Low Intimacy Research Articles

Attachment, Sexual Motives, and Sexual Satisfaction among Couples Expecting their First Child

This study examined direct and indirect links among attachment insecurities (anxiety, avoidance) and sexual satisfaction through sexual motives in couples expecting their first child. A sample of 204 first-time pregnant couples completed online questionnaires. Dyadic path analyses revealed that attachment and sexual satisfaction were not directly associated, but rather indirectly associated through three sexual motives: partner approval, self-affirmation, and intimacy. For non-pregnant partners, attachment anxiety was related to higher sexual satisfaction through higher intimacy, whereas attachment avoidance was related to lower sexual satisfaction through lower intimacy. Results are discussed in light of clinical implications for expecting couples.

Using Observational Dyadic Methods in Youth Mentoring Research: Preliminary Evidence of the Role of Actors’ and Partners’ Self-disclosure in Predicting Relationship Quality

Self-disclosure builds high quality relationships, but knowledge of self-disclosure in youth mentoring relationships is limited by a lack of research and reliance on self-reports. To demonstrate the value of observational methods and dyadic modeling of mentoring communication processes, this study examined the associations between behavioral observation of self-disclosure and self-reported relationship quality in 49 mentee-mentor dyads (mentees: 73.5% female; x̄ age = 16.2, range = 12–19; mentors: 69.4% female; x̄ age = 36.2, range = 19–59). Video-recorded observations of disclosure were coded on three dimensions: amount (number of topics and detail of disclosure), intimacy (disclosure of personal or sensitive information), and openness (willingness to disclose). More intimate mentor disclosure was associated with higher mentee relationship quality, whereas higher amount of mentor disclosure combined with low intimacy was associated with lower mentee relationship quality. Greater mentee openness correlated with higher mentor relationship quality, but more intimate mentee disclosures were associated with lower mentee relationship quality. These preliminary findings illustrate the potential of methods that enable in-depth investigation of dyadic processes to advance understanding of how behavioral processes may influence mentoring relationships.

Iodine-Modified Pd Catalysts Promote the Bifunctional Catalytic Synthesis of 2,5-Hexanedione from C6 Furan Aldehydes.

Currently, low intimacy between hydrogenation sites and acidic sites causes unsatisfactory catalytic activity and selectivity for the synthesis of 2,5-hexanedione from C6 furan aldehydes (5-methylfurfural, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural). Herein, iodine(I) modification of Pd-supported catalysts (such as PdI/Al2 O3 and PdI/SiO2 ) was investigated to modulate the hydrogenation sites and acidic sites. Unlike Pd catalysts that produced 71.4 % yield of 2-hydroxymethyl-5-methyl tetrahydrofuran via an overhydrogenation route of 5-methylfurfural, PdI catalysts showed a high efficiency for 2,5-hexanedione with 93.7 % yield by a hydrogenative ring-opening route. More importantly, the selective synthesis of 2,5-hexanedione from 5-hydroxymethylfurfural with a high yield of 50.2 % by the hydrogenolysis and subsequent ring-opening route was reported for the first time. I-modified Pd nanoparticles produced in-situ hydrogen spillover, which promoted the selective C=O hydrogenation and ring-opening steps by regulating the adsorption configuration of the reactants and the transformation of Lewis to Brønsted acidity, respectively.

Midlife financial strain and later-life health and wellbeing of husbands and wives: Linking and moderating roles of couple intimacy trajectories.

