Negative Relationship Quality Research Articles

Quietly Crowded: The Moderating Role of Positive Relationship Quality in Cyberspace on Loneliness and Subjective Well-Being in Urban Communities

Loneliness is commonly experienced by individuals in urban communities because of the difficulties in establishing close relationships in urban settings. One way to deal with loneliness in the real world is to find virtual friends in cyberspace. In other words, high level of loneliness can cause social relationship in the virtual world to increase and social relationship in the real world to decrease. The social compensation model hypothesized that higher quality interaction with virtual friends could reduce loneliness levels and ultimately increase one's subjective well-being because this interaction is considered a safe relationship and a preference for those who feel isolated. By utilizing the Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale for Adults - Short Version (SELSA-S), the Positive Negative Relationship Quality (PN-RQ) Scale, and the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), this study found that positive relationship quality in cyberspace (with virtual friends) significantly moderated the association between loneliness levels and subjective well-being (N = 300). Therefore, this study’s results show that not all online interactions are detrimental to individual’s mental health. Also, individuals in urban communities should considering focusing more on increasing the quality of interactions, instead of increasing the quantity or number of friendships.

Dyadic Ambivalence in Couples Managing Early-Stage Alzheimer's Disease: Linking Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia to Life Satisfaction.

Caring for a spouse with Alzheimer's disease (AD) can elicit considerable distress but there are also positive moments. A growing body of work has examined caregivers' ambivalence in the care relationship and linked it to negative caregiver outcomes such as depression, but dyadic assessments of both parties' perspectives are missing. We examined ambivalence in both people with AD and their spousal caregivers, seeking to identify the correlates and well-being outcomes of such ambivalence in this unique context. Participants included 72 couples managing early-stage AD. People with AD and spousal caregivers independently self-reported positive and negative relationship qualities (used to indirectly calculate their ambivalence) and life satisfaction. Caregivers reported both partners' demographic characteristics and their spouses' behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), focusing on memory-related behaviors and psychological symptoms. Path analyses revealed that the number and frequency of psychological symptoms in people with AD were positively associated with their own and caregivers' ambivalence. Caregivers' distress ratings of memory-related behaviors and psychological symptoms were positively associated with their ambivalence. Greater ambivalence was associated with lower life satisfaction in both spouses. BPSD directly affected both spouses' life satisfaction but there were also indirect effects via ambivalence. This study utilizes a dyadic approach to assess ambivalence in dementia care. Findings reveal the conflicting emotions that couples experience as they cope with early-stage AD, identify sources of such ambivalence, and shed light on the development of dyadic interventions that can promote positive outcomes in both partners.

Family Stress Processes Underlying COVID‐19–Related Economic Insecurity for Mothers and Fathers and Children's Internalizing Behaviour Problems

ABSTRACTCOVID‐19 and its economic fallout have resulted in unprecedented financial insecurity and material hardship for many American families, with a disproportionately negative impact on children and families from socioeconomically disadvantaged contexts. The current study applied the family stress model to examine the family processes underlying pandemic‐related economic insecurity and children's internalizing behaviours. Online survey data from an economically diverse sample of mothers and fathers, who experienced at least one type of pandemic‐related economic insecurity in the United States (N = 259), were collected across two longitudinal time points in the early weeks of COVID‐19: (1) 14 April and (2) 30 April of 2020. Parental depressive symptoms, negative partner relationship quality and harsh parenting were tested as mediators. Results from the path model showed that pandemic‐related economic insecurity was associated with higher levels of parental depressive symptoms, which were then associated with higher levels of negative partner relationship quality. Negative partner relationship quality was subsequently associated with more harsh parenting, which was then associated with increased child internalizing behaviours. Indirect effects were found for all hypothesized mediators. The family stress model can be applied and extended to the early COVID‐19 period. Child and family social work implications include targeting parents' mental health, relationship quality and parenting behaviours, as well as directly addressing financial and material hardship, to mitigate the adverse effects of pandemic‐related economic insecurity on children's mental health.

