Partner Relationship Quality Research Articles

Telephone-based nurse-delivered interpersonal psychotherapy for postpartum depression: nationwide randomised controlled trial.

Postpartum depression and anxiety are under-addressed public health problems with numerous treatment access barriers, including insufficiently available mental health specialist providers. To examine the effectiveness of nurse-delivered telephone interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) for postpartum depression. Trial registration ISRCTN88987377. Postpartum women (n = 241) with major depression (on the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-I)) from 36 Canadian public health regions in rural and urban settings were randomly assigned to 12 weekly 60 min nurse-delivered telephone-IPT sessions or standard locally available care. The primary outcome was the proportion of women clinically depressed at 12 weeks post-randomisation, with masked intention-to-treat analysis. Secondary outcomes examined included comorbid anxiety, self-reported attachment and partner relationship quality. At 12 weeks, 10.6% of women in the IPT group (11/104) and 35% in the control group (35/100) remained depressed (OR = 0.22, 95% CI 0.10-0.46), with the IPT group 4.5 times less likely to be clinically depressed (SCID); 21.2% in the IPT group and 51% in the control group had an Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) score >12 (OR = 0.26, 95% CI 0.14-0.48), and attachment avoidance decreased more in the IPT group than in the control group (P = 0.02). Significant differences favoured the IPT group for comorbid anxiety and partner relationship quality at all time points, with no differences in health service or antidepressant use. None of the IPT responders relapsed by 36 weeks. Between-group SCID differences were sustained at 24 weeks, but not at 36 weeks. Nurse-delivered telephone IPT is an effective treatment for diverse urban and rural women with postpartum depression and anxiety that can improve treatment access disparities.

Depression and anxiety in early adulthood: consequences for finding a partner, and relationship support and conflict.

Mental health problems in early adulthood may disrupt partner relationship formation and quality. This prospective study used four waves of Australian data to investigate the effects of depression and anxiety in early adulthood on the quality of future partner (i.e. marriage or cohabiting) relationships. A representative community sample of Australian adults aged 20-24 years was assessed in 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2011. Analyses were restricted to those who at baseline had never entered a marriage or cohabiting relationship with no children (n = 1592). Associations were examined between baseline depression and anxiety levels (using the Goldberg Depression and Anxiety scales) and (a) future relationship status and (b) the quality of marriage or cohabiting relationships recorded at follow-up (up to 12 years later) (partner social support and conflict scales). Depression in early adulthood was associated with never entering a partner relationship over the study period. For those who did enter a relationship, both depression and anxiety were significantly associated with subsequently lower relationship support and higher conflict. Supplementary analyses restricting the analyses to the first relationship entered at follow-up, and considering comorbid anxiety and depression, strongly supported these findings. Depression and anxiety in early adulthood is associated with poorer partner relationship quality in the future. This study adds to evidence showing that mental health problems have substantial personal and inter-personal costs. The findings support the need to invest in prevention and early intervention.

Longitudinal associations between relationship quality and maternal depression among low-income African American and Hispanic mothers.

This examination of 237 African American and Hispanic mothers of young children explored the longitudinal linkages between romantic partner relationship quality and maternal depressive symptoms among low-income ethnic minority populations. Most studies to date have largely focused on majority non-Hispanic White populations, as well as married partner dyads, and few have utilized longitudinal designs. At 3 time points, participants completed a series of questionnaires including the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS) for partner relationship quality and a revised version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CESD-R) Scale for maternal depressive symptoms during home-visit interviews. Both concurrent and prospective correlations were significant and negative, indicating a higher level of relationship quality was associated with fewer depressive symptoms. After adjusting for potential confounders, partner relationship quality was prospectively associated with maternal depressive symptoms but not vice versa. This pattern did not differ by maternal ethnicity. The findings of this study support and contribute to the limited research conducted to date to uncover patterns and influences of associations between romantic partner relationship quality and depressive symptoms in representative samples of ethnic minority populations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

The Relationship between Intimate Partner Relationship Quality and Health Outcomes for Filial Caregivers

This study examines the associations between the quality of adult filial caregivers’ intimate partner relationships and health behaviors, mental health, and physical health using structural equation modeling. Secondary data from the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States were used to examine the health outcomes of adults (n = 224) who reported caregiving for a parent or parent-in-law in the past 12 months. Results indicated a significant mediation effect of close intimate partner relationship quality and physical health, through mental health; health behaviors did not produce a significant mediation effect.