This study investigates (a) heterogeneous trajectories of couple intimacy over the mid-later years (average ages of 40-65) and (b) how these intimacy classes are differentially associated with spouses' midlife financial strain as well as their later-life health and wellbeing outcomes. The sample was comprised of white couples in long-term marriages from the rural Mid-west who experienced the economic downturn of the farm crisis in late 1980s. Couple-level measures of emotional intimacy and sexual intimacy were created by summing husbands' and wives' reports. Using growth mixture modeling with a sample of 304 couples, conjoint intimacy classes were identified from trajectories of couple emotional intimacy and sexual intimacy. Three qualitatively different latent intimacy classes of couples were identified: Consistently High, Moderate and Increasing, and Chronically Low. Intimacy classes were differentially associated with midlife financial strain and later-life health and wellbeing. Spouses with consistently high and moderate and increasing intimacy in their mid-later years averaged lower financial strain in early midlife and better health and wellbeing outcomes in later years (>67years) compared to those with consistently low intimacy after controlling for lagged health measures. The identification of couple intimacy trajectory groups provides a potentially useful prognostic tool for counseling efforts that can promote and develop resiliency factors to aid in the redirection of adverse couple intimacy trajectories.

Attitudes Towards the Sexuality of Adults with Intellectual Disabilities: A Systematic Review

Current research in attitudes towards the sexuality of adults with intellectual disabilities yields heterogeneous results. The aim of the present paper was to systematically review current qualitative and quantitative evidence of attitudes towards the sexuality of adults with intellectual disabilities. A systematic review of current literature (2000–2020) was carried out in the ERIC, PsychINFO, SCOPUS, PUBMED, and WebOfScience databases. Thirty-three articles were included for review. The present review protocol is registered in the PROSPERO database. Included studies presented attitudes towards the sexuality of adults with intellectual disabilities in samples comprised of staff, family, members of the community, and adults with intellectual disability. Community samples held more positive attitudes, followed by staff and family. Adults with intellectual disabilities reported interest in intimate relationships but perceived barriers in others’ attitudes. Factors such as familiarity, age, gender of the adult with a disability, and culture seemed to have clear relationships. Other factors such as gender or social status remain unclear. In general, attitudes were considered positive. However, a preference for low intimacy and friendship or Platonic relationships was found. Stereotypes towards intellectual disability may have a strong influence. These findings underline the need to investigate and address attitudinal changes to provide adequate support for adults with intellectual disabilities in regard to a healthy relational and sex life.Prospero registration number: CRD42021222918.

Direct and Indirect Effects of Remembered Parental Rejection on Media Use among Young Adults

Problematic media use has become commonplace in recent years, especially among adolescents and young adults. This study examined the association between problematic media use and parent-child relationship quality as mediated by social intimacy with best friends. Data from 228 university students between the ages of 19 through 26 years (Mage = 22.90) were collected. Measures used were the mother and father versions of the Adult Parental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaire (PARQ, short form), the Usage Subscale of the Media and Technology Usage and Attitude Scale, and the Miller Social Intimacy Scale. Results showed significant associations for both men and women among all the variables. This indicated that the more parental (maternal and paternal) rejection the young adults experienced in childhood the lower was their social intimacy with best friends, but the greater was their self-reported media and technology usage. Findings from hierarchical multiple regression analyses confirmed that remembered parental (both maternal and paternal) rejection had a strong direct effect on media and technology usage among both men and women. But the analyses also showed a significant indirect effect of low social intimacy with best friends on media and technology usage. The findings have implications for parents, teachers, educators, mental health professionals and policy makers.

The Cheating Heart: Phenomenology in Women Who Decides to Have an Affair in Marriage

Infidelity in marriage is a complex process. People have different reasons for deciding to have a relationship outside of marriage. This study aims to investigate the reasons of married women for having marital infidelity and explore the risk factors that cause it. This research was conducted using a qualitative approach with phenomenology as the method. Three women who have had marital infidelity are willing to be subjects in this study. Data was collected by using open interview and observation methods. As a result, failed conflict resolution, different communication styles, low-quality time, low intimacy, unfulfilled expectations from partners, and the absence of protective factors are factors that cause women to have an affair.