Conflicts with Friends and Romantic Partners: Qualitative and Quantitative Analyses of the Experiences of Girls in Care

ABSTRACTConflicts are common in adolescent friendships and romantic relationships. The ways girls in care navigate conflicts in close relationships have implications for their resilience, since their family relationships are compromised. We employed qualitative and quantitative approaches to explore the conflicts in the friend and romantic relationships of 37 girls in care. They completed an interview about the conflicts with their best friend and boyfriend and a measure on the positive and negative quality of the friendship and romantic relationship within which the conflicts took place. Thematic analysis indicated the girls experienced more intense and volatile conflicts with their boyfriend than best friend. However, the intensity of these conflicts was mitigated by their positive perceptions in their quantitative reports. Despite conflicts, the girls reported significantly higher levels of positive than negative relationship quality within their romantic relationships and similar levels of negative quality between the two relationships. Findings highlight the girls' struggles with their romantic relationship compared to their friendship and especially their attempts to interpret conflict within a more global assessment of relationship quality. The findings provide a nuanced understanding of the girls' relational patterns, which can be used to inform interventions to support their development of healthy relationships.

CAN YOU HEAR ME? IMPLICATIONS OF HEARING LOSS FOR SOCIAL TIES AMONG OLDER ADULTS

Abstract Hearing loss is a leading source of disability among older adults; over 65% of those aged 71 and older have hearing loss. Hearing loss may be associated with reduced relationship quality due to greater communication challenges, conflict, and avoidance of social interactions. This study examined links between hearing loss and social ties among older people. Participants included 11,161 respondents from the 2016 and 2018 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (ages 50+) who completed a hearing test and reported on their social ties (contact, quality), social activities (e.g., charity work), and loneliness. Multilevel models controlling for age, gender, and education revealed that having hearing loss was associated with having lower positive quality and higher negative quality relationships with spouse and friends, higher negative relationship quality with children, having fewer close friends, meeting up less with friends, greater loneliness, doing less charity work, and less attendance at social and community events. Older age was associated with more detrimental outcomes. Older aged individuals with hearing loss met up with friends less often, talked on the phone less with friends, did fewer activities with grandchildren/extended children and neighborhood children, did less charity work, and attended fewer social events compared to younger individuals with hearing loss. Overall, older adults with hearing loss are at high risk for relationship problems and social isolation; especially as they grow older. Hearing loss and social ties are important targets for future interventions for older adults with hearing loss as they may be particularly vulnerable.

Children’s Contact With Fathers Who Never Co-Resided With Them and Father–Child Relationship Quality at age 9

Using a sample of 868 unmarried fathers who did not live with their children from birth to age 9, this study focused on the association between patterns of father–child contact during infancy and early and middle childhood and children’s perceptions of their relationship with the father at age 9. Children perceived significantly better quality relationships with fathers at age 9 when they had regular contact with fathers during infancy and early and middle childhood, than fathers who never saw their children. Children who no longer saw their fathers after infancy perceived more negative relationship quality at age 9. Contact with fathers at ages 1 and 5 were associated with better quality relationships even if there was no contact at age 9. Implications for policy and programs are discussed.

Relationship mindfulness, negative relationship quality, and physical health.

Romantic relationships have the potential to be a great source of support or a significant stressor depending on the quality of the relationship. Given the importance of these relationships, it is important to explore possible predictors of relationship quality, primarily if such predictors can be targeted in a clinical setting. Relationship mindfulness, or the propensity to be mindful in the setting of a romantic relationship, is one such option. The current study explored the associations between relationship mindfulness, negative relationship quality, and physical health. An online assessment was completed by 116 middle-aged different-sex couples that measured the variables of interest. In addition, an Actor-Partner Interdependence Mediation Model was utilized to determine significant associations between relationship mindfulness, negative relationship quality, and physical health for both actors and partners. The clinical implications are that relationship mindfulness may help to decrease negative relationship quality and subsequently benefit individual physical health.

