Partner Relationship Satisfaction Research Articles

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.

College Student Dating Partner Drinking Profiles: Differences in Relationship Functioning and Relationship-Specific Alcohol Expectancies

ABSTRACTBackground: Although the majority of research on partner drinking styles has examined married couples, dating partners may influence one another's problem behaviors including alcohol use. Objectives: This study identified patterns of at-risk alcohol use in college women and their dating partners using a person-centered statistical approach (i.e., latent profile analysis). Methods: Participants were 286 college student women in dating relationships. They completed questionnaires regarding their own and their partners' drinking, alcohol use severity, intimate partner violence (IPV), relationship satisfaction, and relationship-specific alcohol expectancies. Data were collected in 2012 through 2013. Results: Results revealed three distinct, latent classes based on both partners' alcohol outcomes. The “Low-Risk” group (58%) consisted of non-heavy drinking partners. In the “High-Risk – Higher Men” class (27%), men drank more than women; however, both men and women were high-risk drinkers. The “High-Risk – Higher Women” group (15%) consisted of high-risk drinking partners but women consumed more alcohol than men. Both high-risk couple groups were more dissatisfied in their relationships and experienced more IPV, but held stronger beliefs about how alcohol influenced their relationship. Conclusions/Importance: Findings indicate that there are several distinct classes of dating couples that differ in relationship problems and beliefs about alcohol's impact on their relationship. Riskier couples differ in behaviors and alcohol-related beliefs from low-risk couples. These findings may inform the development of more efficacious alcohol interventions tailored toward high-risk drinking dating couples.

Religiosity, Developmental Context, and Sexual Shame in Pornography Users: A Serial Mediation Model

ABSTRACTThis study adds two possible extensions to a previously supported model by proposing a serial mediation model with religiosity, moral disapproval, and perceived addiction mediating the relationship between childhood household religiosity and sexual shame. The 358 participants are a subset of a larger study examining romantic partner relationship satisfaction and pornography use. Participants included men and women who indicated intentionally viewing pornography within the six months prior to their participation. Though the total effect of childhood household religiosity on sexual shame was not significant, the serial mediation model was supported. Limitations, implications, and suggestions for further research are discussed.

Long‐term partners' relationship satisfaction and their perceptions of each other's attachment insecurities

AbstractIn this research, we examined actors' and partners' perceptions of each other's attachment insecurities and the associations of these perceptions with relationship satisfaction. A sample of 148 heterosexual couples completed measures of self and partner attachment insecurities and relationship satisfaction. Results indicate that partners agree in their perceptions of their own and each other's attachment insecurities (anxiety and avoidance). Based on the actor–partner interdependence model (APIM), we also found that both actors' scores on avoidance and their perceptions of their partner's degree of avoidanc are associated with lower relationship satisfaction. Finally, we found that the way an actor perceives his or her partner's avoidance plays a mediational role in the association between partner's self‐reported avoidance and actor's relationship satisfaction.

Partner accommodation moderates treatment outcomes for couple therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder.

Partner accommodation of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms (i.e., altering one's own behaviors to minimize patient distress and/or relationship conflict due to patients' PTSD symptoms) has been shown to be positively associated with patient and partner psychopathology and negatively associated with patient and partner relationship satisfaction cross-sectionally. However, the prognostic value of partner accommodation in treatment outcomes is unknown. The goals of the present study were to determine if partner accommodation decreases as a function of couple therapy for PTSD and if pretreatment partner accommodation moderates the efficacy of couple therapy for PTSD. Thirty-nine patients with PTSD and their intimate partners (n = 39) were enrolled in a randomized controlled trial of cognitive-behavioral conjoint therapy (CBCT) for PTSD (Monson & Fredman, 2012) and received CBCT for PTSD immediately or after 3 months of waiting. Blinded assessors determined clinician-rated PTSD symptoms and patient-rated PTSD and depressive symptoms and relationship satisfaction at baseline, midtreatment/4 weeks of waiting, and posttreatment/12 weeks of waiting. Contrary to expectation, partner accommodation levels did not change over time for either treatment condition. However, baseline partner accommodation significantly moderated treatment outcomes. Higher levels of partner accommodation were associated with greater improvements in PTSD, depressive symptoms, and relationship satisfaction among patients receiving CBCT for PTSD compared with waiting list. At lower levels of partner accommodation, patients in both groups improved or remained at low levels of these outcomes. Individuals with PTSD who have more accommodating partners may be particularly well-suited for couple therapy for PTSD.

