Effects Of Relationship Status Research Articles

Yes, No, Maybe So: The Effects of Relationship Status on Perceptions of Inferred Consent.

Despite the notion that sexual consent is either granted or refused, its communication can sometimes be ambiguous. This uncertainty stems from the tendency to rely on implicit, nonverbal cues to indicate consent. Without clear, explicit communication, people might be encouraged to rely upon contextual information when assessing whether a sexual encounter was consensual. Perceived levels of intimacy and familiarity in a relationship might influence these perceptions, such that prior intimacy might lead to ambiguously communicated consent being interpreted as more consensual. Gender roles can dictate the behaviors expected in a sexual encounter, with female-initiated sexual violence against men potentially being perceived as more consensual than the inverse. The current study examined how relationship type (Experiments 1 and 2) and gender pairing (Experiment 2) influenced participants' perceptions of how consensual various sexual encounters were. Participants read a series of vignettes in which sexual consent was verbally granted, verbally rejected, or inferred using nonverbal cues. Additionally, the dyads' relationships were either described as dating, friends, or strangers. Following vignette presentation, participants provided judgments regarding how consensual the interactions were. Experiment 2 expanded upon this by manipulating the gender of the initiators and targets. When consent was not clearly indicated, more established relationships were associated with higher ratings of perceived consent. Male targets were attributed more responsibility for sexual interactions, and they were also believed to want nonconsensual sex more than female targets. These findings highlight the importance of contextual information in instances where sexual consent is unclear.

The relationship between social support in pregnancy and postnatal depression

PurposeLack of social support is considered a potential risk factor for postnatal depression but limited longitudinal evidence is available. Pregnancy, when women have increased contact with healthcare services, may be an opportune time to intervene and help strengthen women’s social networks to prevent feelings of depression postnatally, particularly for those at greatest risk. Our study examined the longitudinal relationship between social support in pregnancy and postnatal depression, and whether this is moderated by age or relationship status.MethodsWe analysed data collected from 525 women from a diverse inner-city maternity population in England who were interviewed in pregnancy and again three months postnatally. Women provided sociodemographic information and completed self-report measures of depression (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale) and social support (Social Provisions Scale).ResultsLess social support in pregnancy was associated with postnatal depression, after adjusting for sociodemographic confounders and antenatal depression (Coef. = − 0.05; 95% CI − 0.10 to − 0.01; p = 0.02). There was weak evidence of a moderating effect of relationship status. Subgroup analysis showed a stronger relationship between social support in pregnancy and postnatal depression for women who were not living with a partner (Coef. = − 0.11; 95% CI − 0.21 to − 0.01; p = 0.03) than for those who were (Coef. = − 0.03; 95% CI − 0.09 to 0.02; p = 0.28). Sensitivity analysis using multiple imputations to account for missing data confirmed the main results.ConclusionsInterventions that target social support in pregnancy have the potential to reduce depression postnatally. Future research should explore in greater detail which women would benefit most from which type of social support.

Unfulfilled romantic needs: Effects of relationship status, presence of romantic partners, and relationship satisfaction on romantic parasocial phenomena.

Unfulfilled romantic needs: Effects of relationship status, presence of romantic partners, and relationship satisfaction on romantic parasocial phenomena.

Starting the Conversation: Common Themes Typifying Expectant Unmarried Black Parents’ Discussions About Coparenting a First Child Together

The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify recurring themes about impending coparenthood common among prenatal dyadic conversations shared between unmarried parents. Forty Black mothers and fathers expecting a first baby together met with a male-female mentor team for facilitated dialogues six times during the pregnancy, with sessions audiotaped and transcribed. Guided by basic elements of grounded theory, coders identified five cross-cutting themes discussed by coparents relevant to their coparenting expectancies: (a) establishing the baby’s family system; (b) supports and threats to coparenting efforts; (c) reflecting on fatherhood—Connecting past with future father legacies; (d) acculturating the child/ handling parenting differences; and (e) effects of relationship status on coparenting. These themes underscored a common commitment fathers and mothers shared in figuring circumstances out for their child. Analyses portray a rich, generative, and introspective set of dialogues reflecting shared deliberation about family dynamics after the baby’s arrival. This study’s findings address a significant gap in the literature and highlight the value of narrative methodologies to understand joint narratives of unmarried Black coparents more thoroughly as they transition to new parenthood.

Loneliness and social isolation increase cancer incidence in a cohort of Finnish middle-aged men. A longitudinal study

Globally, cancer is the second leading cause of death. Loneliness has been suggested as a risk factor for cancer mortality. However, connections between loneliness, social isolation, and cancer are poorly understood. In our longitudinal study (mean follow-up: 20.44 years) of 2570 middle-aged men, loneliness, social isolation, and health-related factors were measured at baseline. Cox proportional hazards analysis was used to examine the association between cancer incidence, loneliness, and social isolation. The effect of relationship status on cancer mortality among cancer patients was tested with the Kaplan-Meier method. Loneliness was associated with total cancer incidence after adjustments for tested lifestyle and health-related covariates. Social Isolation was associated with total cancer incidence, except when adjusted for lifestyle, diet, or Human Population Laboratory (HPL) Depression Scale scores. Loneliness was associated with lung cancer incidence, except when adjusted for HPL Depression Scale scores. There was no significant association between social isolation and lung cancer. Neither loneliness nor social isolation were connected with prostate or colorectal cancer. Being single at baseline was associated with worse survival outcomes for cancer patients. Our findings suggest that regardless of the social network size, loneliness among middle-aged men is associated with an increased likelihood of cancer.

