Interpersonal Dynamics Research Articles

Exploring the value, enablers and barriers of being a clinician-coach: A qualitative pilot study of clinician-coaches in emergency medicine.

To explore how clinicians understand coaching and their clinician-coach practice in emergency medicine. Participants were surveyed about the value of coaching and their beliefs about the enablers of, and barriers to, being a clinician-coach. Three themes were developed for the value of coaching: empowerment and growth; enhanced interpersonal dynamics; and reflective transformation. Key enablers were supportive infrastructure, self-driven development and recognition of value. Key barriers were time constraints and scheduling conflicts, cultural challenges and financial and structural obstacles. Fostering a supportive environment for coaching could significantly enhance clinician competence and well-being, healthcare delivery and professional development.

Fifty Years of Psychiatric Classification and Epidemiology Interactions: What is a Mental Disorder?

Psychiatric clinical diagnostic formulation has evolved over time. The changes alter our understanding and our ability to provide a public health perspective on the epidemiology of mental disorders in large populations. Epidemiology is an important perspective and set of tools to assess prevalence, treated prevalence, untreated prevalence, individual risks for mental disorders, and possible links to the etiology of disorders by following the trails of environmental exposures, biological measures, interpersonal dynamics, and genetic risk factors. As communities develop health-care services to treat individuals with mental disorders, knowledge about their prevalence and treatment requirements is also important. Since severe mental disorders may require institutional care, the diagnostic criteria used may either protect an individual’s liability for dangerous behavior (i.e. the insanity defense) or be used to control political and social dissidents. The criteria may also be used to determine evidence-based treatment options and eligibility for disability benefits. In this paper, using my vantage points as a physician scientist and public health officer, with leadership positions in national federal and professional mental health organizations, I address the developments in these areas over the past 50 years that have influenced institutional positions in the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health, the World Health Organization, the American Psychiatric Association, and the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress. These perspectives may aid the next generation of investigators to advance the epidemiological and mental disorder classification scientific fields.

From psychotherapy to legal practice: the use of clinical supervision by lawyers in England and Wales

An emerging practice amongst lawyers in England and Wales is the use of clinical supervision, as used by counsellors and psychotherapists. This is a very different type of supervision to that traditionally used by lawyers. It is reflective and relational in nature. It aims to support safe, competent and ethical practice, and to contribute to sustainability, support and resilience including in relation to vicarious trauma and burnout. This study uses interviews with lawyers who are using clinical supervision to understanding why it is being sought, how it might be working and what its impacts are. The interviews provide an opportunity to examine interpersonal dynamics of lawyering. The study explores how supervision allows lawyers to develop their understanding of themselves in relation to others, their boundaries and legal professional skills, and how supervision can contribute to the best interests of the client, and to a lawyer’s career sustainability and wellbeing.

Perceived Emotional Invalidation, Psychological Distress and Relationship Satisfaction in Couples: An Actor-Partner Interdependence Mediation Analysis.

Research has demonstrated a clear link between perceived emotional invalidation and increased psychological distress. However, available studies have predominantly focused on individual data, and leave the impact on relationship satisfaction largely unexplored. Considering the systemic-transactional model, our study aimed to examine the association between perceived emotional invalidation, psychological distress, and couple relationship satisfaction from a dyadic perspective. We conducted a cross-sectional study involving 240 mixed-gender couples from Portugal employing the Actor-Partner Interdependence Mediational Model to analyse the data to examine actor and partner direct and indirect effects. Results showed that, for both women and men, own perceived emotional invalidation was associated with own psychological distress but not with own relationship satisfaction. Also, own psychological distress was associated with own relationship satisfaction but only for women. Finally, one actor and one partner indirect effects were found. Women perceived emotional invalidation was associated with their own psychological distress which in turn contributed to lower levels of relationship satisfaction for both them and their partners. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the dyadic effects of perceived emotional invalidation on psychological distress and relationship satisfaction within romantic relationships identifying interpersonal emotional dynamics as an important target of interventions.

