Perceived Relationship Closeness Research Articles

Fictional friends and enemies as first aid after ostracism? Experimentally investigating the potential of para-/orthosocial relationships in belongingness need restoration and emotion regulation

Abstract Being socially excluded seriously threatens individuals’ need to belong and emotional well-being. This article investigates to what extent different coping strategies help overcome these detrimental effects: thinking about real-life friends/enemies (i.e., orthosocial relationships, OSRs) and thinking about (dis)liked media characters (i.e., parasocial relationships, PSRs). Across three experiments (NPilot = 129, NStudy1 = 132, NStudy2 = 855), we first induced social exclusion using a virtual ball-tossing game. Afterward, we manipulated different relationship types and valences and compared them to non- or less-relational control conditions. As hypothesized, belongingness and emotional well-being increased from pre- to post-coping. This effect was fully mediated by perceived relationship closeness to the respective person(a). Highlighting that PSRs represent more than surrogates (i.e., secondary replacements of OSR), both relationship types did not differ in coping effectiveness. Moreover, positive relationships were more effective in fulfilling both coping goals than negative ones.

Understanding academic readiness for kindergarten: The interactive role of emotion knowledge and teacher–child closeness

One goal of this study was to test the role of emotion knowledge and teacher–child closeness and conflict in predicting academic readiness for kindergarten over and above demographic factors and executive functioning skills (especially inhibitory control) known to predict readiness. Another goal was to test teacher–child closeness as a moderator of the association between emotion knowledge or executive functioning and academic readiness. A total of 141 4- and 5-year-old children completed emotion knowledge, academic readiness, and inhibitory control measures. Preschool teachers reported their perceived relationship closeness and conflict with individual students. Accounting for child age in months, family income, and inhibitory control, emotion knowledge and teacher–child closeness were positively associated with academic readiness. Teacher–child closeness moderated the relationship between emotion knowledge and academic readiness, suggesting that teacher–child closeness may be especially important in promoting academic readiness for preschool students with low emotion knowledge.

Exploring the Psychometric Properties of the Stigma of Suicide Scale Using a Sample of Adults Bereaved by Suicide and Suicide Attempt Survivors.

The Stigma of Suicide Scale (SOSS) is a measure of public attitudes toward suicide decedents, which makes it unique from other scales that measure more general attitudes toward suicide. The aim of this study was to further replicate and extend the reliability and factor structure of the SOSS (both long- and short form) in a sample of individuals directly impacted by suicide. This study also sought to identify factors that impact suicide attitudes unique to this sample. The sample included 312 participants who had personal experience with suicide. Results provided support for the oblique three-factor structure of the SOSS (stigma, isolation/depression, and glorification/normalization), with a superior model fit for the 16-item short form version. Correlates of suicide attitudes among individuals exposed to suicide included perceived relationship closeness to a suicide decedent, experience with both loss and attempt, and the sex of the suicide decedent.

Does Sharing Memories Make Us Feel Closer? The Roles of Memory Type and Culture

The present research examined the effects of sharing different types of memories on perceived relationship closeness and how that is related to psychological well-being in a cross-cultural context. In two studies, European American and Asian participants (total N = 714) reported their feelings of closeness to a conversation partner in hypothetical situations that involved five types of information sharing: specific and general autobiographical memories, specific and general vicarious memories, and non-person information. Sharing memories led to greater feelings of closeness than sharing non-person information in both groups. Asians felt closer to the conversation partner than European Americans across all types of information sharing. Sharing autobiographical and specific memories led to greater closeness than sharing vicarious and general memories in both groups, although sharing specific autobiographical memories appeared most effective for relationship closeness for European Americans. Perceived relationship closeness following conversational exchanges was positively associated with psychological well-being across cultures.

Care Partner Outcomes Associated With Perceived Relationship Closeness With Their Care Recipients With Dementia

Determine the relationships between care partners’ perceived relationship closeness with their care recipients and care partners’ depressive symptoms, general anxiety symptoms, caregiver burden, and positive aspects of caregiving.

