Partner Perceptions Research Articles

Reliability and validity of the Turkish voice handicap index-partner (VHI-P-TR)

ObjectiveThis study examines the Turkish validity, reliability and diagnostic performance of the Voice Handicap Index-Partner (VHI-P-TR), which is used to obtain the perceptions of communication partners of individuals with dysphonia about the functional, physical and emotional handicap resulting from the patient experiencing dysphonia. MethodThe study included 160 individuals with dysphonia and their communication partners. First, translation, back translation, expert validity and pilot study were performed in the scale adaptation process. Then, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to assess the construct validity of the VHI-P-TR. Correlations between the VHI-P-TR and Voice Handicap Index (VHI-TR) scores of dysphonic individuals were examined to evaluate the concurrent validity of the VHI-P-TR. To assess the reliability of the VHI-P-TR, a test-retest analysis was performed, and internal consistency coefficients (α) were calculated. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was conducted to determine the cut-off point for the VHI-P scores. ResultsA high positive correlation was found between the participants’ VHI-P-TR and VHI-TR total and subscales mean scores (r's > 0.782; p < 0.01). The VHI-P-TR had high internal consistency regarding for its subscales and total score (α's > 0.94; p < 0.01). Factor loadings of all VHI-P-TR items were higher than 0.30 and their error variances were lower than 0.90. In addition, factor loadings were statistically significant for all the items (p < 0.05). The data fit the model well according to all CFA indices except for GFI (scale = 0.69). An adequate sensitivity and specificity were achieved for the VHI-P-TR, and the cut-off point was found as 11.50 for the total score and ranged from 2.50 to 5.50 for the subscales. ConclusionThe VHI-P-TR is a valid and reliable measurement tool with high diagnostic performance in all subscales and total score, and has high levels of agreement with the VHI-TR.

Social Responsibility of Business as a Potential of Russian-African Relations (Empirical Research Experience in the Countries of the African Continent)

The image of Russia and the credibility of its policies are closely linked to the image of its business. The positive or negative perception of Russia as a whole largely depends on how Russian companies do business in Africa. The article presents a study of the social perceptions of Africans of the social responsibility of businesses operating in African countries. A comparative analysis of the representations of the «African side» and the «Russian side» is demonstrated. The empirical basis of the study was the data collected by the author. The results obtained demonstrate significant differences in the perceptions of social responsibility of business among African and Russian respondents. In some cases, diametrically opposite results were obtained. The data indicate that there is a problem area at the level of social perceptions – a potential basis for a lack of understanding or even a conflict between the Russian and the African sides. The author concludes that the ideas of the «correct» models of social responsibility of business among Africans are connected with their value system, with the understanding of «social justice». Knowledge of preferred and rejected business social responsibility models among African partners can be a competitive advantage in establishing Russian-African business relations. It can be assumed that information about the «problem areas» will help to avoid communication errors and «traps» associated with ignorance, misunderstanding and disregard of the social perceptions of African partners. The author suggests that knowledge of the social perceptions, needs, moods, «requests» of the African side is an important condition for building effective business communications and can contribute to the realization of the potential of the Russian-African partnership.

A meta-analytic review of accuracy and bias in romantic partner perceptions.

People's perceptions of their romantic partners are somewhat accurate but also contain biases. In the current meta-analytic review, we sought to examine overall levels of accuracy and bias in romantic partner perceptions and moderators of accuracy and bias. We examined tracking accuracy (k = 157), projection (k = 157), indirect accuracy (k = 69), and mean-level bias (k = 153) in perceptions of a romantic partner across samples that estimated tracking accuracy and projection simultaneously. Gender, relationship length, study design, geographic region, publication year, and judgment type were examined as potential moderators. Results revealed significant mean effect sizes for tracking accuracy (β = .24), projection (β = .42), similarity (β = .22), and indirect accuracy (β = .11). Overall, people tended to have mean-level accuracy (d = -0.006) even when constructs were coded as conceptually positive or negative (d = -0.03). Men seemed to view their partners more negatively. Publication year and relationship length did not matter for any perceptual process. Tracking accuracy was higher in overall judgments, whereas projection was higher in daily judgments. Positive interaction traits and mind-reading judgments showed a negative bias. Greater projection and positive bias in noninteraction judgments were associated with higher relationship quality. Our results are the first to provide effect sizes for projection, tracking accuracy while controlling for projection, and indirect accuracy, and build on prior research concerning the complex ways in which partners perceive each other. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Facial Regulation During Dyadic Interaction: Interpersonal Effects on Cooperation