Happily Single

Although prior research suggests that single people experience lower well-being than those involved in romantic relationships, the effect of relationship status is small. Moreover, relationships can be a source of hurt and conflict, which single people can avoid. The current research examined for whom being involved in a relationship versus being single enhances versus undermines well-being by testing whether social goals moderated the link between relationship status and (1) daily life satisfaction (Study 1, N = 187, undergraduate sample) and (2) life satisfaction/well-being across time (Study 2, N = 4,024, nationally representative sample). In both studies, single people high in avoidance goals who strive to prevent relationship conflict and disagreements were just as happy as people involved in a relationship. In addition, individuals high in approach goals who strive to enhance relationship closeness experienced greater life satisfaction/well-being but particularly when they were involved in a relationship (Study 2).

Effect of relationship status on perceptions of physical attractiveness for alternative partners

AbstractCoupled people, those in a relationship, devaluate the attractiveness of an alternative partner compared to noncoupled people (D. J. Johnson & C. E. Rusbult, 1989). The present research tested two competing hypotheses about the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon. According to the motivational hypothesis, coupled and noncoupled people initially perceive opposite‐sex others as equally attractive. Coupled people, however, recalibrate their perceptions. In contrast, the perceptual hypothesis proposes that coupled people do not perceive opposite‐sex others as attractive. The present study tested these competing hypotheses by measuring both involuntary and self‐reported perceptions of attractiveness of opposite‐sex models. Supporting the motivational hypothesis, coupled participants (n = 38) and noncoupled participants (n = 34) exhibited the same degree of pupil dilation, however, coupled participants reported lower attractiveness ratings.

Abortion attitudes in context: A multidimensional vignette approach

The effects of relationship status, rationale for considering abortion (life circumstance versus health issue), and the male partner’s wishes on abortion attitudes were examined using a multiple-segment factorial vignette with a probability sample of 532 Kentucky households. Respondents expressed strong opinions in the absence of contextual details, yet many shifted the direction of their strongly-held positions once contextual information was revealed that challenged their initial assumptions. Results confirm and extend prior research by indicating that attitudes are strongly held but are simultaneously highly responsive to context. The validity of surveys and polls that attempt to measure global attitudes toward abortion, such as pro-choice versus pro-life, in the absence of contextual details is therefore questioned. The full context of one’s life and situation is weighed in the abortion decision-making process, and our findings indicate that attitudes toward abortion are largely responsive and reflective of that context as well.

The effect of relationship status on health with dynamic health and persistent relationships

The dynamic evolution of health and persistent relationship status pose econometric challenges to disentangling the causal effect of relationships on health from the selection effect of health on relationship choice. Using a new econometric strategy we find that marriage is not universally better for health. Rather, cohabitation benefits the health of men and women over 45, being never married is no worse for health, and only divorce marginally harms the health of younger men. We find strong evidence that unobservable health-related factors can confound estimates. Our method can be applied to other research questions with dynamic dependent and multivariate endogenous variables.

Same-sex cohabiting elders versus different-sex cohabiting and married elders: Effects of relationship status and sex of partner on economic and health outcomes

In this article, I use pooled data from the 2008–2010 American Community Surveys to examine outcomes for different-sex married, different-sex cohabiting, and same-sex cohabiting elders across several key economic and health indicators, as well as other demographic characteristics. The findings suggest that elders in same-sex cohabiting partnerships differ from those in different-sex marriages and different-sex cohabiting relationships in terms of both financial and health outcomes, and that women in same-sex cohabiting partnerships fare worse than men or women in other couple types. The results indicate that financial implications related to the sex of one’s partner might be more predictive of economic and health outcomes in old age, rather than solely access to legal marriage. Nonetheless, findings suggest that individuals in same-sex cohabiting partnerships might experience worse outcomes in old age as a result of cumulative effects across the life course from both the sex of their partner (in the case of female couples) as well as their lack of access to benefits associated with marriage. Accordingly, these findings demonstrate that persons in same-sex cohabiting partnerships require unique policy considerations to address health and economic concerns in old age.