Expression of Pain Behaviors and Perceived Partner Responses in Individuals With Chronic Pain: The Mediating Role of Partner Burden and Relationship Quality.

Expressions of pain by individuals with chronic pain may encourage solicitous and distracting responses from some partners and punishing responses from others. Partners' responses can impact the well-being of individuals with chronic pain. Yet information about factors that can explain the link between expression of pain behaviors and different partners' responses is scarce. The objective of this study was to investigate the role of perceived partner burden and relationship quality in the link between expressions of pain behaviors and perceived partner responses (ie, solicitous, distracting, and punishing responses). Participants were 158 individuals with chronic pain (ie, experiencing pain on most days for at least 6 months before participating in the study) who completed questionnaires about pain behaviors, as well as perceptions of partner burden, relationship quality, and partners' solicitous, distracting, and punishing responses. The link between expressing pain and each type of partner response was investigated by serial mediation analysis. Partner burden and relationship quality were entered into all analyses as the first and the second mediator, respectively. Expressing more pain was related to higher levels of perceived partner burden, which in turn, was associated with poorer relationship quality. Poorer relationship quality was associated with reporting fewer solicitous and distracting partner responses and more punishing responses. Enhanced partner burden and reduced relationship quality may be one pathway through which pain behaviors relate to partner responses.

Partner relationship satisfaction, partner conflict, and maternal cardio-metabolic health in the year following the birth of a child

Intimate partner relationship quality during the child-bearing years has implications for maternal health. The purpose of this study was to test whether partner satisfaction, partner conflict, and their interaction predicted maternal cardio-metabolic health at 12-months postpartum. Women were recruited in 5 U.S. sites. Partner conflict and satisfaction were measured at 6-months postpartum, and cardio-metabolic indicators (blood pressure, waist-hip ratio, glycosylated hemoglobin, total cholesterol:HDL ratio) were assessed at 6- and 12-months. Cardio-metabolic indices were scored continuously (CMrisk) and using clinical risk cutoffs (CM scores). A significant conflict-by-satisfaction interaction emerged for the CM risk, b(SE) = .043 (.016), p = .006, and CM scores, b(SE)= .089 (.028), p = .002, such that when partner satisfaction was low, low partner conflict was associated with poorer postpartum cardio-metabolic health. This is the first study to examine close relationships and cardio-metabolic health during the child-bearing years, an issue warranting further attention.

Father-Inclusive Perinatal Parent Education Programs: A Systematic Review.

Fathers contribute to their children's health starting at the beginning of life. Few parent education programs include fathers. Among those that do, there is little effort to report program effects on father outcomes. In this systematic review, we examined father-inclusive perinatal parent education programs in the United States as they relate to a range of father outcomes. The databases searched were PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Embase, Ovid Medline, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and PsycINFO. Studies were included if they included an evaluation of a parent education program and a report of father outcomes measured within 1 year of the child's birth and were conducted within the United States. Of 1353 total articles, 21 met study criteria. The overall state of the father-inclusive perinatal parent education program literature was poor, with few interventions available to fathers. Available programs were associated with increased father involvement, coparenting relationship, partner relationship quality, father's mental health, and father's supportive behaviors. Program effects on father-infant interaction, parenting knowledge, and attitudes and parenting self-efficacy were inconclusive. Three programs emerged as best evidence-based interventions. Risk of bias was high for many studies. Outcome variability, small sample size, and publication bias contributed to the weak evidence base. There is a need for more evidence-based interventions to support fathers. Clinicians play a key role in engaging fathers in early parent education programs and health care settings. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42017050099.