Analysis of Expressive Illocutionary Act Found in Night School Movie

Abstract Language is an important aspect of communication that is used to interact, speak, and express feelings. Expressive speech acts are typically the facets of speech acts commonly employed in communication. This study examines the significance of expressive illocutionary acts in human communication, focusing specifically on the Night School movie. This study applies a qualitative descriptive approach. In this study, the concept of expressive illocutionary acts proposed by Searle (1979) is used as a theoretical framework that guides the investigations carried out. The purpose of this study is to identify and analyze the various expressive illocutionary acts performed by the characters in the Night School movie. The findings reveal six types of expressive illocutionary acts: thanking, apologizing, congratulating, wishing, attitude, and greeting. Through the application of pragmatics, the study offers insights into the interpretation and understanding of the communicative events within the film, highlighting the importance of expressive illocutionary acts in conveying emotions and shaping interpersonal dynamics. This research contributes to the broader field of pragmatics and provides a framework for analyzing expressive illocutionary acts in film. Keywords: pragmatics, expressive illocutionary act, night school movie

Algorithms as conversational partners: Looking at Google auto-predict through the lens of symbolic interaction

This article showcases a speculative methodology for recreating interactions between a human and Google Search’s Auto-Predict interface as conversations, to explore how AI-based systems are both persuasive and deeply personal. Using ethnomethodology tools and a symbolic interactionist lens, the paper presents three versions of a single Google search, each variation building a slightly different angle on the plausible utterances and interpersonal dynamics of the human and nonhuman partners. This thought experiment emerges from a decade of classroom-based digital literacy exercises with young adults, training them to analyze their lived experiences with digital media, algorithms, and devices. Transforming information exchanges into personal conversations provides a creative method for analyzing how relations are co-constructed in the granular processes of interaction, through which mutual intelligibility is built, meaning about the world is made, and identities are formed. This critical analysis extends methods for human–machine communication studies and elaborates notions of algorithmic identity.

Beyond medical errors: exploring the interpersonal dynamics in physician-patient relationships linked to medico-legal complaints

BackgroundPrevious research suggests that medico-legal complaints often arise from various factors influencing patient dissatisfaction, including medical errors, physician-patient relationships, communication, trust, informed consent, perceived quality of care, and continuity of care. However, these findings are not typically derived from actual patients’ cases. This study aims to identify factors impacting the interpersonal dynamics between physicians and patients using real patient cases to understand how patients perceive doctor-patient relational problems that can lead to dissatisfaction and subsequent medico-legal complaints.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective study using data from closed medical regulatory authority complaint cases from the Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA) between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2020. The study population included patients who experienced sepsis and survived, with complaints written by the patients themselves. A multi-stage standardized thematic analysis using Braun and Clarke’s approach was employed. Two researchers independently coded the files to ensure the reliability of the identified codes and themes.ResultsThematic analysis of 50 patient cases revealed four broad themes: (1) Ethics in physician’s work, (2) Quality of care, (3) Communication, and (4) Healthcare system/policy impacting patient satisfaction. Key sub-themes included confidentiality, honesty, patient involvement, perceived negligence, perceived lack of concern, active engagement and empathy, transparency and clarity, informed consent, respect and demeanor, lack of resources, long wait times, and insufficient time with physicians.ConclusionsThis study identifies and categorizes various factors impacting relational issues between physicians and patients, aiming to increase patient satisfaction and reduce medico-legal cases. Improving physicians’ skills in areas such as communication, ethical practices, and patient involvement, as well as addressing systemic problems like long wait times, can enhance the quality of care and reduce medico-legal complaints. Additional training in communication and other skills may help promote stronger relationships between physicians and patients.