The effect of relationship status on communicating emotions through touch

Research into emotional communication to date has largely focused on facial and vocal expressions. In contrast, recent studies by Hertenstein, Keltner, App, Bulleit, and Jaskolka (2006) and Hertenstein, Holmes, McCullough, and Keltner (2009) exploring nonverbal communication of emotion discovered that people could identify anger, disgust, fear, gratitude, happiness, love, sadness and sympathy from the experience of being touched on either the arm or body by a stranger, without seeing the touch. The study showed that strangers were unable to communicate the self-focused emotions embarrassment, envy and pride, or the universal emotion surprise. Literature relating to touch indicates that the interpretation of a tactile experience is significantly influenced by the relationship between the touchers (Coan, Schaefer, & Davidson, 2006). The present study compared the ability of romantic couples and strangers to communicate emotions solely via touch. Results showed that both strangers and romantic couples were able to communicate universal and prosocial emotions, whereas only romantic couples were able to communicate the self-focused emotions envy and pride.

Can't We Just Live Together?: New Evidence on the Effect of Relationship Status on Health

An extensive literature suggests that marriage confers health benefits to men and women. However, several econometric issues raise doubts about this prevalent conclusion. First, the evolution of health is a strongly persistent dynamic process; yet extant research relies almost exclusively on static mean-differenced fixed effects estimators. Second, measures of morbidity vary across studies making comparisons difficult, and the often used categorical measure of self-assessed health raises difficult interpretation and econometric issues associated with non-linear models. Finally, existing research has not confirmed whether these benefits accrue to couples who cohabit. We employ the Blundell and Bond dynamic panel data estimator to control for selection into marriage and a multiple correspondence analysis to identify weights for a continuous health index that reflects the multiple facets of morbidity and alleviates the econometric issues associated with a discrete dependent variable. Contrary to extant literature, our analysis using a balanced panel of nearly 2,430 individuals over 17 waves of the British Household Panel Survey finds that the effect of cohabitation on health is not statistically different from the effect of marriage on health after controlling for both health dynamics and selection.

Together is better? Effects of relationship status and resources on young adults' well-being

This study examines differences in well-being among young adults across relationship status. Multilevel regression analyses on two waves of data of the Dutch Panel Study of Social Integration (N = 2818) show that singles have the lowest level of well-being, followed by young adults who are steady dating, and cohabitors. Married young adults have the highest level. These differences are partially mediated by differences between young adults in their access to valued material, personal and social resources. Furthermore, the availability of some resources is more important for the well-being of young adults in a certain relationship status than for those in another relationship status. Gender differences are also discussed.

Mimicking Attractive Opposite-Sex Others: The Role of Romantic Relationship Status

Based on the recent literature indicating that nonconscious behavioral mimicry is partly goal directed, three studies examined, and supported, the hypothesis that people who are involved in a romantic relationship nonconsciously mimic an attractive opposite-sex other to a lesser extent than people not involved in a relationship. Moreover, Studies 2 and 3 revealed that romantically involved persons tended to mimic an attractive alternative less to the extent that they were more close to their current partner. Finally, Study 3 provided preliminary support for a potential underlying mechanism, revealing that the effect of relationship status on level of mimicry displayed toward an opposite-sex other is mediated by perceived attractiveness of the opposite-sex other. The present findings suggest that behavioral mimicry serves an implicit self-regulatory function in relationship maintenance. Implications for both the literature on relationship maintenance and the literature on behavioral mimicry are discussed.

Paternal involvement among unwed fathers

Paternal involvement among unwed fathers is examined during pregnancy and at birth. The effects of relationship status, race and ethnicity, age, education, income, family structure and father values on father involvement are also examined. The findings suggest that overall there is a high degree of involvement among all the fathers examined. Relationship status is statistically significant and most predictive in assessing paternal involvement in each analysis. Fathers who are romantically involved and cohabiting are more involved than those who are romantically involved but do not cohabit. Fathers who are no longer romantically involved are least likely to sustain involvement. In addition, fathers who are employed are also more likely to sustain involvement.

Mother Knows Best: Effects of Relationship Status and Interviewer Bias on Children′s Memory

This study examined whether interviewer status or a preconceived bias affect: (a) children′s memory and suggestibility or (b) adults′ descriptions of children′s reports. Forty 4-year-olds participated in play activities with a research assistant. Each child was then interviewed either by the child′s own mother or by an unfamiliar female. Interviewers were instructed to find out what happened (free interview), but half of the interviewers were misled (biased) about the play activities prior to the interview. To examine how accurately adults recount children′s reports, the interviewers were asked to write postinterview descriptions of the play session. Children were then questioned by the interviewer again, who asked a predetermined set of questions (structured interview). Analyses revealed that during the free interview, questioning styles of mothers and strangers differed in several ways: mothers were more task-oriented, whereas strangers spent more time building rapport and were more open-ended in their approach. Biased compared to unbiased interviewers asked more questions about the misinformation provided. Children′s free recall accuracy suffered (e.g., they minimized what occurred, made more order errors) when they were interviewed by biased versus unbiased strangers but not when interviewed by biased versus unbiased mothers. The interviewers′ descriptions of the children′s experiences were generally correct, although mothers reported more correct details than strangers about certain categories of information. Exposure to the biasing misinformation led to greater inaccuracy in interviewers′ descriptions. During the structured interview, children were less susceptible to suggestions of abuse when questioned by their mothers than by strangers. The findings are discussed in relation to concerns about children′s eyewitness memory and adults′ interviews of children.