarcerated men who participated in a fatherhood education program (n = 2,096) were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Variables were assessed pre- and post-program participation. As hypothesized, more frequent child contact was associated with greater perceived social support, which predicted reduced psychological distress and reduced partner conflict. There were significant indirect effects of child contact on psychological distress and partner conflict via perceived social support. The findings may inform policies aiming to help incarcerated fathers to better manage psychological distress and conflictual relationships, preparing them for a more successful return to society.

Does Age Buffer or Exacerbate the Impact of Sadness and Anger on Romantic Relationships?

Expressions of sadness and anger during a romantic relationship conflict can have distinct impacts on partners’ feelings of closeness and perceptions of conflict resolution. For example, previous research with younger couples suggests that expressions of sadness can help partners feel closer to one another, while expressions of anger tend to harm closeness and short-term conflict resolution. However, research has not considered whether older couples differ in their responses to sadness and anger expression during conflict, despite different theories of aging which suggest that older adults may be better or worse at regulating negative emotion in their relationships than younger adults. The current study (N = 280 dating and married couples, 30-88 years old) tested whether age buffers or exacerbates the effects of observed emotional expression (sadness or anger) on partners’ perceptions of closeness and conflict resolution. Contrary to the pre-registered hypotheses derived from theories of aging and emotion, no significant age differences in partners’ responses to sadness or anger expressions emerged. Expressions of sadness were also not significantly related to perceptions of closeness or conflict resolution. However, consistent with previous research, expressions of anger negatively related to both partners’ perceptions of closeness and conflict resolution. The present findings extend previous research by testing whether expressions of sadness and anger have distinct impacts at multiple stages of the lifespan. Additionally, the non-significant age differences contribute to a growing literature which identifies contexts where age differences in responses to negative emotional expression may be less likely to emerge.

The relative importance of contextual factors in judging mundane extradyadic behaviors as infidelity: A policy‐capturing study

AbstractSeemingly benign extradyadic behaviors (e.g., buying/receiving gifts or talking on the phone) may be perceived as infidelity under certain circumstances, therefore causing distress and conflict in romantic relationships. A policy‐capturing method was used to illuminate the relative role of contextual factors (secrecy, frequency of the behavior, and the victim's familiarity with the rival) in perceiving whether a mundane, everyday extradyadic act is perceived to cross the line from benign to infidelity. In two sessions, 135 participants completed individual difference measures and rated 30 different vignettes in which the extradyadic behavior (i.e., direct messaging on social media) was held constant, but levels of contextual factors varied. Participants perceived secrecy as the most important contextual factor in deciding whether a mundane extradyadic behavior constituted infidelity, followed by frequency. The victim's familiarity with the rival was deemed least important. Higher reactive jealousy predicted higher perception of the behavior as infidelity and greater anticipated emotional distress following the behavior. Implications for how couples discuss the boundaries of their relationships and understand the source of emotional distress experienced after seemingly benign extradyadic behaviors are discussed.

Disrespectful colleagues, dysfunctional parenting: The effect of workplace incivility on parental attitudes, well-being and behaviours.

Two dyadic studies address the link between workplace incivility and dysfunctional (i.e., authoritarian and permissive) parenting, and the role played by parent cognitions and well-being in these relationships. One hundred and forty-eight working mother-spouse dyads participated in Study 1. Mothers reported on their own workplace incivility experiences and parenting self-efficacy, while husbands rated mothers' authoritarian parenting behaviour. Results showed that parenting self-efficacy mediates the effects of workplace incivility on authoritarian parenting. Study 2 sought to replicate and extend these findings with a sample of one hundred and seventy-five working parent-spouse dyads. Working mothers and fathers reported on their own workplace incivility experiences, parenting self-efficacy and burnout, while their spouses rated their authoritarian and permissive parenting. The moderating effects of romantic relationship conflict were also assessed. Results supported the role of self-efficacy in mediating the relationship between workplace incivility and authoritarian parenting, with effects exacerbated among those experiencing higher levels of romantic relationship conflict. Moreover, incivility related to working parents' burnout, and in turn, permissive parenting. Our findings shed light on an understudied social context wherein workplace incivility may shape one's personal life, and broadens our understanding of the nature, scope, and impact of this workplace problem.