Psychometric evaluation of the German version of the Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy (QCAE)

Empathy as a central element of social cognition plays a decisive role in various psychosocial areas and interpersonal dynamics, especially within the context of psychotherapy. Despite the controversy surrounding a standardized definition, empathy is generally regarded as a multidimensional concept that encompasses both cognitive and affective dimensions. This differentiation between cognitive and affective facets is addressed by a widely used and internationally well-established self-report measure of empathy, the Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy (QCAE). This study focuses on evaluating the psychometric properties of the German version of the QCAE. In a convenience sample (N=1300), the postulated confirmatory five-factor model showed an adequate fit to the underlying structure. The subscales of the QCAE exhibited satisfactory internal consistency and convergent validity with other instruments measuring empathy. Despite certain methodological limitations, our findings suggest that the German version of the QCAE is suitable as a reliable and valid instrument for measuring empathy. Further studies in population-representative samples and clinical populations are required before a clear recommendation regarding its utilization can be provided.

Unpacking the effects of materialism on interpersonal relationships: A cognitive approach.

Materialism, or beliefs and values that link wealth and consumption to success and happiness, negatively affects interpersonal relationships. Prior work has typically explained these effects through the allocation of personal resources (such as time or money) within relationships, thus using a behavioural route. However, this research proposes an alternative cognitive pathway to understand the adverse effects of materialism on interpersonal relationships. Three studies (N = 1389) employing correlational and experimental methodologies showed that materialism leads to heightened expectations and standards for a significant other, which are associated with poorer interpersonal outcomes. Specifically, materialism heightens the ideal standards that one has for a close other around achievement (e.g., ambition) and positive image (e.g., attractiveness), which are linked to higher conflict and lower relational satisfaction. Therefore, this work contributes to deepening our understanding of how consumer-oriented values shape social perceptions and negatively affect interpersonal dynamics. Practical applications include informing relationship counselling practices, developing educational interventions, and guiding marketers and media content producers towards messages that do not increase individual's ideals and standards for themselves and others. Further research should explore other factors that might alter this mediation (e.g., mindfulness) and examine the short- and long-term effects through longitudinal and interventional-based research.

An intersectionality perspective of Organizational stereotypes and Interpersonal dynamics

An intersectionality perspective of Organizational stereotypes and Interpersonal dynamics

Structural balance in real-world social networks: incorporating direction and transitivity in measuring partial balance

Structural balance theory predicts that triads in networks gravitate towards stable configurations. This theory has been verified for undirected graphs. Since real-world networks are often directed, we introduce a novel method for considering both transitivity and sign consistency for evaluating partial balance in signed digraphs. We test our approach on graphs constructed by using different methods for identifying edge signs: natural language processing to infer signs from underlying text data, and self-reported survey data. Our results show that for various social contexts and edge sign detection methods, partial balance of these digraphs is moderately high, ranging from 61 to 96%. Our approach not only enhances the theoretical framework of structural balance but also provides practical insights into the stability of social networks, enabling a deeper understanding of interpersonal and group dynamics across different communication platforms.

Parent-adolescent communication on sexual and reproductive health issues and associated factors among secondary public-school students in Gondar town, northwest Ethiopia: an institution based cross-sectional study.