The individual and relational risks of providing support to an inconsolable partner

AbstractThe two studies in this article examined how perceptions of partner inconsolability are associated with the self‐esteem and relationship satisfaction of the caregiver. Study 1 documented a negative correlation between perceptions of partner inconsolability and relationship satisfaction, particularly among those high in rejection sensitivity. This association held even when controlling for both self‐ and partner‐reported levels of caregiving, as well as individual characteristics of both partners that may bias perceptions of inconsolability. In Study 2, participants who recalled a time when their partner was inconsolable reported lower state self‐esteem, and among individuals high in rejection sensitivity, lower relationship satisfaction.

My life has become a major distraction from my cell phone: Partner phubbing and relationship satisfaction among romantic partners

Partner phubbing (Pphubbing) can be best understood as the extent to which an individual uses or is distracted by his/her cell phone while in the company of his/her relationship partner. The present study is the first to investigate the oft-occurring behavior of Pphubbing and its impact on relationship satisfaction and personal well-being. In Study 1, a nine-item scale was developed to measure Pphubbing. The scale was found to be highly reliable and valid. Study 2 assessed the study's proposed relationships among a sample of 145 adults. Results suggest that Pphubbing's impact on relationship satisfaction is mediated by conflict over cell phone use. One's attachment style was found to moderate the Pphubbing – cell phone conflict relationship. Those with anxious attachment styles reported higher levels of cell phone conflict than those with less anxious attachment styles. Importantly, Pphubbing was found to indirectly impact depression through relationship satisfaction and ultimately life satisfaction. Given the ever-increasing use of cell phones to communicate between romantic partners, the present research offers insight into the process by which such use may impact relationship satisfaction and personal well-being. Directions for future research are discussed.

Effects of physical and mental health on relationship satisfaction: a dyadic, longitudinal examination of couples facing prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer may affect quality of life in men diagnosed as well as their spouses. Changes in health may disrupt the couple's relationship functioning which disrupts recovery. This study examined how mental and physical health relates to relationship satisfaction for couples at diagnosis through the year following treatment. Patients with stage I-II prostate cancer and their spouses (N = 159 couples) were recruited from a urology clinic and completed questionnaires at diagnosis, 1month, 6months, and 12months post prostatectomy on demographics, mental and physical health quality of life, and relationship satisfaction. The Actor-Partner Interdependence Model was employed to examine effects of each partners' mental and physical health on their own and their partner's relationship satisfaction. Patients and spouses had declined mental and physical health at 1month post-surgery. Health improved at 6 and 12months but did not fully return to pre-surgery levels. Actor effects showed that patient's physical health consistently predicted own relationship satisfaction. Both patient's and spouse's mental health consistently related to their own relationship satisfaction. Partner effects showed that patient's and spouse's physical health had an effect on each other's relationship satisfaction at 1month. Spouse's mental health predicted patient's relationship satisfaction throughout the year following treatment. The effects of patient and spouse mental and physical health quality of life on their own as well as their partner's relationship satisfaction differed across time which will inform psychosocial interventions for couples with prostate cancer. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Social Desirability in Intimate Partner Violence and Relationship Satisfaction Reports: An Exploratory Analysis.

The social desirability bias can be considered a two-dimensional construct, consisting of impression management and self-deception. Although social desirability is often considered a threat to the validity of intimate partner violence (IPV) reports, little is known about which dimension is most responsible for this distortion. Furthermore, it is unclear whether social desirability distorts the report of relationship satisfaction. In this study, two instruments that claim to measure social desirability are investigated on their ability to measure impression management and self-deception. Afterward, which dimension (if any) is responsible for a distortion in IPV and relationship satisfaction reports is examined. The survey consisted of the following measures: the Revised Conflict Tactics Scales for IPV, the Couples Satisfaction Index for relationship satisfaction and the Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding, the Limited Disclosure Scale, and the Idealistic Distortion Scale for social desirability. The Limited Disclosure Scale was found to predominantly measure impression management. The Idealistic Distortion Scale did not measure social desirability well and appeared to be a bad measure for relationship satisfaction. Both the reports of IPV and relationship satisfaction were influenced by impression management, but not by self-deception. However, impression management and self-deception only accounted for a small portion of the variance in IPV and relationship satisfaction reports. These results indicate that the social desirability bias, when reporting IPV and relationship satisfaction, is a conscious process, but that its influence on IPV and relationship satisfaction reports might be overrated.

Temporal Changes in Intimate Partner Violence and Relationship Satisfaction.

This study examined the impact of temporal changes in intimate partner violence (IPV) on individuals' romantic relationship. Analyses based on a sample of 8,279 young adults from Waves III and IV of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) revealed that greater temporal increases in victimization were related to lower satisfaction. The association between increases in perpetration and satisfaction was not significant. Additionally, for women, greater increases in IPV perpetration were related to higher satisfaction. For men, the association between increases in perpetration and satisfaction was not significant. For both men and women, greater increases in victimization were related to lower satisfaction. Thus, temporal changes in IPV might have differing impacts on relationship satisfaction for men versus women.