This study investigated interpersonal effects of regulating naturalistic facial signals on cooperation during an iterative Prisoner’s Dilemma (IPD) game. Fifty pairs of participants played ten IPD rounds across a video link then reported on their own and their partner’s expressed emotion and facial regulation in a video-cued recall (VCR) procedure. iMotions software allowed us to auto-code actors’ and partners’ facial activity following the outcome of each round. We used two-level mixed effects logistic regression to assess over-time actor and partner effects of auto-coded facial activity, self-reported facial regulation, and perceptions of the partner’s facial regulation on the actor’s subsequent cooperation. Actors were significantly less likely to cooperate when their partners had defected on the previous round. None of the lagged scores based on auto-coded facial activity were significant predictors of cooperation. However, VCR variables representing partner’s positive regulation of expressions and actor’s perception of partner’s positive regulation both significantly increased the probability of subsequent actor cooperation after controlling for prior defection. These results offer preliminary evidence about interpersonal effects of facial regulation in interactive contexts and illustrate how dynamic dyadic emotional processes can be systematically investigated in controlled settings.

The role of individual‐ and interactive‐level relationship maintenance on married couples' commitment

AbstractThe interaction of maintenance processes between partners constitutes a complex context, which can be categorized into individual‐ and interactive‐level relationship maintenance processes. Individual‐level maintenance processes refer to both partners' relationship maintenance enactment and perception of partners' relationship maintenance. Interactive‐level relationship maintenance processes include similarity, accuracy, and projection. This study investigated the actor and partner effects of individual and interactive relationship maintenance processes on commitment as moderated by relationship satisfaction. We recruited 193 mixed‐gender married couples from the midwestern US and adopted the two‐intercept actor‐partner interdependence model to analyze the data. The results demonstrated a positive association between husbands' relationship maintenance enactment and their commitment, a negative association between similarity of relationship maintenance enactment and wives' commitment, a positive association between husbands' accuracy and wives' commitment, and a negative association between husbands' projection and their commitment. Satisfaction was strongly associated with participants' commitment and moderated the association between relationship maintenance enactment and commitment for both partners, the association between husbands' maintenance enactment and wives' commitment, and the association between husbands' partner perception and their commitment. Satisfaction also moderated the association between wives' accuracy and husbands' commitment and the association between husbands' projection and both partners' commitment.

Perceived religiosity of romantic partners moderates the relationship between self-reported religiosity and mate retention behaviors

People frequently engage in mate retention behaviors to prevent a romantic partner's infidelity or relationship defection. Because many religions strongly emphasize commitment and fidelity in relationships, religious beliefs may facilitate mate retention behaviors. However, previous research has not investigated how perceptions of romantic partners' religious beliefs are related to religiosity and mate retention behavior. A sample of adults (n = 680) involved in long-term, committed relationships completed an online survey assessing self-reported religiosity, perceptions of partners' religiosity, and mate retention behaviors. Results indicated that self-reported religiosity is associated with cost-inflicting and benefit-provisioning behavior, and that the association between religiosity and benefit-provisioning mate retention depended on perceptions of partners' religiosity and participant sex. Specifically, religious individuals who perceived their partners as less religious performed more benefit-provisioning behaviors, and religious women performed more cost-inflicting behaviors when they perceived their partners as highly religious. These findings corroborate and extend upon previous cross-cultural research by contextualizing the link between religiosity and mate retention.

Applying relational turbulence theory to examine partner (under)accommodation during conversations about relational stressors

AbstractUtilizing the prepositions of relational turbulence theory (RTT), the present study proposes that relational uncertainty and partner interference assessed before the conversation about a relational stressor may polarize perceptions of partner (under)accommodation during the conversation, and those perceptions may further associate with global evaluations of relationships as turbulent measured post conversation. Fifty heterosexual couples (100 individuals) participated in the pre‐survey, lab visit, and post‐survey. Findings uncovered that for men, perceptions of partner (under)accommodation mediated the association between relational uncertainty and relational turbulence, and perceptions of partner accommodation mediated the association between partner interference and relational turbulence. Further, for women, perceptions of partner underaccommodation mediated the association between relational partner interference and relational turbulence. The results extend the utility of RTT in examining perceptions of partners' (under)accommodative behaviors during conversations about relational stressors.