Relational and physical aggression in preschool-age children: Associations with teacher, parent, sibling, and peer relationship quality.

Early childhood relationships with teachers, parents, siblings, and peers are foundational factors for later social functioning. High rates of childhood aggression have been associated with negative developmental consequences, however, the associations between child aggression on the quality of these formative relationships have not been studied extensively. In a sample of young children attending preschool (N = 114, Mage = 46.27 months, SD = 9.94, 40% girls), this study investigated associations between early childhood relational and physical aggression and the quality of concurrent teacher-child and parent-child closeness and conflict, sibling relationship quality, and positive peer interactions and peer rejection. Early childhood relational and physical aggression was associated with negative teacher-child relationships, and this was true for boys and girls. Differential patterns of prediction were found for relational and physical aggression on the other relationship variables. Relational aggression strongly predicted more positive peer interactions, whereas physical aggression predicted fewer positive peer interactions and greater peer rejection. Early childhood relational aggression predicted higher levels of teacher-child closeness, whereas physical aggression predicted lower levels of teacher-child closeness and fewer positive sibling interactions. These findings challenge common perceptions that aggression is negatively associated with relationship quality. Notably, relational aggression relative to physical aggression may be associated with some favorable relationship outcomes. We did not find support for an additive model of aggression whereby children who were both relationally and physically aggressive (co-morbid) were at higher risk for negative relationship quality. Implications of these findings for future research and prevention and intervention are discussed.

The associations between relationship self‐regulation, partner regulation, and relationship outcomes: A meta‐analysis

AbstractThe aim of this meta‐analysis was to determine whether relationship self‐regulation (changing aspects of the self for the sake of the relationship) or partner regulation (changing the partner for the sake of the self/relationship) was more strongly associated with romantic relationship quality. Twenty studies (5 on relationship self‐regulation, 15 on partner regulation; N = 15,563) were included. A moderate positive association was found between relationship self‐regulation and relationship quality (r = .42). A weak positive association was found between positive partner regulation and relationship quality (r = .14). A negative association was found between negative partner regulation strategies and relationship quality (r = −.22). Partner regulation strategies were unlikely to be successful in prompting change in targeted partners. A weak positive association was found between positive strategies and regulation success (r = .10), and a weak negative association was found between negative strategies and regulation success (r = −.09). Thus, relationship self‐regulation is more strongly associated with relationship quality than partner regulation.

Comparison of the Quality of Life and Post-traumatic Stress in Postmenopausal and Non-menopausal Women after Hysterectomy in Selected Hospitals of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in 2020

Background: Hysterectomy is one of the most common gynecological surgeries that affect women's mental health and quality of life. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the correlation between the quality of life and posttraumatic stress in hysterectomized postmenopausal and non-menopausal women. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional analytical study was conducted from August to December 2019 on hysterectomies postmenopausal and non-menopausal women. There were 77 subjects in each group with a mean age of 52.55 ± 1.098. They were selected via convenience sampling at Hazrat Zeinab (PBUH) and Shahid Dr. Faghihi Hospitals in Shiraz. They were evaluated in a two-month follow-up using the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (Weiss & Marmar, 1997) and WHO Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaires. Data were analyzed in SPSS-16 software using descriptive and inferential statistics (independent t-test, paired t-test, and Pearson or Spearman correlation coefficients). Results: Unlike the first stage of the study (before and a week after the surgery, P = 0.289), there was a significant negative relationship in the quality of life and post-traumatic stress between postmenopausal and non-menopausal women (P = 0.001) in the second stage (two months after the surgery). Hysterectomy increased the mean score of post-traumatic stress in postmenopausal and nonmenopausal women after the surgery (P = 0.179), while the quality of life improved and stress decreased two months later (P = 0.0001). Conclusion: Hysterectomy improved the quality of life in postmenopausal and significantly in nonmenopausal women. Hence, due to the correlation and significant negative relationship between post-traumatic stress and quality of life, midwives, families, and society need to pay attention to women’s quality of life.