The Effect of Urban Environment on College Students' Fear of Crime on the Way Home at Night -Focused on the Area Near Chungbuk National University-

도시에서 범죄에 대한 두려움은 삶의 질에 큰 영향을 미치며, 지역의 발전과 활성화에도 큰 영향을 미친다. 특히 타지역 출신 대학생들은 지역과의 친밀도가 낮기 때문에 범죄에 대한 두려움이 높을 가능성이 있다. 따라서 본 연구의 목적은 대학 주변에 거주하는 타지역 출신 대학생의 범죄 불안감에 도시 환경이 미치는 영향을 분석하고, 범죄 불안감을 줄이기 위한 시사점을 도출하는 것이다. 이를 위해 본 연구는 범죄두려움과 인지된 환경의 질에 대한 조사를 실시하여 자료를 구축하였다. 그리고 범죄 두려움을 종속 변수로, 도시 환경적 특성을 독립 변수로 사용한 회귀분석을 연구방법으로 이용하였다. 본 연구의 결과를 요약하면 다음과 같다. 첫째, 범죄 두려움은 남성보다 여성이 더 높았고, 특히 성범죄에 대한 두려움이 가장 컸다. 둘째, 조명이 밝을수록, 도로의 가시성이 높을수록, 경찰 활동이 많을수록, 골목이 좁을수록 범죄에 대한 두려움이 낮아졌다. 셋째, 보행량은 범죄 두려움을 낮추었으나, 차량 통행량은 범죄 두려움을 증가시켰다. 넷째, 술집, 편의점, 노래방은 범죄 두려움을 증가시키고 PC방은 범죄 두려움을 감소시켰다. 다섯째, 성별, 귀가시간, 범죄 피해 경험은 범죄 두려움에 영향을 미쳤다.Fear of crime in the city is very important because it has a great influence on the quality of life, and it has a great influence on the improvement and vitalization of the region. In particular, college students are likely to have a high degree of fear of crime because they have low intimacy with the region. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify the impact of urban environment on fear of crime of college students and to derive the direction of urban environment planning to reduce fear of crime. To this end, this study conducted a survey on fear of crime and perceived environmental quality. And this study used a multiple regression analysis that used fear of crime as a dependent variable and environmental characteristics as an independent variables. The results of this study are summarized as follows. First, the fear of crime in college towns was higher in women than in men, and the fear about sexual crime was the largest. Second, the brighter the lighting, the higher the visibility of the road, the more police activities, and the more narrow alleys, the lower the fear of crime. Third, the volume of pedestrian lowered fear of crime, and the volume of vehicle traffic increased fear of crime. Fourth, pubs, convenience stores, and karaoke raised fear of crime, while PC rooms lowered fear of crime. Fifth, gender, time to go home, and experience of crime damage had a significant impact on fear of crime.

Bifunctional Intimacy and its Interplay with Metal‐Acid Balance in Shaped Hydroisomerization Catalysts

AbstractThe combined impact of platinum location and metal‐acid balance on the catalytic performances of HUSY zeolite alumina‐shaped bifunctional catalysts was evaluated in n‐hexadecane hydroconversion reaction. For well‐balanced catalysts, the deposition of Pt in the alumina resulted in lower isomerization selectivity as compared to when platinum was located in the zeolite. In the latter case, the maximal distance between Pt and acid sites was found to be in the nanometric scale (high intimacy) whereas in the former it was in the micrometric scale (low intimacy), particularly due to the presence of large clusters of HUSY zeolite. Nevertheless, whenever proper balance between functions was not ensured in high‐intimacy catalysts, the low‐intimacy and well‐balanced catalysts were shown to perform better. The requirement for nanometric metal‐acid sites intimacy must be hence combined with an adequate metal‐acid balance to achieve optimal catalytic performance.