Interactive associations between abstinence plans and romantic partner conflict and support with cigarette smoking

BackgroundWhile most individuals who smoke cigarettes desire to quit, quit motivation can change daily and sustained abstinence is rarely achieved in quit attempts. Assessment of psychosocial factors that moderate associations between daily abstinence intentions and smoking behavior is necessary to inform effective cessation efforts. MethodsA secondary analysis was conducted using data from a 28-day ecological momentary assessment study among individuals who smoke and who were not actively planning a long-term quit attempt (N = 81 individuals; N = 1585 days). We examined main effect and interaction associations between primary predictors (daily abstinence plans and within- and between-person estimates of perceived romantic relationship conflict and support) and daily number of cigarettes smoked, as well as baseline emotion regulation difficulties as a moderator of these associations. ResultsSmoking was reduced on days with an abstinence plan (β=−0.57,p<.001), especially among individuals with lower average levels of conflict (plan × between-person conflict interaction: β=0.98, p < .001), and higher average levels of support (plan × between-person support interaction: β=0.26, p < .001). Additionally, smoking was increased on days when participants had higher levels of conflict than usual (β=0.07, p < .01), but only on days when participants did not have a plan (plan × within-person conflict interaction:β=-0.10, p < .05). Emotion regulation difficulties did not moderate any associations. ConclusionThis study adds to the literature on the influence of negative aspects of social experience on smoking behavior. Further, the present study underlines the importance of assessing the influence of both positive and negative aspects of – and within- and between-person differences in – social experiences.

Fear of compassion from others explains the relation between borderline personality disorder symptoms and ineffective conflict resolution strategies among patients with substance use disorders

BackgroundBorderline personality disorder (BPD) pathology is common among patients with substance use disorders (SUDs) and associated with a variety of negative outcomes, including worse SUD outcomes. One particularly relevant outcome with links to substance use problems that is likely to be elevated among SUD patients with BPD symptoms is ineffective conflict resolution strategies in romantic relationships. However, no research to date has examined the relation of BPD pathology to strategies for managing conflict in romantic relationships among patients with SUDs, or the factors that may increase the use of ineffective strategies within this population. Thus, this study examined the relations of BPD symptoms to ineffective responses to romantic relationship conflict surrounding substance use among residential patients with SUDs, as well as the explanatory roles of fear of compassion from and for others in these relations.MethodsPatients in a community-based correctional SUD residential treatment facility (N = 93) completed questionnaires, including a measure of BPD symptoms, fear of compassion from and for others, and strategies for responding to conflict surrounding substance use in romantic relationships.ResultsFear of compassion from others accounted for significant variance in the relations of BPD symptoms to the ineffective conflict resolution strategies of reactivity, domination, and submission, whereas fear of compassion for others only accounted for significant variance in the relation between BPD symptoms and the strategy of separation (which is not always ineffective).ConclusionsTogether, findings suggest that it is fear of compassion from others (vs. fear of compassion for others) that explains the relation between BPD symptoms and ineffective responses to romantic relationship conflict surrounding substance use among SUD patients. Findings highlight the potential utility of interventions aimed at reducing fears of compassion and increasing comfort with and tolerance of compassion from both others and oneself among SUD patients with BPD symptoms in order to strengthen relationships and reduce risk for relapse.