How perceived maternal gatekeeping affects fathers: An 8-week study.

Maternal gatekeeping describes mothers' attempts to influence father involvement in child-rearing. While the effect of maternal gatekeeping on the father-child relationship has been explored, less is known about how fluctuations in the perception of maternal gatekeeping influences fathers' family outcomes and whether father's attachment might moderate these associations. Building on family systems theory, this study explores the within-person effect of negative maternal gatekeeping on father's weekly reports of romantic relationship quality and feelings of exclusion from the family and tests father attachment as a moderator of these associations. Two hundred seventy-seven Canadian and German fathers with children under the age of 6 took part in an 8-week online diary study. Data were analyzed using multilevel structural equation modeling. During weeks when fathers perceived more maternal gatekeeping than was typical, they reported lower positive romantic relationship quality, higher negative romantic relationship quality, and felt more excluded from the family system. Avoidant attachment moderated the within-person effect of perceived maternal gatekeeping on negative romantic relationship quality, such that within-person increases in perceived maternal gatekeeping were more strongly linked with higher than-average negative romantic relationship quality among more avoidant fathers. Our findings shed new light on the within-person effects of perceived maternal gatekeeping on fathers' feelings regarding the family system. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Does Forgiveness Enhance Or Detract From Relationship Quality Among Sexual Abuse Survivors?

ABSTRACT Many women experience childhood sexual abuse (CSA) during their childhood and CSA often negatively impacts adult’s romantic relationships. Consequently, it is important to understand the protective factors that buffer against the detrimental impact of CSA on the quality of women’s romantic relationships. Forgiveness may be one such factor. The current study looked at trait forgiveness as a moderator of CSA and overall relationship quality, positive relationship quality, and negative relationship quality. A sample of 171 women completed an online survey. Using hierarchical regression, forgiveness was found to moderate the association between CSA and overall relationship quality and negative relationship quality, but not positive relationship quality. Findings indicate that the interaction between CSA and forgiveness was significant, but higher levels of forgiveness actually decreased overall relationship quality and increased negative relationship quality. The relationship between CSA and overall reports of relationship quality and negative relationship quality were stable at low levels of forgiveness, but when forgiveness was high overall relationship quality decreased and negative relationship quality increased. CSA was also directly associated with lower levels of positive relationship quality. Findings from the study indicate continued conceptual refinement when considering CSA, forgiveness, and relationship quality.

The impact of negative emotions and relationship quality on consumers’ repurchase intention: An empirical study based on service recovery in China’s online travel agencies

Service failures of online travel agencies (OTAs) occur frequently, which makes the OTA business operation model face huge risks. However, the current academic circles still pay insufficient attention to OTA service recovery. This study obtained research data through scenario experiment method, and analyzed data through SPSS25.0, HLM6.08 and other statistical software to explore the impact mechanism of consumers’ repurchase intention in OTA service recovery. The empirical results of this study are as follows: Consumers’ negative emotions weaken their relationship with tourism suppliers and OTAs. If the relationship quality between consumers and tourism suppliers is improved, the relationship quality between consumers and OTAs will also be improved. The relationship quality between consumers and OTAs has a positive impact on consumers’ repurchase intention, and consumer forgiveness has a positive moderating effect between them. This study provides a consumer psychology perspective for discussing OTA’s service recovery, which is conducive to promoting the healthy development of OTA’s business operation model and benefiting consumers.