The Importance of Having Self Disclosure in Lesbians

Ideally, humans have sexual desires towards the opposite sex, but what is happening now, there are still many who are not operating in accordance with the norms and cultures in society, someone has deviant behavior, for example lesbians. Currently many cases of lesbians are found in the community, not a few of the lesbians choose to try to be open to parents and demand acceptance. However, on the other hand there are still many lesbians who choose to hide their sexual identities from their parents for various reasons. This study aims to look at the ability of self disclosure possessed by lesbians in their parents. This type of research is a qualitative research in the form of case studies. Subjects in this study amounted to two students using Purposive Sampling (Purposive Sampling) techniques. Data collection instruments used in this study were interview, observation, and documentation guidelines. Analysis of the data in this study through three stages, namely (1) data reduction; (2) data exposure (data display); (3) conclusion drawing and verification (conclusion drawing / verifying). The data analysis technique used in this study was thematic analysis by verifying the interview transcript. The study was assisted by an automatic recording device in the form of a smartphone. The results revealed that all research subjects (lesbians) had low self disclosure, both the amount, valence, accuracy, intention, and intimacy to their parents. Therefore this research is expected to help lesbians increase their openness, and help prevent lesbians from developing by asking for cooperation from various parties.

Influence of family environment on the development of speech and language in pre-lingually deaf children after cochlear implantation.

To investigate the influence of family environment on the development of speech and language in pre-school children after cochlear implantation. A total of 88 pre-lingually deaf children, aged 2-5years, who received cochlear implantation, were included in this study. All families completed a self-report family environment questionnaire (FES). The deaf children's linguistic progress was assessed by Categories of Auditory Performance (CAP) and Speech Intelligibility Rating (SIR) at 0, 3, 6 and 12months after implantation. The family environment was the significant factor associated with CAP and SIR at 6months post-implantation. The children in families with higher levels of Cohesion, Intellectual-Cultural Orientation and the ability to express emotion effectively had better auditory and speech abilities, while children in families with low intimacy and high incompatibility exhibited a delay in the development of auditory speech (P<.05). The development of speech and language in pre-lingually deaf children after cochlear implantation can be influenced by family environment and parents' roles.

Sibling dynamics in adolescence predict young adult orientations to couple relationships: A dyadic approach

IntroductionAdolescents' sibling relationships may serve as a training ground for couple relationships given their similar features, including companionship, closeness and role structure. This study used a dyadic approach to examine sibling intimacy and control in adolescence as predictors of young adults' couple relationship orientations (attachment avoidance and anxiety and attitudes toward marriage). Additionally, research documenting the significance of an other-sex sibling for adolescents’ romantic competence guided tests of sibling dyad sex constellation as a moderator of links between sibling relationships and couple relationship orientations in our predominantly heterosexual sample of youth. MethodFirstborns and secondborns from 151 families (Time 1 ages M = 16.42, SD = 0.79 and M = 13.83, SD = 1.14, respectively) reported on their sibling relationships in three annual home interviews and on their couple relationship orientations in web surveys ten years after Time 1. ResultsEstimating actor-partner interdependence models revealed negative effects of sibling intimacy and positive effects of control toward sibling on avoidant attachment, and positive effects of control toward and by sibling on anxious attachment. Sex constellation moderated the interaction effects of the two siblings' intimacy reports on attitudes toward marriage: Mutual high intimacy among mixed-sex dyads predicted more positive attitudes; among same-sex dyads, adolescents' own intimacy compensated for siblings’ lower intimacy in predicting positive attitudes toward marriage. Findings emerged with parent marital love controlled. ConclusionFindings suggest long-term effects of sibling relationships on couple relationship orientations and demonstrate the benefits of using dyadic approaches to examine the implications of sibling relationships.

Effects of self- and partner’s online disclosure on relationship intimacy and satisfaction

Most research on the effects of disclosure on close relationships have been done using offline disclosure. However, disclosure done online has disparate features and thus its effects on relationships may also differ. In five studies and using primes emulating Facebook timelines and messages, we compared the effects of disclosure depth on intimacy and satisfaction in online vs. offline contexts, in romantic vs. friend relationships, and with differing content (self- vs. partner-focused). After demonstrating consistent differences, we examined one mechanism that accounted for the differential effects of online vs. offline disclosure in romantic relationships: perceived inclusivity of the recipients. Results revealed that greater disclosure was associated with higher relational intimacy and satisfaction when done offline (Studies 1 and 4), and lower intimacy and satisfaction when done online (Studies 1–4), in both the discloser (Study 1) and his or her partner (Studies 2–4). The negative association between online disclosure and intimacy was present in romantic relationships, but not in friendships (Study 1). Importantly, this effect only appeared when perceived inclusivity of recipients was high (Study 4). Focusing the online disclosure content on the partner/relationship dissipated its negative effects (Study 5). Together, these studies extend further knowledge on how the effects of disclosure are contextualized, and suggest that disclosure done publicly online may be detrimental to romantic relationships.