Modeling multivariate associations with parental loneliness via perceived closeness and support

Objectives: Recent research findings suggest the prevalence of loneliness is increasing in middle-aged adults parenting children, challenging the notion this demographic is typically at low risk of loneliness. Method: The current study applied the cognitive discrepancy model as theoretical foundation to investigate the variance of individual and situational variables contributing to perceived closeness and support and consequently loneliness. Structural equation modeling was employed to identify multivariate contributors associated with parental loneliness in 323 parents with an average age of 37.69 ( SD = 5.96) years. Results: Results support the theoretical proposition that individual factors, rather than situational, contribute to a greater variance of a perceived gap in relationship closeness and support. It was found that emotional competence, ability to forgive, emotional stability, extraversion, and lower mood levels are significant contributors to a small cognitive gap in perceived relationship closeness and protective against parental loneliness. Relationship status contributed a weak direct effect over perceived relationship closeness and support. Situational factors, including number of children and household income, were non-significant risks for loneliness. Overall, the model accounted for 65% of perceived relationship closeness and support and 85% of loneliness. The limitation of small number of male participants is discussed with regard to the existing research gap investigating male loneliness. Conclusion: A Pathway to Loneliness Risk Model is proposed, demonstrating that through increasing an individual’s intrapersonal and interpersonal resources and challenging negative cognitive biases and maladaptive schemas regarding an individual’s perception of their relationships, may lead to a reduction in the individual’s risk for loneliness.

Autonomy-restrictive socialization of anger: Associations with school-aged children's physiology, trait anxiety, state distress, and relationship closeness.

Parental socialization that infringes on children's autonomy may have consequences for physiological regulation, trait anxiety, and state distress. One such practice is the use of positive conditional regard (CR)-the provision of extra attention/affection when children meet parents' expectations. Self-determination theory proposes that CR thwarts satisfaction of children's basic needs for relatedness and autonomy by placing these needs in conflict. We evaluate associations among children's (N=106, 51% male, Mage =10.27years, SD=1.09) reports of their mothers' use of positive CR to suppress anger expression (PCR-anger), their physiological regulation (resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia, RSA), and their trait anxiety and state distress, in light of perceived relationship closeness. After controlling demographics, mothers' reports of positive and negative CR-anger, children's reports of mothers' negative CR-anger and depressive symptoms, greater child-reported positive CR-anger was significantly associated with greater child anxiety and with lower resting RSA. Resting RSA mediated associations of child-reported positive CR-anger with greater child anxiety and post-failure distress. These indirect effects were significant for children low or moderate in closeness to mother. We conclude that autonomy-restrictive socialization is a concurrent correlate of children's physiological regulation, anxiety, and state distress, with these associations dependent on relational distance.

Relationship closeness paradox: contingency analysis in B2B sales

PurposeThis study aims to examine the positive and negative consequences of relationship closeness between salespersons and their business customers in a B2B sales context: sales performance and salesperson passive opportunism.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on the social exchange theory, the authors develop a conceptual model of positive and negative consequences of relationship closeness. The authors empirically test the model using matched survey data from 269 salesperson-sales supervisor dyads and individual sales performance ratings from one of the largest distribution and market expansion companies in Myanmar.FindingsResults provide evidence of positive (i.e. sales performance) and negative (i.e. salesperson passive opportunism) consequences of salesperson’s perceived relationship closeness. These relationships are, however, contingent on organization-level and employee-level factors. High extent of supervision enhances the effects of salesperson’s perceived relationship closeness on sales performance but attenuates its influence on salesperson passive opportunism. The effect of salesperson’s perceived relationship closeness on salesperson’s passive opportunism is stronger for salespersons with a promotion (vs prevention) focus.Research limitations/implicationsThe results offer guidelines to firms seeking to optimize the efficacy of close relationships between their salespersons and customers. For example, higher levels of supervision could increase the likelihood of positive outcomes of relationship closeness while minimizing its negative consequences.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to demonstrate not only the benefits of relationship closeness between salespersons and customers but also its dark side: the relationship closeness paradox.

Buffer or Blade: Perceived relationship closeness in couples navigating Alzheimer's

Given the paucity of support from the welfare state, the lion's share of care for American seniors with memory loss is shouldered by their spouses who tend to be older and sometimes are frail themselves. Previous research has bifurcated attention to either accounts from diagnosed individuals or carers rather than understanding the experience within a socio-relational context of sometimes half-century long relationships. The present study was a qualitative investigation of 11 community-dwelling dyads (N = 22) living in the Greater Boston Area to understand how married heterosexual couples experience Alzheimer's. They were predominately white, highly educated individuals with mild to moderate AD and their spouses. Grounded theory methodologies were used to collect, code, and analyze all narrative study data. The data from these spousal dyads reveal that most couples approached AD as a joint challenge and were committed to maintaining their prior roles and lives for as long as possible, including shared outlooks, approaches, and activities. By showing how some couples navigate AD together rather than separately, these data provide an important counter narrative to the burden-based framing of AD in our social imagination. Regardless of perceptions of relationship closeness, all dyads employed strategies to live life positively with Alzheimer's. Despite being a highly privileged sample, or an “ideal type,” these data reveal the importance of studying AD as a coupled or family event; that is, a social and relational matter, rather than simply an individual medical problem. They also highlight the importance of relationship-centered care in meeting families “where they are” in terms of existing social roles. Universalizing all AD experiences leads to an over-reliance on reductionist tropes such as “stress” and “burden” and exacerbates the very real threat to social disenfranchisement.