Shame proneness and intimate relations in Mainland China

AbstractUsing dyadic data from 200 young adult couples (aged 18–31 years) in Mainland China, this study evaluated associations between shame proneness, intimate partner attachment, adaptive interactions, and relationship satisfaction. Results demonstrated that shame proneness was directly associated with more insecure attachment to the partner (anxious and avoidant dimensions) and less adaptive interactions (operationalized by variables assessing constructive problem solving and negative interactions) and indirectly with lower relationship satisfaction for male and female partners. While shame is a highly valued emotion in Confucian cultures, shame proneness may be a liability for modern‐day intimate relations.

The Power of Positivity: Predictors of Relationship Satisfaction for Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The current study uses the actor-partner interdependence model to examine the predictors of relationship satisfaction for mothers and fathers of children with autism spectrum disorder. Sixty-seven couples completed measures of optimism, benefit finding, coping strategies, social support, and relationship satisfaction. Results indicated that parent's positive strengths predicted better personal relationship satisfaction. Moreover, parents' benefit finding, use of emotional support, and perceived social support from their partner also predicted their partner's relationship satisfaction. The results of this study highlight the importance of focusing on positive factors that can enhance relationship quality. Implications for the development of parent-focused interventions are discussed.

Comparing simultaneously the effects of extra-dyadic and intra-dyadic experiences on relationship outcomes

This study simultaneously examines everyday negative and positive experiences that affect persons either outside of the intimate relationship (extra-dyadic) or within (intra-dyadic). In addition, we investigate whether the partner’s responses to each of these experiences mediate the link between experience and relationship outcomes. Altogether, 447 individuals who were currently in a relationship filled out an online questionnaire. Self-report measures included extra- and intra-dyadic everyday experiences of negative and positive events as well as corresponding partner responses and relationship satisfaction. Multigroup path analyses revealed that both negative and positive extra-dyadic experiences affect negative and positive intra-dyadic experiences of women, whereas the effects of positive extra-dyadic experiences had mixed effects for men. Furthermore, the perceived partner responses in each of the four experiences were found to be an important predictor with one exception for men’s intra-dyadic positive experiences.

Partner distress in the context of adult anorexia nervosa: the role of patients' perceived negative consequences of AN and partner behaviors.

Romantic partners can play an important role in the recovery from anorexia nervosa (AN). It is important to understand partners' behaviors and variables associated with their own distress. The aim was to examine associations of patients' perceived negative consequences of AN, behavioral strategies employed by partners, and partner distress. We used a cross-sectional design to assess associations between self-reports of patients' perceived negative consequences of AN, partners' caregiver distress, negative affect, relationship satisfaction, and observational coding measures of partners' behavioral strategies of change promotion and acceptance/validation. Sixteen adult patient-partner dyads in committed relationships were assessed at baseline of a couple-based intervention for AN. Partners' change promotion moderated the association between patients' perceived negative consequences of AN and partners' caregiver distress. Partners' acceptance/validation was associated with partners' negative affect. This report represents the first description of specific partner behaviors in the context of AN. Partners who reported the least distress were those who were trying to promote changes in AN behaviors in patients who reported high negative consequences of AN, and partners who were trying to show understanding of the patients' experience. Future studies should examine the impact of partner behaviors on AN treatment outcome.

The Capitalization Process in Stable Couple Relationships: Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Benefits

Capitalization is the process through which people share good news with a significant other (e.g, a friend, the partner, a family member), which in turn responds in an “active” way in order to maximize the benefits deriving from the event. Previous daily experience studies found associations between capitalization responses and both intrapersonal and interpersonal well-being in young couples, but only one study have examined these longitudinal associations in more mature. The purpose of the study was to extend the knowledge on the capitalization process by analyzing the longitudinal associations between the four types of capitalization responses (active-constructive, passive-constructive, active-destructive, passive-destructive) and interpersonal and intrapersonal outcomes in stable couples. One hundred and seventy-three married couples (Mean relationship duration = 18 years) completed two self-report questionnaires (at a four-month interval) containing scales designed to measure the perception of partner's capitalization responses, relationship satisfaction, and individual well-being. Findings from hierarchical regressions showed that, for women and men, the partner's active-constructive responses positively predicted the individual's relationship satisfaction over time, whereas the active-destructive responses negatively predicted the relationship satisfaction, but only for women. Moreover, for men, active-constructive responses predicted an increase in individual well-being as well. Capitalization responses, in particular the active-constructive style, are associated with changes in individual and relational well being also in stable couples.