Community detection in dynamic signed network: an intimacy evolutionary clustering algorithm

The tremendous development of community detection in dynamic networks have been witnessed in recent years. In this paper, intimacy evolutionary clustering algorithm is proposed to detect community structure in dynamic networks. Firstly, the time weighted similarity matrix is utilized and calculated to grasp time variation during the community evolution. Secondly, the differential equations are adopted to learn the intimacy evolutionary behaviors. During the interactions, intimacy between two nodes would be updated based on the iteration model. Nodes with higher intimacy would gather into the same cluster and nodes with lower intimacy would get away, then the community structure would be formed in dynamic networks. The extensive experiments are conducted on both real-world and synthetic signed networks to show the efficiency of detection performance. Moreover, the presented method achieves better detection performance compared with several better algorithms in terms of detection accuracy.

Psychological profiles of excluded living liver donor candidates: An observational study.

Living donor liver transplantation has advantages over deceased organ liver transplantation. However, the living liver donor candidates must be carefully assessed before surgery. Candidates may be excluded for various reasons. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychological profiles of excluded living liver donor candidates according to the reason for exclusion.A descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted. Donor candidates were invited to participate if they were at least 20 years of age, related biologically or by marriage to the recipient (within 5 degrees), and had undergone living donor evaluation. Among the 338 participants recruited from August 2013 to December 2015, 116 were excluded for the following reasons: a medical condition (n = 35), failure to be chosen (n = 63), or withdrawal from the selection process (n = 18). The psychological profiles of these 3 exclusion groups were evaluated.There were no significant group differences in age, sex, education level, religion, marital status, and consanguinity (P > .05). The withdrawal group had fewer recipients with an hepatitis B virus infection than did the other groups (χ2 = 9.28, P = .01). Additionally, compared with the unchosen group, the withdrawal group had lower intimacy with the recipient (F = 5.32, P = .006) and higher ambivalence (F = 5.53, P = .005). In terms of family relationship parameters, the withdrawal group had lower family cohesion than the medical condition and unchosen groups (F = 4.44, P = .01), lower family expressiveness than the medical condition group (F = 3.76, P = .03), and higher family conflict than the medical condition and unchosen groups (F = 7.05, P = .001). The withdrawal group also had lower emotional social support than the medical condition group (F = 3.55, P = .03). There were no significant group difference in motivation, expectations, donation-related concerns, informational social support, value social support, instrumental social support, and health-related quality of life.The living donor candidates who withdrew from the selection process had obvious ambivalence, poorer family relationships, and insufficient emotional social support. The transplantation team should respect the autonomy of the candidate's decision and mitigate the impact of the donation decision on living liver donor candidates.

Psychosocial Intimacy, Relationships with Parents, and Well-being among Emerging Adults

For emerging adults, the development of psychosocial intimacy may be a key developmental task shaped by past parenting. In this study, 232 emerging adult, college students completed a questionnaire about their intimacy development, identity development, self-efficacy in romantic relationships, parenting (i.e., attachment styles, parental caring and overprotection, and parental challenge), and well-being (i.e, depressive symptoms, loneliness, happiness, and self-esteem). Findings indicate that identity development, low attachment avoidance, and self-efficacy in romantic relationships predicted intimacy development. Furthermore, those individuals with high intimacy have less loneliness, greater self-esteem, and more happiness than those with low intimacy. Achieving psychosocial intimacy may have benefits for well-being.

Social integration and age-related decline in lung function.