Family involvement in management in private businesses and the effect on professional managers’ psychological ownership

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to unveil how family involvement in management teams of private Chinese companies affects professional managers’ psychological ownership and sense of “us”, in the hopes of understanding why their devotion cannot coexist with the higher level of commitment of family managers.Design/methodology/approachThis paper includes two main studies. The first uses regression to analyze survey data provided by 165 professional managers working in Chinese private companies. The second is a scenario experiment in which 106 MBA candidates participate.FindingsThe study finds that there is a negative relationship between family management involvement and professional managers’ perceived relationship closeness to owners and psychological ownership of firms. It also finds that relationship closeness fully mediates the negative influence of family management involvement on managers’ psychological ownership.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to both the theoretical literature and management practice. From a theoretical perspective, it connects studies in indigenous sociological psychology with new literature on psychological ownership. The paper finds that personal relationships nurture the shared psychological ownership of managers by generating a sense of “us”, providing a new theoretical explanation for its formation process. Furthermore, this study offers an explanation for the negative signal effect of family involvement in management. From a practical perspective, this study finds that family involvement in management acts as a critical boundary condition for using personal relationships to stimulate professional managers.

Effects of change in arthritis severity on spouse well-being: The moderating role of relationship closeness.

The severity of a patient's illness may be detrimental for the psychological well-being of the spouse, especially for those in a particularly close relationship. Using 2 waves of data collected from a sample of 152 knee osteoarthritis (OA) patients and their spouses, we examined associations between change in patients' illness severity and change in 3 indicators of spouses' well-being (positive affect, depressive symptoms, and life satisfaction) over a 6-month period. We also tested the hypothesis that spouses' perceived relationship closeness with the patient would moderate these associations. Consistent with our prediction, a high level of relationship closeness exacerbated the negative impact of increases in patient illness severity on spouses' positive affect and depressive symptoms over 6 months. Spouses' life satisfaction declined when patients became more ill, regardless of level of relationship closeness. Our findings highlight the value of examining change in illness as a predictor of change in spouse well-being and the potential downside of relationship closeness for couples living with chronic illness.

Understanding sense of neighbourhood community in Korean adolescents: its relation to adolescent well-being and the role of parents

This study examined whether Korean adolescents' sense of neighbourhood community would be related to their peer relations and self-esteem and the role of parent-related variables (e.g., mother's sense of neighbourhood community and perceived relationship closeness with parents) among a sample of 229 Korean adolescents and their mothers. Hierarchical regression analyses showed a positive association of Korean adolescents' sense of neighbourhood community with peer relations and self-esteem. In addition, having a close relationship with parents emerged as the ultimate predictor of their sense of neighbourhood community above and beyond the variance accounted for by socio-demographic characteristics and school adaptation. Results suggest that parents play a significant role in Korean adolescents' sense of neighbourhood community. Fostering close relationships with parents and improving mothers' sense of neighbourhood community may be particularly effective for strengthening Korean adolescents' sense of neighbourhood community.

Overlapping Mental Representations of Self, In-Group, and Partner: Further Response Time Evidence and a Connectionist Model

People’s reports on their own characteristics are facilitated by matches with their relationship partner’s or in-group’s perceived characteristics and inhibited by mismatches. These results suggest that mental representations of the self, partner, and in-groups overlap. A previously untested implication is that judgmental facilitation or inhibition should operate in the reverse direction as well. The authors find that reports on the characteristics of a relationship partner or in-group are facilitated or inhibited by matches or mismatches with the participant’s own characteristics. The size of the effect for the partner is linearly related to perceived relationship closeness. These findings, in combination with the previous ones, suggest that representations of self, other people, and social groups are constructed on-line rather than being stable, static entities, and the authors advance a connectionist model of this construction process.