Correlates of Psychiatric Inpatients Length of Stay in North-Central Nigeria

Long duration of hospitalisation has been associated with negative consequences of isolating the patients from their social network, initiating maladaptive patterns in the patients and worsening the burden of care on the relatives. In this particular study, we were interested in determining factors that correlate with length of stay on admission among in-patients receiving psychiatric services in North-Central Nigeria. The prospective study was part of a larger in-patients study conducted on 112 consenting patients admitted in the psychiatric wards of Benue State University Teaching Hospital Makurdi, Federal Medical Centre Makurdi and Jos University Teaching Hospital Jos during the study period. Patients who stayed on hospital admission for more than twenty-eight (28) days were classified as ‘long stay’, conversely, those who were discharged from admission after spending 28 days or less were referred to as ‘short stay’ patients. A total of 112 subjects were recruited for the study, 67(59.8%) were female while 45(40.2%) were male, the mean age was 36.98±11.09 years and 54(48.2%) subjects were still married at the time of the study. Forty-two representing 37.5% of the respondents stayed on admission for more than 28 days. The mean duration of stay was 28.8±24.5 days. Long duration of stay was found to be significantly associated with the quality of intimate partner relationship (p=0.001), years of completed education (p=0.021), age group (p=0.001), nature of psychiatric diagnosis (p=0.014), pharmacotherapy (p=0.001), comorbid physical condition (p=0.001), previous admission (p=0.001), defaulted treatment (p=0.001), frequency of previous episodes (p=0.001) and the number of years a patient has had the mental disorder (p=0.001). We concluded that, assessing duration of stay on admission among in-patients treatment for psychiatric disorders is very necessary.

Pilot Data on the Nature of Trauma Exposure in Military Couples

Using a sample of 50 couples, this pilot study examined the associations between service member and spouse PTSD symptoms on both self and partner relationship quality across trauma-type (i.e., interpersonal, non-interpersonal, military) and perpetrator-type (i.e., family member, non-family member, military) groups. Four multiple-group actor-partner interdependence models were used to analyze the actor and partner effects of husband and wives’ PTSD symptoms and relationship quality, as couples were classified into distinct groups. Results suggest that under some conditions, husband and wife PTSD symptoms were negatively associated with both their own and their partner’s relationship quality. Findings from these preliminary analyses invite a more dynamic conceptualization of the possible relationship between PTSD, relationship quality, and distinct facets of trauma exposure in veteran couples.

A National Portrait of Stepfamilies in Later Life.

Scholars have documented increases in the prevalence and complexity of stepfamilies earlier in the life course, but no one has systematically investigated U.S. stepfamily structure in later life. Guided by a family systems approach, we described the prevalence and composition of later-life stepfamilies. The analysis was based on 6,250 married and cohabiting couples participating in the 2012 Health and Retirement Study. We identified the prevalence of later-life stepfamilies, decomposed stepfamily structures, and compared the sociodemographic characteristics and relationship quality of the couples in stepfamilies with those in married families (with only joint children and no stepchildren), paying attention to differences between married and cohabiting stepfamilies. Roughly 40% of middle-aged and older couples with children were in stepfamilies. Of all stepfamilies, 86% were married couples and 14% were cohabiting couples. Cohabiting stepfamilies more often included children from both partners' previous relationships, but couples in married stepfamilies more often had joint children. Cohabiting stepfamilies appeared to be the most socially and economically disadvantaged, followed by married stepfamilies, and lastly married families. Despite these compositional differences, partner relationship quality was largely similar across married families, married stepfamilies, and cohabiting stepfamilies. This study underscores the high prevalence and complexity of later-life stepfamilies and foregrounds the urgency of additional research on this topic.