PATTERNS OF HEAVY ALCOHOL USE AMONG OLDER MARRIED AND COHABITING COUPLES

Abstract Heavy drinking has increased among older adults in recent years. Research suggests romantic partners influence each other’s alcohol use, but this influence may vary by partnership type and relationship quality. Heavy drinkers are more likely to form cohabiting versus marital unions and, relative to marriage, cohabitation is linked with a higher risk of heavy episodic drinking. Although some studies have explored older married couples’ alcohol consumption, we lack research on older cohabitors despite the substantial growth in this form of partnership during later life. We use data from the 2014-2018 waves of the Health and Retirement Study to examine drinking behavior among a sample of older married and cohabiting couples (n=1,876) using Actor-Partner Interdependence Models (APIM). Heavy drinking is measured as consuming more than 3 drinks on a given day or 7 drinks per week for women, or 4 drinks on a given day or 14 per week for men (NIAAA, 2021). Compared to first marriages, being in a cohabiting union is associated with significantly higher odds of one (OR=5.22) or both (OR=3.82) partners becoming heavy drinkers over the observation period, but there are no significant differences between those in first marriages and remarriages. Relationship quality is also a significant correlate of heavy drinking risk, with male partners’ negative relationship quality and female partners’ positive relationship quality associated with a higher risk of heavy drinking over time. Results suggest the importance of accounting for partnership type and relationship quality in understanding partners’ drinking behavior.

FEELINGS OF BURDEN AMONG OLDER CHILDREN OF VERY OLD PARENTS IN THE US AND KOREA

Abstract Very old adults (80+) are the fastest growing population worldwide. Children of the very old adults may see their prolonged relationship with parents as a benefit (e.g., longer time together) but also as burden (e.g., prolonged responsibility in their own late life). Using a sample of older children (N = 219) from the Boston Aging Together Study and Korean Aging Together Study, we investigated the factors associated with older children’s (aged 62–76) reports of burden in their relationships with very old parents (aged 81–101), focusing on how family relations were imbedded in different cultural contexts. Overall, American older children showed lower levels of burden, compared to Korean older children. The factors associated with burden differed by country; support given to parents and relationship quality were associated with American older children’s burden, whereas support received from parents, familism, and negative relationship quality were associated with Korean older children’s burden.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ATTACHMENT, RELATIONSHIP QUALITY, AND DAILY STRESS AMONG DEMENTIA CAREGIVERS

Abstract The current study assesses the relationship between attachment style, relationship quality, and daily stress among family caregivers of persons with dementia. The study incorporates a longitudinal burst design. In an initial meeting with the investigator, participants completed measures of attachment style (Experiences in Close Relationships Questionnaire Revised), past and current relationship quality (RQ), emotion regulation (Emotion Regulation Questionnaire), and caregiver burden (Zarit Burden Interview). For the next 14 days, participants were sent a link to a brief survey that included the Positive Affect and Negative Affect Schedule and the Perceived Stress Scale. They were also asked to estimate what proportion of their daily stress did they attribute to caregiving. There are significant positive correlations between caregiver burden and current negative RQ, r = 0.70, p = .008, as well as between attachment anxiety and current negative RQ, r = 0.60, p = .029. According to regression analyses, attachment anxiety predicts negative current RQ, R2 = .37, F(1, 11) = 6.32, p = .029. Current negative RQ predicts caregiver burden, R2 = .49, F(1, 11) = 10.55, p = .008. Additional analyses will explore the link between attachment style, emotion regulation, burden, relationship quality, and longitudinal assessments of daily stress and affect. Though preliminary, study results suggest that beyond caregiver burden, daily stress and well-being of caregivers is impacted by the relationship between attachment, relationship quality, and emotion regulation.

CHRONIC NEGATIVE SOCIAL TIES: IMPLICATIONS FOR EXPOSURE AND REACTIVITY TO DAILY SOCIAL INTERACTIONS

Abstract Negative relationships (i.e., irritating, demanding) predict poor well-being and daily processes may account for these links. This study examined longitudinal trajectories of negative ties and their links with daily social interactions and well-being. A total of 169 individuals ages 33 to 91 reported negative relationship quality (spouse/child/friend) in 1992, 2005, 2015, and 2018 and completed 4-5 days of surveys every three hours regarding positive and negative social interactions and negative affect. Latent class growth models revealed two trajectories of negative relationships (moderate-stable and low-decreasing). Individuals in the moderate-stable trajectory reported more frequent daily interpersonal tensions but no link with positive interactions. The link between negative relationship trajectories and daily negative affect was moderated by daily positive interactions such that the association was reduced when individuals had positive interactions. Thus, negative ties may increase exposure but not reactivity to daily tensions and daily positive interactions buffer the negative tie-well-being link.