Effective communication between adolescents and their parents is crucial for reducing sexual health problems. This open dialogue can help address misconceptions, provide accurate information, and foster a supportive environment where adolescents feel comfortable seeking guidance and discussing sensitive issues related to their sexual health. In Ethiopia, with its diverse ethnic and cultural background, effective communication between parents and adolescents about sexual and reproductive health (SRH) is crucial in reducing the likelihood of adolescents engaging in risky sexual behaviors. Despite the importance of such communications, there were no data showing the level of parent-adolescent communication (PAC) in secondary public schools in Gondar town. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the level of parent-adolescent communication on sexual and reproductive health issues along with its influencing factors, among secondary students in Gondar town, northwest Ethiopia. We employed an institution-based cross-sectional study design. A total of 424 students were recruited using a systematic random sampling technique, with a 100% response rate. We developed a structured questionnaire from the related literature to collect data from the participants of the study. The data were entered using EpiData version 4.6, and analyzed using SPSS version 25. A binary logistic regression model was fitted to identify associated factors. The proportion of adolescents who had communicated with their parents was 37.7% (95% CI: 34.65-44.76). In a multivariable analysis at a 95% confidence interval (CI), variables such as being female (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.23; 95% CI: 1.09-7.45), belonging to grades 11-12 (AOR = 1.25; 95% CI: 1.19-6.98), living with parents/caregivers (AOR = 1.26; 95% CI: 1.07-5.66), having a positive attitude toward sexual health (AOR = 2.4; 95% CI: 1.34-7.82), having poor knowledge about SRH issues (AOR = 1.23; 95% CI: 1.04-7.81), and having good knowledge about the puberty period (AOR=1.23; 95% CI:1.04-7.89) were statistically associated with parent-adolescent communication. This study found a low level of communication between parents and adolescents regarding sexual and reproductive health (SRH) issues. To address this challenge, it is crucial to implement evidence-based education on SRH topics, such as consent, healthy relationships, communication skills, STDs, contraception, and interpersonal dynamics. Enhancing parent-adolescent dialogue on SRH can be achieved by implementing peer education among senior students and training teachers in effective communication techniques. The study also recommended conducting qualitative research to explore the specific barriers affecting parent-adolescent communication.

Prenatal Care Clinician Preferences Among Patients With Spanish-Preferred Language.

To measure what patients with Spanish language preference and limited English proficiency value most when selecting a prenatal care clinician. A discrete choice experiment was administered at two large academic medical centers in Boston, Massachusetts. Participants were identified by electronic medical record, had preferred Spanish language and self-identified limited English proficiency, and either were pregnant with a completed fetal anatomy scan or had given birth within the past 12 months at the time of the study. The discrete choice experiment consisted of eight attributes to consider when selecting a prenatal care clinician: clinician Spanish proficiency, type of interpreter used, interpersonal dynamics (ie, making patients feel seen, heard, and cared for), cultural concordance, continuity of care, shared decision making, distance from home, and wait times for appointments. Descriptive statistics of demographic variables were calculated. Hierarchical Bayesian models were used to analyze discrete choice experiment data. The attributes that were most important to 166 participants when choosing their prenatal care clinician were interpersonal dynamics within the patient-clinician dyad and clinician Spanish language proficiency (average importance 21.4/100 and 20.8/100, respectively). Of lowest importance were wait time to receive an appointment and continuity of care (average importance 5.1 and 6.1, respectively). Although participants highly preferred that their clinician be "fluent or near fluent in Spanish," the second most preferred option was having a clinician with only basic Spanish proficiency rather than a more advanced level of Spanish proficiency with some misunderstandings. Our study demonstrates the importance of positive clinician-patient interpersonal dynamics and language-concordant care for patients with Spanish language preference in prenatal care. Promoting equitable patient-centered care for patients with limited English proficiency requires responding to preferences regarding clinician language proficiency and demonstrating attentiveness, empathy, and concern for prenatal care experiences.

Investigating Interpersonal Dynamics among Researchers and Innovators: An Ethnographic Study of Communication's Role in Fostering Innovation

Investigating Interpersonal Dynamics among Researchers and Innovators: An Ethnographic Study of Communication's Role in Fostering Innovation

Exploring Mianzi consciousness congruence and its impact on unethical pro-organizational behavior