We tested the hypothesis that social integration, measured as number of social roles, is associated with less age-related loss of lung function, an important marker of health and longevity. We also investigated possible psychological factors through which social integration might influence lung health. Data were analyzed from the Health and Retirement Study (ages 52-94, n = 4,224). Each additional social role reported at baseline was associated with less of a decline in lung function between baseline and the follow-up assessment four years later. The association withstood controls for demographics, weight, and height and was mediated by more positive and less negative affect and lower rates of cigarette smoking and more physical activity. Roles were mostly substitutable, with both high (spouse, parent, friends, relatives) and low (employee, religious service attendee, volunteer, members of other groups) intimacy roles independently contributing to less age-related decline in lung function. (PsycINFO Database Record

Mechanisms leading to misattribution errors and cooperative knowledge acquisition

AbstractThis study sought to clarify the process of knowledge acquisition by examining why people tend to misattribute others' activities as their own after having interacted with them. In Study 1, an experiment was conducted with 4‐year‐old children allocated to 2 groups: one group of children interacted with an adult, and the other group interacted with a peer. The latter group was further divided into 2 subgroups on the basis of the strength of children's friendships (high intimacy vs. low intimacy). Children in the low intimacy condition demonstrated more misattributions and greater knowledge acquisition. Study 2 focused on interactions and revealed that knowledge acquisition was influenced by the nature of children's interactions, which depended on the strength of their friendships. Those in the low intimacy condition (i.e., weaker friendships) provided their peers with appropriate support sufficient to complete a task but did not unilaterally complete tasks for their peers. These results suggest that misattribution occurs when individuals actively participate in interactions with others, and that new knowledge is acquired as they internalize the knowledge of others.Highlights This paper examined the role of “error bias” (a tendency to mistakenly attribute others' activities to oneself more often than attributing one's own activities to others) in knowledge acquisition. Error bias occurred in child‐child pairs with low intimacy more often than in adult‐child pairs, as the level of intimacy leads to differences in attitudes to taking part in interactions. The findings suggest that although intimacy is useful for starting active interactions with others, meaningful interactions that lead to knowledge acquisition are developed through an individual's recognition of appropriate ways of interacting with others.

Effects of service failure on consumer responses across failure types: A moderating role of intimacy

This paper investigates a moderating role of intimacy in two service failure types (outcome and process failure), considering two consumer responses: buffering and betrayal effect. Study 1 employs a 3 (failure type: no vs. outcome vs. process) × 2 (intimacy level: high vs. low) experimental design. Findings show that in case involving outcome failure, a high intimacy group has higher service evaluations (satisfaction, re-patronage intention, and positive word-of-mouth intention) than a low intimacy group, substantiating the existence of buffering effect. In case involving process failure, however, service evaluations are not different depending on the level of intimacy, invalidating the existence of betrayal effect. Study 2 analyzes the effects of intimacy (high vs. low) on service evaluations in the setting of process failure and following failed recovery. The results reveal that betrayal effect is indeed present in times of double deviation, process failure and following failed recovery. Consequently, this research offers service providers practical insights on how to utilize intimacy based on the classification of service failure types.

The interplay of couple's shared time, women's intimacy, and intradyadic stress.

Theoretically, spending time together should be central for couples to build intimacy and should be associated with less relationship stress; however, few empirical studies have examined these links. The present study used 14 days of diary data from 92 women to investigate the interplay between the amount of time they spent with their partner (shared time), intimacy, and daily stress originating inside the relationship (intradyadic stress) on a within- and between-personal level. Multilevel analyses revealed moderation patterns: For example, when women spent more time with their partners than usual on a weekday with low levels of intradyadic stress, they reported higher intimacy. These associations varied substantially between women and were weaker on the weekend or on days with high levels of intradyadic stress. At the between-person level, higher average shared time appeared to buffer the negative association between intradyadic stress and intimacy. Our results suggest that daily fluctuations in intradyadic stress, intimacy, and shared time may have different implications compared with aggregated amounts of those variables. Spending more time together on a weekday with low intimacy might be linked to more intradyadic stress, but aggregated over the long run, spending more time together may provide opportunities for stress resolution and help couples to maintain their intimacy.