When one's partner wants out: Awareness, attachment anxiety and accuracy

AbstractCan a person tell whether their romantic partner wants to break up and, if so, how is such accuracy associated with their own attachment anxiety? We examined these questions by proposing and assessing the construct of perceived partner dissolution consideration (PPDC), including its validity. We then assessed the extent to which partners were accurate in their perceptions of each other's dissolution consideration, focusing on the perceiver's attachment anxiety as a potential moderator. Specifically, in two studies involving couples, dyadic analyses of couple data showed that couple members significantly underestimated (negative mean‐level bias) partner dissolution consideration and also projected their own dissolution consideration onto their partners. Couple members higher in anxiety were particularly accurate (tracking accuracy) in their assessments of dissolution consideration. Implications for partner perceptions and judgements of dissolution consideration on relationship functioning are considered.

Perceptions of male partners on maternal near-miss events experienced by their female partners in Rwanda.

Maternal near-miss refers to women who survive death from life-threatening obstetric complications and has various social, financial, physical, and psychological impacts on families. To explore male partners' perceptions of maternal near-miss experienced by their female partners and the associated psychosocial impacts on their families in Rwanda. This was a qualitative study involving 27 semi-structured in-depth interviews with male partners whose spouses experienced a maternal near-miss event. Data were analyzed using a thematic coding to generate themes from participants' responses. Six key themes that emerged were: male partner's support during wife's pregnancy and during maternal near-miss hospitalization, getting the initial information about the spouse's near-miss event, psychosocial impacts of spouse's near-miss, socio-economic impact of spouse's near-miss, post- maternal near-miss family dynamics, and perceived strategies to minimize the impacts of near-miss. Male partners reported emotional, social, and economic impacts as a result of their traumatic experiences. The impact of maternal near-miss among families in Rwanda remains an area that needs healthcare attention. The residual emotional, financial, and social consequences not only affect females, but also their male partners and their relatives. Male partners should be involved and be well-informed about their partners' conditions and the expected long-term effects of near-miss. Also, medical and psychological follow-up for both spouses is necessary for the enhancement of the health and well-being of affected households.

Actor and partner effects of PTSD and relationship functioning in a recently traumatized sample.

A robust negative association exists between self-reported posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and self-reported interpersonal relationship functioning. However, the extent to which each member of a dyad's subjective PTSD ratings influence the other's subjective relationship functioning ratings is less understood. The present study tested: (a) associations between self- and partner-PTSD severity ratings and relationship functioning ratings and (b) whether exposure to the index trauma, gender, and relationship type (i.e., intimate vs. nonintimate dyad) moderated these associations in a sample of 104 dyads of individuals with PTSD and a close significant other. Each partners' ratings of PTSD severity were uniquely and positively associated with their own (actor) and their partner's ratings of relationship conflict, but not support or depth. Gender moderated the partner effect; women's (but not men's) subjective PTSD severity were positively associated with their partners' subjective relationship conflict. There was a relationship type by actor effect interaction for relationship support, which indicated that perceptions of PTSD severity were negatively associated with each partner's perceptions of relationship support for intimate but not nonintimate dyads. Results support a dyadic conceptualization of PTSD in which both partners' perception of symptoms are important for relationship functioning. Conjoint therapies may be particularly potent for PTSD and relationship functioning. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

"I can't escape!": Avoidantly attached individuals' conflict resolution and relationship satisfaction before and during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Increased time spent together and the lockdown resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic may have created new scenarios for marital conflict. We analyzed how home confinement affects avoidantly attached individuals': (a) resolution strategies to cope with couple conflict, (b) perception of partner's resolution strategies, and (c) overall relationship satisfaction. The sample comprised 549 individuals, divided into two subsamples: (a) the confined group, individuals confined with their partners (n = 275); and (b) the comparison group, coupled individuals from a dataset collected before the pandemic (n = 274). Results indicate that the proposed model works in different contexts (non-confinement and confinement situations), but there are some significant differences in the magnitude of some of the relationships between the variables, being stronger in the confinement group than in the comparison group. In the confined group, in individuals with avoidant attachment, withdrawal was associated with lower relationship satisfaction and a higher demand partner perceived to a higher extent than in the comparison group. This might explain the lower satisfaction with the relationship of the confined group. The different conflict resolution strategies of the couple mediated between avoidant attachment and relationship satisfaction in both groups (confined and comparison). It is concluded that individuals' attachment orientation is a key factor in how individuals experienced their close relationships during the confinement.