Fostering partner relationship management in B2B ecosystems of electronic media

PurposeThis paper aims to discuss relationship management in business-to-business (B2B) ecosystem of electronic media. The goal of this research is twofold. First, the goal is to understand and model the impact of customer relationship management technology adoption on B2B relationships. Second, the authors investigated how trends in e-business and partner relationship management (PRM) affect partner relationship quality in public broadcasting.Design/methodology/approachThis study deals with the impact that relationship capability, relationship fulfillment, operational PRM, analytical PRM, social PRM and readiness to adopt new e-business models produce on relationship quality of a public broadcaster. The research was conducted on a testing sample of 78 participants. All the participants were representatives of the Serbian public broadcaster’s business partners.FindingsResults revealed that relationship capability, analytical and social PRM have a significant impact on relationship quality. In addition to this, the survey suggested that activities such as organizing social events, developing new services, personalization and tailoring of services could improve PRM outcomes.Practical implicationsThe results aim to help practitioners to enhance their relationships with stakeholders and maximize the total outcomes of those relationships. Specifically, managers and practitioners doing business in the field of electronic media could benefit from the presented results.Originality/valueSignificance of the paper is reflected in the fact that it analyzes innovative concepts and technologies. Conclusions and recommendations put forward in the paper could serve as a good basis and framework for other public broadcasters, particularly for those from the developing countries.

Does Partners’ Negative-Direct Communication During Conflict Help Sustain Perceived Commitment and Relationship Quality Across Time?

The current study tested when partners’ negative-direct communication promotes perceived commitment and helps preserve relationship quality and when partners’ negative-direct communication damages perceived commitment and relationship quality. Negative-direct communication was assessed within 322 relationship conflict discussions involving one partner (the agent) wanting change in the other (the target). Perceived commitment and relationship quality were repeatedly assessed across the following year. Greater negative-direct communication by partners as agents of change predicted more positive trajectories of perceived partner commitment and relationship quality across time, whereas greater negative-direct communication by partners targeted for change predicted declines in perceived commitment and relationship quality. These longitudinal effects were magnified for people who initially perceived their partner’s commitment to be low. Thus, partners’ negative-direct communication can help sustain relationship quality when it offers a needed sign of partners’ commitment but has detrimental effects when partners’ negative-direct communication reflects low responsiveness to attempts to improve relationship problems.

Empathy and Romantic Relationship Quality among Cohabitating Couples: An Actor-Partner Interdependence Model.

This study employed a dyadic data analysis approach to examine the association between partners' empathy and relationship quality among cohabitating couples. Data were collected from 374 cohabitating but non-married couples, who were participants in the Wave 3 Romantic Pairs Subsample of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). Men's higher empathy was related to their own perceptions of better relationship quality and women's higher empathy was related to their own as well as their partner's perceptions of better relationship quality. These findings show that individuals' abilities to be understanding, compassionate, and sympathetic may be related to the overall feeling of satisfaction and love in romantic relationships. The only effect that did not reach statistical significance was the partner effect from men's empathy to women's relationship quality. Although previous research with married couples has shown that men's empathy may play a more important role in shaping couples' perceptions of relationship quality, according to the current findings, these findings may not extend to cohabitating couples. The current results provide beneficial guidance to clinicians working with distressed, non-married couples.

Associations Between Romantic Attachment, Conflict Resolution Style and Romantic Relationship Quality in Young Adult Couples - A Dyadic Approach

Although research has been conducted on the links between romantic attachment, conflict resolution style and relationship quality in romantic relationships, findings show some inconsistencies. Besides, most studies are based on samples recruited in English-speaking countries, as well as on individuals rather than both couple members’ reports. Therefore, this study was aimed to examine associations between actor’s romantic attachment, conflict resolution style and perceived relationship quality. Moreover, we wanted to analyze whether actor and partner romantic attachment, actor and partner conflict resolution style, and partner relationship quality can predict actor’s relationship quality (in both cases, for males and females separately). The sample consisted of 426 Spanish heterosexual couples of young adults. Participants completed an online survey including the brief version of the Experiences in Close Relationships Revised Questionnaire, the respondent version of the Conflict Resolution Styles Inventory, and a 4-item measure of relationship quality. Individual level and dyadic level analyses were conducted to achieve the first and the second aims, respectively.