Changing the blame game: Associations between relationship mindfulness, loneliness, negative partner attributions, and subsequent conflict

Given the important associations between couple conflict and various physical and mental health outcomes, it is essential to explore factors that may catalyze or exacerbate the frequency and impact of conflict in romantic relationships. One such factor may be relationship mindfulness, or the tendency to have a nonjudgmental awareness of one’s experiences in romantic relationships. Previous research has demonstrated a link between relationship mindfulness and various relational outcomes, but its association with relationship conflict has not yet been explored. Additionally, the current study sought to explore the mechanisms that link relationship mindfulness and relational outcomes. Based on previous research connecting conflict to negative partner attributions, the study examined how relationship mindfulness may predict conflict through negative partner attributions. Furthermore, the study aimed to incorporate loneliness as a potential mediator between relationship mindfulness and negative partner attributions. A sample of 116 different-sex middle-aged married couples were recruited to complete an online assessment. Using an actor–partner interdependence mediation model, the results indicated several significant associations among relationship mindfulness, negative partner attributions, loneliness, and relationship conflict. For example, a significant indirect effect was found; that is, female relationship mindfulness was associated with decreased relationship conflict via its prior association with both male loneliness and additionally through male loneliness and subsequent male negative partner attributions. The results indicate that by employing interventions that increase relationship mindfulness, it may be possible to both reduce loneliness and encourage more charitable partner attributions which, in turn, may reduce couple conflict.

Self-poisonings before and during the initial year of the COVID-19 pandemic in northern Poland.

The objectives of this study included evaluating and reporting on the initial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and preventive measures in the form of a lockdown on self-poisoning tendencies in northern Poland. The authors retrospectively analyzed medical records of all patients (N = 2990) admitted to the Pomeranian Center of Toxicology in 2018-2020. Of those, further analysis included 2140 patients who had been admitted because of a suicide attempt by self-poisoning. The authors also selected a group of 40 patients on the basis of a self-reported direct relationship of the suicide attempt with the COVID-19 pandemic or the imposed lockdown. The rates of suicide attempts in toxicological patients over the years ranged 68.18-75.3%. The patients were predominantly female, with age between M±SD 33.2±16.9 and 36.0±16.4. Each year, over 60% of patients were admitted during their first attempt and were treated psychiatrically prior to their attempt, with differences observed in the COVID-19-related group. The alcohol intoxication during the suicide attempt was confirmed in 37.40-43.53% of the patients, with a higher rate of 52.50% observed in the COVID-19-related group. The main self-reported reason for the suicide was a romantic relationship conflict or breakup, and a conflict and/or violence in the family. The most frequent agents were over-the-counter painkillers, antidepressants, antipsychotics and benzodiazepines or Z-drugs. During the initial year of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a fall of suicide attempts by self-poisonings in northern Poland, significant only in the case of women. The self-reported reasons were similar in all years, with mainly minor changes. There was also an increase in attempts made using benzodiazepines or Z-drugs seen in 2020 and in the COVID-19-related group. The authors believe that there is a need for multi-center, large-scale prospective studies that would provide better insight into the pandemic-related suicidal trends. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2022;35(5):527-35.

Associations between Conflict Negotiation Strategies, Sexual Comfort, and Sexual Satisfaction in Adolescent Romantic Relationships

ABSTRACT Achieving healthy and satisfying sexual relationships is a major developmental task in adolescence, but factors promoting sexual satisfaction among adolescent romantic relationships remain underexplored. Since sexuality is shaped by relational experiences, strategies mobilized to negotiate conflicts in romantic relationships could be related to sexual satisfaction through comfort in negotiating sexual experiences. Sexual comfort refers to the ease of discussing sexuality, and feeling comfortable with one’s own sexual life and with others’ sexual behaviors. This cross-sectional dyadic study examined the mediating role of sexual comfort in the associations between perceived conflict negotiation strategies and sexual satisfaction among adolescent romantic dyads. The actor-partner interdependence model guided the analyses of self-reported questionnaires from 104 mixed- and same-sex dyads (Mage = 18.99 years, SD = 1.51). An adolescent’s higher compromise and lower submission were related to their own higher sexual satisfaction via their own higher sexual comfort. The results also revealed a direct association between an adolescent’s higher domination and their own lower sexual satisfaction. These findings underscore the importance of considering conflict negotiation strategies and sexual comfort as key factors related to adolescents’ sexual satisfaction.