Cognition and Financial Decision-Making in Older Adult Spouses

Introduction: Age-related decline in executive functioning has been found to negatively impact one’s capacity to make prudent financial decisions. The broader literature also speaks to the importance of considering interrelatedness in older spouses’ functioning, as these individuals typically represent one’s longest and closest relationship that involves an extended history of shared experiences. Accordingly, the aim of the present study was to provide the first examination of whether older adults’ financial decision-making capacity is impacted not only by their own but also by their partner’s, level of cognitive functioning. Method: Sixty-three heterosexual spousal dyads comprising older adults aged 60–88 participated. The contribution of executive functioning and perceptions of partner’s cognitive decline on financial decision-making behavior and financial competency was assessed through two actor-partner interdependence models. Results: As predicted, for both genders, one’s own executive functioning was predictive of one’s own financial decision-making capacity. However, of particular interest was the finding that for females (but not males) perceiving greater cognitive decline in their spouse predicted their own (greater) financial competency. Conclusion: Examining whether partner interdependence extends to the realm of financial decision-making is not only a theoretically but also practically important question. These data provide initial insights that such a relationship does exist and highlight further important avenues for future research.

Negotiating the challenges of an interracial marriage: An interpretive phenomenological analysis of the perception of diaspora Indian partners

AbstractObjectiveThis interpretive phenomenological analysis study aimed to explore the marriage experience of diaspora Indians who chose to marry a non‐Indian partner and to fill in the literature gap to inform the counseling practices.BackgroundDiaspora Indians have the lowest level of interracial marriage of any immigrant group living in the United States at about 20%. The resistance to marrying someone of another culture and insufficient empirical research in the field makes it difficult for counselors to adjust counseling services when dealing with diaspora Indian interracial couples.MethodUsing interpretivism and phenomenology as the philosophical ground for the research, the researcher explored the subjective experiences of interracial marriage among diaspora Indians through in‐depth interviews, which were transcribed and analyzed using coding and thematic analysis.ResultsThe results illustrate those cultural issues, based on the differences between the collectivist nature of the Indian American community and the individualist American culture, caused considerable stress on interracial marriage and were the major driver of therapeutic intervention for the interracial couple.ConclusionThe study identified various coping mechanisms that could potentially reduce marital stress among diaspora Indians engaged in interracial marriage. Findings indicate that the cultural perspective should be at the core of counseling services rendered to interracial couples.ImplicationsMulticultural competence and cultural humility are essential for helping practitioners to understand nuances related to interracial marriage, especially those joining the collectivist diaspora Indian culture with that of more individualistic races and ethnicities in the United States. Future studies in the field may use longitudinal research for observing the evolution of interracial couples while managing their cultural differences and other marital issues.

The Effects of Mobile Device Use and Presence on Perceptions of a Conversation Partner

This study examined the effects of mobile device use, and its mere presence, on in-person conversations. The study utilized an experimental design to replicate and advance existing scholarship on the impact of co-present device use and mere device presence on a conversation. This study examined how the presence of an unused device may hinder conversation, and the results did not replicate the mere presence effect. The study found participants reacted negatively to a confederate’s phone use, regardless of whether it was self- or externally initiated.

A multidisciplinary STEM and liberal arts students-as-partners project promoted the development of employability skills and embodied partnership values

Few studies have explored student perceptions of participating in STEM multidisciplinary students-as-partners (SaP) projects integrated into the curriculum. We conducted content analysis on focus groups to determine partner perceptions of a STEM and liberal arts SaP project and used a mixed methods concurrent triangulation design to explore the degree to which partners thought the underpinning SaP values had been enacted. Four staff and seven students participated in the study. Perceptions of the project were aligned to four themes: outstanding student experience, development of student employability skills, a transformative change in the student-to-staff relationship, and barriers to success and enabling strategies. Qualitative and quantitative data indicated strong inclusion of the partnership values. This paper provides new insights into STEM and liberal arts SaP projects, indicating they may be well-suited to the embodiment of the underpinning SaP values, and help students prepare for the world of work.

Relational Maintenance Behavior as a Predictor of Marital Satisfaction in Commuter Marriage

This study aims to examine the predictive role of Relationship Maintenance Behavior and its strategies (positivity, understanding, self-disclosure, relationship talk, assurances, sharing tasks, social network) on marriage satisfaction among commuter marriage couples. Instruments used included the Relational Maintenance Behavior (self-reported and partner-reported) to see the use of RMB strategies, and the Relationship Assessment Scale (RAS) to see the marriage satisfaction. Data were collected from 152 individuals who participated in commuter marriage, aged below 38, and have been married for less than 13 years (the adjusting type). Finding reveals that both the use of Relationship Maintenance Behavior and perception of partner’s use of Relationship Maintenance Behavior significantly predict marriage satisfaction in commuter marriage. Specifically, the Relationship Maintenance strategy that significantly predicts marital satisfaction is positivity, and the Relationship Maintenance strategies used by the partner that significantly predict marital satisfaction are shared task and positivity.