A dyadic and longitudinal investigation of adjustment in couples coping with multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) can affect adjustment at both the individual and couple level. This study examined differences and associations between MS patient and spouse adjustment, and whether one partner's adjustment predicts the other partner's adjustment over time. A total of 160 couples at Time 1 and 98 couples at Time 2 completed questionnaires. Mixed-model ANOVAs found that patients reported poorer adjustment than their spouse on a range of adjustment indicators and that positive affect and relationship satisfaction declined over time for both patients and spouses. Intraclass correlations found that patient and spouse scores on all adjustment indicators were related at Time 1. Multilevel modelling showed that one's partner's relationship satisfaction at Time 1 positively predicted one's own relationship satisfaction at Time 2. The findings indicate that a focus on the interpersonal nature of adjustment to MS may be beneficial for future research and practice.

Patterns of psychological responses in parents of children that underwent stem cell transplantation.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is curative in several life-threatening pediatric diseases but may affect children and their families inducing depression, anxiety, burnout symptoms, and post-traumatic stress symptoms, as well as post-traumatic growth (PTG). The aim of this study was to investigate the co-occurrence of different aspects of such responses in parents of children that had undergone HSCT. Questionnaires were completed by 260 parents (146 mothers and 114 fathers) 11-198 months after HSCT: the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Shirom-Melamed Burnout Questionnaire, the post-traumatic stress disorders checklist, civilian version, and the PTG inventory. Additional variables were also investigated: perceived support, time elapsed since HSCT, job stress, partner-relationship satisfaction, trauma appraisal, and the child's health problems. A hierarchical cluster analysis and a k-means cluster analysis were used to identify patterns of psychological responses. Four clusters of parents with different psychological responses were identified. One cluster (n = 40) significantly differed from the other groups and reported levels of depression, anxiety, burnout symptoms, and post-traumatic stress symptoms above the cut-off. In contrast, another cluster (n = 66) reported higher levels of PTG than the other groups did. This study shows a subgroup of parents maintaining high levels of several aspects of distress years after HSCT. Differences between clusters might be explained by differences in perceived support, the child's health problems, job stress, and partner-relationship satisfaction.

Partner Choice, Relationship Satisfaction, and Oral Contraception

Hormonal fluctuation across the menstrual cycle explains temporal variation in women’s judgment of the attractiveness of members of the opposite sex. Use of hormonal contraceptives could therefore influence both initial partner choice and, if contraceptive use subsequently changes, intrapair dynamics. Associations between hormonal contraceptive use and relationship satisfaction may thus be best understood by considering whether current use is congruent with use when relationships formed, rather than by considering current use alone. In the study reported here, we tested this congruency hypothesis in a survey of 365 couples. Controlling for potential confounds (including relationship duration, age, parenthood, and income), we found that congruency in current and previous hormonal contraceptive use, but not current use alone, predicted women’s sexual satisfaction with their partners. Congruency was not associated with women’s nonsexual satisfaction or with the satisfaction of their male partners. Our results provide empirical support for the congruency hypothesis and suggest that women’s sexual satisfaction is influenced by changes in partner preference associated with change in hormonal contraceptive use.

Relational Ethics, Depressive Symptoms, and Relationship Satisfaction in Couples in Therapy.

The purpose of this study was to examine depressive symptoms and relationship satisfaction as problems related to relational ethics in one's family of origin and current partner relationships in a sample of 68 other-sex couples seeking therapy at a large university clinic. We used the Actor Partner Interdependence Model to analyze dyadic data collected prior to beginning therapy. Specifically, we found significant actor effects between relational ethics in one's family of origin and depressive symptoms, as well as between depressive symptoms and low relationship satisfaction for both male and female partners. We also found significant partner effects for relational ethics in current partner relationship, depressive symptoms, and low relationship satisfaction. Clinical application of contextual therapy theory is discussed.

Post sex affectionate exchanges promote sexual and relationship satisfaction.

The current research examined the role of post sex affection in promoting sexual and relationship satisfaction in ongoing romantic partnerships. Since romantic partners view the period after engaging in sex as an important time for bonding and intimacy, we sought to determine if and how the duration and quality of post sex affection might promote satisfaction in romantic relationships. In two studies, we tested the link between post sex affectionate behavior (e.g., cuddling, caressing, shared intimacy) and sexual and relationship satisfaction. In Study 1, a cross-sectional survey of individuals in romantic relationships (N=335), duration of post sex affection was associated with higher sexual satisfaction and, in turn, higher relationship satisfaction. In Study 2, a daily experience study of 101 established couples (N=202) with a 3-month follow-up, day-to-day changes in post sex affection duration and quality were associated with both partners' sexual and relationship satisfaction, and engaging in longer and more satisfying post sex affection over the course of the study was associated with higher relationship and sexual satisfaction 3months later. In general, the pattern of results was consistent for men and women, but the association between the duration of post sex affection and relationship satisfaction was stronger for women than for men (Study 1) and women, but not men, felt more sexually satisfied when their partner reported higher quality post sex affection (Study 2). The findings suggest that the period after sex is a critical time for promoting satisfaction in intimate bonds.