BackgroundIn Chinese culture, the concept of Mianzi holds significant importance in interpersonal interactions. Mianzi represents one’s social standing, dignity, and reputation, influencing behaviors and decisions within various contexts. Mianzi consciousness manifests in two primary forms: proactive and defensive. Proactive Mianzi consciousness involves efforts to enhance one’s social image, while defensive Mianzi consciousness focuses on protecting one’s existing reputation. Analyzing the impact of the two Mianzi consciousness dimensions on individuals’ attitudes and behaviors is effective for understanding interpersonal dynamics in China. This study specifically examined the relationship between high Mianzi consciousness congruence and unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB). UPB refers to actions taken by employees that are intended to benefit their organization but are unethical or morally questionable. By investigating how congruence in proactive and defensive Mianzi consciousness influences the likelihood of engaging in UPB, this research aimed to uncover the underlying social and psychological mechanisms driving such behavior.MethodsEmploying polynomial regression and response surface analysis method, this study developed a model that combines the proactive Mianzi consciousness and the defensive Mianzi consciousness into different Mianzi management strategies and tested the relationship between high Mianzi consciousness congruence and UPB.ResultsSample data collected at two time points one month apart supported all hypotheses. Specifically, the findings revealed that high levels of Mianzi consciousness congruence (i.e., all-around type in Mianzi management strategies) positively relate to UPB, and verified the mediation effect of external work locus of control and the moderation effect of relational psychological contract.ConclusionThis research advanced a novel, synergistic perspective on the role of social Mianzi and contributed to the localized UPB research, thus helping to find a path to prevent UPB from occurring in the Chinese sociocultural context.

Emotional and interpersonal states following dialectical behavioral therapy in adolescent borderline personality disorder: A proof-of-concept ecological momentary assessment outcome study

ABSTRACT Objective: The effects of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy for Adolescents (DBT-A) on emotional and interpersonal instability were explored in adolescents exhibiting Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) features, using ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to reduce recall bias. Method: N = 28 help-seeking female adolescents were enrolled, meeting ≥ 3 DSM-IV BPD criteria. BPD criteria, non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), and depressive symptoms were examined pre- and post-DBT-A treatment (mean duration: 42.74 weeks, SD = 7.46). Participants maintained e-diaries pre- and post-treatment, hourly rating momentary affect, attachment to mother and best friend, and self-injury urges. Results: Interview-rated BPD symptoms decreased (χ²(1) = 5.66, p = .017), alongside reduced self-rated depression severity (χ²(1) = 9.61, p = .002). EMA data showed decreased NSSI urges (χ²(1) = 9.05, p = .003) and increased mother attachment (χ²(1) = 6.03, p = .014). However, mean affect, affective instability, mean attachment to the best friend, and attachment instability showed no significant change over time. Conclusion: DBT-A yielded limited evidence for altering momentary affective states and instability in adolescents based on EMA. Nevertheless, significant effects were observed in reducing NSSI urges and enhancing interpersonal dynamics during treatment, as assessed via EMA.

Understanding the factors of accessibility to the neighborhood green spaces that contribute to social cohesion: A systematic literature review

Green spaces are vital for urban health and quality of life, promoting social cohesiveness and interpersonal dynamics. However, 56% of the world’s population lives in cities without green spaces, affecting their health and psychological well-being. The limited number of neighborhood parks highlights the need to consider accessibility and its relationship with social cohesiveness. Social cohesion is crucial for community well-being and is linked to public spaces, especially in urban areas. Neighborhood green spaces promote social connections, reduce inequalities, and enhance community health. This research acknowledges the connection between accessibility and urban green spaces, but does not directly evaluate its impact. This systematic literature review aims to understand the factors of accessibility to neighborhood green spaces that contribute to social cohesion and their impact on physical and mental well-being, highlighting the lack of research on the interdependencies between these variables and their combined impact. The study utilized a keyword search on databases like Scopus, Research Gate, Google Scholar, Elsevier, Lens.org, and PubMed to identify 123 empirical research studies published between 2013 and 2022, conducted by 213 authors in 5 countries and 66 journals. The findings explore the factors influencing social cohesion, including socio-demographics, physical characteristics, non-physical variables, environmental perceptions, and usage patterns. It uses Vos viewer keyword co-occurrences analysis to create clusters, proposes a model to understand how these factors are linked to accessibility and directly influence social cohesion and provides insights into the relationship between these factors. Understanding these factors is essential for urban planning and policy-making.