Patient and Care Partner Perceptions of Provider Communication Regarding Standardized Assessments Used in Medical Rehabilitation

Patient and Care Partner Perceptions of Provider Communication Regarding Standardized Assessments Used in Medical Rehabilitation

Narcissistic Admiration and Narcissistic Rivalry: Associations With Accuracy and Bias in Perceptions of Romantic Partners

Two studies examined perceptions of romantic partners, using the Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry Concept model to conceptualize narcissism. We examined three types of partner perceptions: partner-enhancement (perceiving one’s partner more positively than oneself), mean-level bias (perceiving one’s partner more positively than the partner’s self-perception), and tracking accuracy (accurately perceiving the relative position of one’s partner within a sample). In Study 1, 252 individuals rated themselves and their partners in two agentic domains (attractiveness/vitality, status/resources) and one communal domain (warmth/trustworthiness). Narcissistic admiration was associated with less partner-enhancement, especially for agentic qualities. Study 2 surveyed 75 romantic couples about their self-perceptions and partner perceptions. Analyses with the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model revealed that narcissistic admiration was associated with less partner-enhancement. Study 2 also used the Truth and Bias model to examine mean-level bias and tracking accuracy. Narcissistic rivalry was associated with less mean-level bias and greater tracking accuracy in the domain of attractiveness/vitality.

Assessing Patients and Care Partner Ratings of Communication-Related Participation Restrictions: Insights From Degenerative Disease.

Prior studies have shown that communication-related participation restrictions in patients with degenerative disease do not always match clinician judgment or objective indices of symptom severity. Although there is a growing body of literature documenting that discrepancies between patients with dementia and their care partners' perception of participation restrictions exist, it is not known how care partner perceptions of communication participation restrictions specifically match or diverge from the patients' experiences, which may inform the use of care partner proxy in the context of degenerative diseases. Thirty-eight patients with progressive neurologic conditions (progressive supranuclear palsy, corticobasal syndrome, and primary progressive aphasia or apraxia of speech) and, in most instances, focal cognitive-communication disorders were included. The patients and their accompanying care partners independently completed the Communicative Participation Item Bank, short form, a 10-question survey about communication participation restrictions in different contexts. Care partners were instructed to complete the form with their perception of the patient's experience. The difference between patient and care partner total scores were calculated and analyzed relative to clinical and demographic variables of interest. Care partner ratings modestly tracked with patient experience and objective indices of symptom severity but did not exactly match patient ratings. The presence of aphasia increased, but did not fully account for, the likelihood of a discrepancy between care partner and patient ratings. Although careful consideration should be given prior to using care-partner report as a proxy for patient experience, it is worthwhile to include care partner ratings as a means of supporting conversations about differing perceptions, guiding joint intervention planning, and monitoring care-partner perceptions of change along with the implementation of supported conversation strategies.

Looking Beyond the Mother: Investigating Relationship Characteristics and Postpartum Depression Risk Factors

Postpartum depression (PPD) affects a notable number of women. While many of the risk and protective factors for PPD are specific to the mother, there are also factors that are related to the partner. However, the partner is often overlooked when assessing the landscape of PPD and potential treatment programs. This study sought to expand the knowledge on partner perceptions during the perinatal period. This online, cross-sectional survey of fathers who were in relationships with mothers who had given birth within the last five years or were currently pregnant, included the topics of PPD knowledge and experience, confidence and preparedness in dealing with postpartum changes, expected changes in the relationship, stress, relationship satisfaction, and communication quality. Results of the linear regression analyses indicated significant relationships between communication quality and confidence (p = 0.021), preparedness (p = 0.005), stress (p &lt; 0.001), and postpartum relationship changes (p &lt; 0.001). Relationship satisfaction was also significantly related to confidence (p &lt; 0.001), preparedness (p &lt; 0.001), stress (p &lt; 0.001), and postpartum relationship changes (p &lt; 0.001). These findings indicate that relationship characteristics may be a vital component in factors related to PPD. The increasing significance and strength of communication quality as a predictor of variables such as confidence in helping the mother cope with mental health struggles indicates that with increased communication skills and quality, couples can reduce their joint risk factors for PPD. Similar evidence was found for relationship satisfaction. This study supports the theory that partners are a vital component in the family system, and they have to ability to positively influence postpartum maternal mental health outcomes.