THE ROLE OF RELATIONSHIP FACTORS IN HARMFUL CAREGIVER BEHAVIORS: OLDER CHILDREN CARING FOR PARENTS WITH DEMENTIA

Abstract Elder abuse by family caregivers is an often-overlooked phenomenon that affects many older adults. Especially, retirement-aged children caring for their oldest-old parents with dementia may be at greater risk of engaging in harmful or abusive behaviors, given their own age-related health issues and other competing caregiving demands. Most of the elder abuse literature has focused on general demographic predictors of elder abuse, regarding the caregiver, care recipient, and the care environment. Less attention has been paid towards relationship factors, which may play a large role among these parent-child dyads. This study examined how relationship factors are associated with potentially harmful caregiver behaviors (PHCB; e.g., screaming), which have been identified as “early warning signs” for elder abuse. Relationship factors of interest include positive and negative relationship quality measured by caregivers’ mean scores on the support and conflict subscales on the Quality of Relationship Inventory (QRI). We conducted in-depth interviews with 88 caregivers (65+) who are caring for their parents with dementia (90+) as the part of the Boston Aging Together Study. Regression models revealed that relationship conflict was significantly associated with higher levels of PHCB, accounting for caregiver, care recipient, and care environment characteristics. The creation of screeners to identify “high conflict” care dyads could prove useful in the early detection and intervention of potential elder abuse cases, given that caregivers may be more willing to report negative aspects of their relationship (e.g., fighting) than more obviously harmful or abusive behaviors.

The Mediating Effect of Caregiving Relationship Quality on the Association Between Caregiving Stressors and Mental Health Problems Among Older Spousal Caregivers.

Providing care to a spouse can be especially challenging for older adults given their compounding stressors resulting from aging and caregiving. This cross-sectional study examines the relationships between caregiving stressors and caregiver mental health problems and the potential mediator (i.e., caregiving relationship quality) of these associations. A total of 431 Americans (≥65 years) were selected from the National Study of Caregiving. Path analysis shows that care assistance was positively associated with caregiver mental health problems, and this association was mediated by negative relationship quality (Indirect effect = .14, p = .016). Moreover, role overload was positively associated with caregiver mental health problems, which was mediated by negative relationship quality (indirect effect = .13, p = .002). Findings suggest that caregiving stressors can adversely affect mental health by exacerbating negative relationship quality. Interventions that limit negative exchanges and increase compassionate communications between older spousal caregivers and their care-receiving partners are needed.

Latinx college students' anxiety, academic stress, and future aspirations: the role of sibling relationship quality.

Latinx students experience stress at higher rates than European-American college-students in the U.S. and report the highest levels of anxiety among all other college-students, which can be a potential barrier to success. However, family members are identified as important sources of support by Latinx young-adults, and feeling support from family indicates a higher likelihood to remain enrolled in college. Few studies have explored the role of siblings in this relationship. This study examined whether positive and negative relationship qualities (RQ) between Latinx siblings may interact with level of anxiety, predicting academic stress (AS) and future aspirations (FA). Findings indicated that younger siblings with high anxiety and high negative RQ experienced higher levels of AS, while older siblings with low or mean-level anxiety and high negative RQ experienced high AS. Younger siblings with low anxiety, and high negative RQ with older siblings experienced low FA. The findings provide evidence that sibling relationship quality in Latinx students moderates the associations with anxiety, academic stress, and future aspirations, and that the presence of negative relationship qualities carried particular implications for future aspirations and academic stress. Understanding the influence of Latinx sibling RQ on mental health and AS can offer insight into the role of sibling relationships in the context of health, academic retention, and success in Latinx young people.