Subjective Caregiver Burden and Caregiver Satisfaction: The Role of Partner Relationship Quality and Reciprocity

ObjectiveTo explore the effect of relationship quality and reciprocity in partnerships on subjective caregiver burden and caregiver satisfaction in partners of persons with a severe physical disability (spinal cord injury). DesignCross-sectional, observational. SettingCommunity setting. ParticipantsCaregiving partners of persons with spinal cord injury (N=118). InterventionsNot applicable. Main Outcome MeasuresSubjective caregiver burden measured by the Zarit Burden Interview (short form) and caregiver satisfaction measured by a single item on feelings of satisfaction resulting from the caregiver role. ResultsCaregiving partners who rated their relationship quality as high encountered less subjective caregiver burden (β=−1.10; 95% confidence interval [CI], −1.47 to −0.72; P<.001) and more caregiver satisfaction (odds ratio [OR], 1.18; 95% CI, 1.01–1.45; P=.049). These associations persisted even after controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, lesion severity of the care receiver, and objective caregiver burden. Partners who indicated high reciprocity in their relationship to the care receiver indicated less subjective caregiver burden and more caregiver satisfaction when relationship quality was excluded from the final models; however, the effect of reciprocity on subjective burden (β=−.38; 95% CI, −3.71 to 2.95; P=.82) and caregiver satisfaction (OR, 1.21; 95% CI, 0.28–5.22; P=.80) disappeared when including relationship quality. ConclusionsResults highlight the importance of relationship quality as a target for couple interventions aimed at reducing subjective caregiver burden and increasing satisfaction in the caregiving role.

Stress Spillover and Crossover in Same-Sex Couples: Concurrent and Lagged Daily Effects

ABSTRACTA growing body of literature on romantic relationships demonstrates associations between daily stress and relationship quality; however, this research has largely focused on heterosexual couples. Whereas all couples may experience common external stressors originating outside the relationship (e.g., work and finances), sexual-minority couples may also experience unique stressors due to their sexual orientation (e.g., discrimination or harassment). To address the dearth of literature on the daily experience of stress in same-sex relationships, we examine concurrent (same-day) and lagged (next-day) effects of common external and sexual-minority stressors on relationship quality using 14-day daily diaries from 81 same-sex couples. In doing so, we identify the types of external stress most likely to spill over into the relationship, as well as those vulnerable to crossing over from one partner to the other. We further examine whether the effects are proximal (concurrent) or carry over from one day to the next (lagged). Common external stress was negatively associated with same-day actor and partner relationship quality. Sexual-minority stress demonstrated lagged effects for actor relationship quality, but only for men. Implications for the proximal impact of common external stress and the lagged effects of sexual-minority stress, specifically for men, on relationship quality are discussed.

Health Behavior Among Men With Multiple Family Roles: The Moderating Effects of Perceived Partner Relationship Quality.

Men in the United States are increasingly involved in their children's lives and currently represent 40% of informal caregivers to dependent relatives or friends aged 18 years and older. Yet much more is known about the health effects of varying family role occupancies for women relative to men. The present research sought to fill this empirical gap by first comparing the health behavior (sleep duration, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, exercise, fast food consumption) of men who only occupy partner roles and partnered men who also fill father, informal caregiver, or both father and informal caregiver (i.e., sandwiched) roles. The moderating effects of perceived partner relationship quality, conceptualized here as partner support and strain, on direct family role-health behavior linkages were also examined. A secondary analysis of survey data from 366 cohabiting and married men in the Work, Family and Health Study indicated that men's multiple family role occupancies were generally not associated with health behavior. With men continuing to take on more family responsibilities, as well as the serious health consequences of unhealthy behavior, the implications of these null effects are encouraging - additional family roles can be integrated into cohabiting and married men's role repertoires with minimal health behavior risks. Moderation analysis revealed, however, that men's perceived partner relationship quality constituted a significant factor in determining whether multiple family role occupancies had positive or negative consequences for sleep duration, alcohol consumption, and fast food consumption. These findings are discussed in terms of their empirical and practical implications for partnered men and their families.