Finding love in algorithms: deciphering the emotional contexts of close encounters with AI chatbots

Abstract AI chatbots are permeating the socio-emotional realms of human life, presenting both benefits and challenges to interpersonal dynamics and well-being. Despite burgeoning interest in human–AI relationships, the conversational and emotional nuances of real-world, in situ human–AI social interactions remain underexplored. Through computational analysis of a multimodal dataset with over 35,000 screenshots and posts from r/replika, we identified seven prevalent types of human–AI social interactions: intimate behavior, mundane interaction, self-disclosure, play and fantasy, customization, transgression, and communication breakdown, and examined their associations with six basic human emotions. Our findings suggest the paradox of emotional connection with AI, indicated by the bittersweet emotion in intimate encounters with AI chatbots, and the elevated fear in uncanny valley moments when AI exhibits semblances of mind in deep self-disclosure. Customization characterizes the distinctiveness of AI companionship, positively elevating user experiences, whereas transgression and communication breakdown elicit fear or sadness.

Using Wearables to Study Biopsychosocial Dynamics in Couples Who Cope With a Chronic Health Condition: Ambulatory Assessment Study.

Technology has become an integral part of our everyday life, and its use to manage and study health is no exception. Romantic partners play a critical role in managing chronic health conditions as they tend to be a primary source of support. This study tests the feasibility of using commercial wearables to monitor couples' unique way of communicating and supporting each other and documents the physiological correlates of interpersonal dynamics (ie, heart rate linkage). We analyzed 617 audio recordings of 5-minute duration (384 with concurrent heart rate data) and 527 brief self-reports collected from 11 couples in which 1 partner had type II diabetes during the course of their typical daily lives. Audio data were coded by trained raters for social support. The extent to which heart rate fluctuations were linked among couples was quantified using cross-correlations. Random-intercept multilevel models explored whether cross-correlations might differ by social contexts and exchanges. Sixty percent of audio recordings captured speech between partners and partners reported personal contact with each other in 75% of self-reports. Based on the coding, social support was found in 6% of recordings, whereas at least 1 partner self-reported social support about half the time (53%). Couples, on average, showed small to moderate interconnections in their heart rate fluctuations (r=0.04-0.22). Couples also varied in the extent to which there was lagged linkage, that is, meaning that changes in one partner's heart rate tended to precede changes in the other partner's heart rate. Exploratory analyses showed that heart rate linkage was stronger (1) in rater-coded partner conversations (vs moments of no rater-coded partner conversations: rdiff=0.13; P=.03), (2) when partners self-reported interpersonal contact (vs moments of no self-reported interpersonal contact: rdiff=0.20; P<.001), and (3) when partners self-reported social support exchanges (vs moments of no self-reported social support exchange: rdiff=0.15; P=.004). Our study provides initial evidence for the utility of using wearables to collect biopsychosocial data in couples managing a chronic health condition in daily life. Specifically, heart rate linkage might play a role in fostering chronic disease management as a couple. Insights from collecting such data could inform future technology interventions to promote healthy lifestyle engagement and adaptive chronic disease management. RR2-10.2196/13685.

A cognitive stylistic of Taylor Swift’s song 'I can do it with a broken heart'

This study analyzes the lyrics of Taylor Swift's song 'I Can Do It With A Broken Heart' to explore how she conveys themes of resilience and emotional turmoil. The research addresses the gap in understanding the specific mechanisms through which contemporary music reflects complex emotional states. Utilizing qualitative text analysis, the study examines the song's interpersonal dynamics, framing, and metaphors. Findings reveal a tension between the protagonist's public persona and private pain, highlighted through vivid metaphors and imagery that depict resilience despite adversity. This analysis contributes to the broader discourse on music as a form of emotional expression, emphasizing its societal implications.