The Implementation of Mental Contrasting in Romantic Relationship: A Review

Mental contrast is one of the self-regulation strategies. The contrast between the imagination of the desired goal and the reality of the obstacles motivates the individual to take effective action in the present to help achieve the goal. Mental contrast has been found to be effective in achieving goals in many aspects of life. This paper reviews the effectiveness of mental contrast in romantic relationship maintenance and conflict resolution. It addresses insecurity and reconciliation behaviors in romantic relationships and provides directions for future research.

Development and assessment of the Partner Exploitation Inventory

• We create and assess the Partner Exploitation Inventory (PEI). • Items were generated using act nomination and grouped using act frequency methods. • Three components emerged: Harm-Inducing, Ego-Boosting, and Emotional Manipulation. • Differences in PEI scores based on sex and dark personality traits are reported. • The PEI will be useful in investigating partner exploitation in future work. Differences in mating preferences, strategies, and goals can lead to romantic relationship conflict. One method of addressing conflict is exploitation, which occurs when deception, manipulation, coercion, or force is used to obtain a resource that the exploited is reluctant to provide. Here we create and provide initial assessment of the Partner Exploitation Inventory, which measures the use of tactics to exploit a romantic partner. Participants ( n =172) used an act nomination procedure to generate 62 exploitative acts that may be used against a romantic partner. Next, using a new group of participants ( n =516), we grouped the acts into three components that represent different forms of partner exploitation: Harm-Inducing, Ego-Boosting, and Emotional Manipulation. Men reported greater use of Ego-Boosting and Harm-Inducing exploitation, and women reported greater use of Emotional Manipulation exploitation. Evidence for the validity of the Partner Exploitation Inventory was also found through positive associations with questionnaires measuring similar constructs. This study expands our knowledge of men's use of exploitation strategies and is the first study to directly investigate women's use of exploitation strategies. We also created a tool that can be used to examine exploitation in the future.

The Influence of a Self-Compassion Training Program on Romantic Relationship Conflict: An Exploratory Multiple-Case Study

Separation and divorce are common occurrences in the Western world. Given that a transition out of a marriage can increase psychological distress in the members of the couple as well as in their children, preventive interventions are crucial for avoiding serious ruptures and for increasing relationship strength and resilience. A potential option for clinicians is to use interventions designed to increase self-compassion. This multiple-case study explored the influence of a self-compassion intervention on conflict within romantic relationships. Three women completed a self-compassion training CD, six sets of online questions, and two semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was used to construct detailed accounts of each participant’s experience. Participants perceived that self-compassion helped them to de-escalate conflict, increase self-awareness and self-acceptance, and facilitate perspective taking. This study may help inform future relationship interventions.

Predicting Responses to Conflicts in Romantic Relationships from Life History Strategies, Psychopathy, and Values

Predicting Responses to Conflicts in Romantic Relationships from Life History Strategies, Psychopathy, and Values

Mobile-Mediated Communication in Romantic Relationships: The Effects of Communication Indicators and Love Attitude on Relationship Quality.

Whether mobile phones benefit or sabotage close relationships has been a persistent subject of debate in media and communication studies. Because previous studies have demonstrated contrasting findings, further studies on this topic are required. Based on media richness theory and social penetration theory, this study investigated the direct and indirect associations between mobile communication and relationship quality (i.e., depth, support, and conflict) in romantic relationships. A survey of 1,000 university students in China revealed that relationship depth was positively predicted by mobile phone calls and negatively predicted by mobile short messages. Mobile WeChat had dialectical effects, as it reinforced relationship depth and support, but increased conflict. Regarding indirect effects, communication quality online positively mediated the effects of mobile phone calls on relationship quality and negatively mediated the effects of mobile short messages and Weibo on relationship quality. Moreover, passionate love attitudes (PLAs) and gender negatively moderated the effects of mobile phone calls on relationship depth, indicating that females and individuals who had stronger PLAs had lower relationship quality when they used mobile phone calls to interact with their romantic partners. The moderating effects of PLA were extended to the indirect relationship between phone calls and relationship quality through communication quality. Overall, this study developed a typology to examine mobile relational communication by integrating the quantity (i.e., mobile use frequencies) and quality of mobile communication, as well as personal attitudes in close relationships.