Testing a Revised Interpersonal Theory of Depression Using a Laboratory Measure of Excessive Reassurance Seeking.

This study tested whether core beliefs with themes of abandonment and rejection moderated the link between trait and behavioral excessive reassurance seeking (ERS) and interpersonal rejection. Participants were 118 women with high (n = 43; mean [M]age = 18.58, standard deviation [SD]age = 1.24) and low (n = 75; Mage = 18.58, SDage = 1.24) levels of depression symptoms and their male romantic partners. Couples reported their depression, ERS, abandonment/rejection cognitions, and relationship quality. We also coded women's reassurance-seeking behavior during an audiotaped discussion task. Among women with high levels of depression symptoms and low levels of abandonment/rejection core beliefs, behavioral ERS was associated with lower partner-reported relationship quality. Self-reported ERS was significantly associated with partner relationship quality, but the effect was not moderated by depression or core beliefs. ERS is a potent predictor of stress and subsequent depression. Our findings underscore the need to better understand factors (e.g., cognitions, partner characteristics) that may determine whether ERS behaviors beget interpersonal stress and rejection.

Partner Burden: A Common Entity in Celiac Disease.

Caregiver burden is documented in several chronic diseases, but it has not been investigated in celiac disease (CD). We aim to quantify the burden to partners of CD patients and identify factors that affect the perceived burden. We surveyed patients with biopsy-proven CD and their partners. Patients completed CD-specific questions, including the validated Celiac Symptom Index (CSI) survey. Partners completed the validated Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) and questions regarding sexual and relationship satisfaction. Univariable and multivariable analyses were used to assess the association between demographics, CD characteristics, and partner burden. In total, 94 patient/partner pairs were studied. Fifteen patients (16%) reported a CSI score associated with a poor quality of life, and 34 partners (37%) reported a ZBI score corresponding to mild-to-moderate burden. Twenty-two partners (23%) reported moderate-to-low overall relationship satisfaction, and 12 (14%) reported moderate-to-low sexual satisfaction. The degree of partner burden was directly correlated with patient CSI score (r=0.27; p=0.008), and there were moderate-to-strong inverse relationships between partners' burden and relationship quality (r=-0.70; p<0.001) and sexual satisfaction (r=-0.42; p<0.001). On multivariable logistic regression, predictors of mild-to-moderate partner burden were low partner relationship satisfaction (OR 17.06, 95% CI 2.88-101.09, p=0.002) and relationship duration ≥10years (OR 14.42, 95% CI 1.69-123.84, p=0.02). Partner burden is common in CD, with more than one-third of partners experiencing mild-to-moderate burden. Partner burden is directly correlated with patient symptom severity, and it increases with poorer sexual and relationship satisfaction. Healthcare providers should address relationship factors in their care of patients with CD.

Effects of Facebook Maintenance Behaviors on Partners’ Experience of Love

This study collected data from 75 heterosexual couples. Partners self-reported their own Facebook behaviors as well as their perceptions of their partner’s Facebook behaviors. Partners also completed the Partner Relationship Quality Components inventory. Analyses used a pairwise data set according to the Actor Partner Interdependence Model. Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated that two factors explained 59 % of the variance regarding Facebook behaviors: Partner Facebook Maintenance (PFM) and Actor Facebook Maintenance (AFM). Two structural equation models were created, one proposing that PFM and AFM would predict Actor Love and Partner Love when controlling for length of relationship, relationship status, and gender, the other proposing that Actor Love and Partner Love would predict PFM and AFM. Overall analysis indicates good model fit for both models. These results suggest that partners who perceive higher levels of love in their relationship actually participate in less Facebook Maintenance behaviors, and couples who engage in more Facebook Maintenance behaviors experience less love in the relationship. Implications for couples and therapists are discussed.