Transactions between self-esteem and perceived conflict in romantic relationships: A 5-year longitudinal study.

Self-esteem has been shown to be both predictive of and predicted by characteristics of romantic relationships. While there is an increasing number of studies yielding support for reciprocal influences between self-esteem and perceived conflict in romantic relationships, longitudinal transactions between these constructs from both partners’ perspectives have not been studied systematically to date. Our aim was to close this gap. To that end, we examined the transactional and longitudinal interplay between self-esteem and perceived relationship conflict in continuing romantic couples from a dyadic perspective. Our sample consisted of N = 1,093 young adult female–male relationships from the German Family Panel. Individuals’ self-esteem, perceived conflict frequency, and their perceptions of their partners’ dysfunctional conflict styles (i.e., unconstructive behavior, withdrawal) were examined annually throughout a time span of five years. Based on dyadic bivariate latent change models, we tested our assumption that self-esteem and aspects of perceived relationship conflict are negatively interrelated within individuals and between partners both within and across time. We found one actor effect of self-esteem on changes in unconstructive behavior above and beyond initial unconstructive behavior levels, supporting self-broadcasting perspectives. Moreover, we found strong support for sociometer perspectives. Actor effects highlighted the importance of perceived conflict frequency for subsequent self-esteem changes. In addition, perceived conflict styles affected both partners’ self-esteem. The results imply that perceiving conflict is a between-person process, and might be more important for the development of self-esteem than vice versa.

The Brief Partner Behavioral Control Scale (B-PBCS): Development and Validation

Despite the large growth of close relationships literature, partner behavioral control has been rarely the primary focus of research. It is also evident that the instruments for measuring partner behavioral control are scarce. Thus, the present study aims to develop and validate a 9-item Brief Partner Behavioral Control Scale (B-PBCS). The validity and reliability of the B-PBCS were examined in a sample of emerging adults (N = 511; 81.8% females; Rangeage = 18-25) who are currently in a premarital romantic relationship. To assess psychometric properties of the B-PBCS, we conducted a series of tests examining factor structure (exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses), measurement invariance (configural and metric invariance), reliability (internal consistency and test-retest reliability), and predictive validity. Results demonstrated that the B-PBCS has a two-factor solution (overt and covert partner behavioral control), acceptable measurement invariance, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and predictive validity. The overt partner behavioral control at baseline assessment has been linked to romantic relationship conflict and psychological distress at 14-week follow-up assessment even after controlling for sex, age, and relationship duration. In conclusion, the B-PBCS offers a valid and brief measure for assessing partner behavioral control.

Does Relationship Conflict Predicts Psychological Distress or Vice Versa? A Cross-Lagged Panel Model.

The present study examines the directionality of links between romantic relationship conflict and psychological distress in premarital relationships of emerging adults. A total of 182 participants (Mage = 21.23; SDage = 1.62; 85.16% female) provided data at both Time 1 (T1) and Time 2 (T2). Participants responded to a battery of questions related to romantic relationship conflict and psychological distress. The data for the present study were collected at two time points during spring semester of 2018: First week (Time 1) and the last week of the semester, Week 14 (Time 2). A two-wave two variable cross-lagged autoregressive panel model was conducted to examine the links between relationship conflict and psychological distress over time in emerging adults. Using a latent cross-lagged panel model, we found that romantic relationship conflict at T1 significantly predicted psychological distress at T2, but psychological distress at T1 was not associated with subsequent romantic relationship conflict at T2, after controlling for autoregressive effects. The results highlighted the key role of romantic relationship conflict in predicting later psychological distress. Limitations and implications are discussed and future directions are suggested.