Romantic Relationship Functioning Research Articles

Associations between sexual assault and romantic relationship functioning: A mixed-methods analysis

Background: Research on the relation between sexual assault (SA) and romantic functioning has yielded inconsistent results. The goals of the current studies were to examine this association while addressing limitations of past research; assessing revictimization, multiple victimization, and assault timing; and examining whether this association was moderated by neuroticism, attachment orientations, or perceived partner responsiveness. Design and Methods: College students (Study 1; N = 437) and community members (Study 2; N = 566) completed measures assessing SA, romantic functioning, attachment, neuroticism, and partner responsiveness. Study 2 used a mixed-methods approach. Data were collected via online surveys in psychology courses (Study 1) and on Prolific (Study 2). Results: In Study 1, SA was not associated with romantic functioning and this association was not moderated by attachment or neuroticism. In Study 2, SA survivors reported significantly poorer relationship quality and less partner trust, but not less sexual satisfaction. However, significant effects were small. Partner responsiveness did not moderate these associations, and revictimization, multiple victimizations, and assault recency were not related to poorer functioning. In qualitative data, the most common response was that the SA had not affected participants’ relationships. Conclusions: Relationships may be one area in which SA survivors demonstrate resilience.

The importance of romantic relationships in preventing suicide

AbstractRomantic relationships can both attenuate and exacerbate suicide risk. Suicide prevention strategies in the United States have emphasized the importance of healthy connections with others; however, suicide prevention efforts overwhelmingly continue to focus on individual‐level interventions. This presents a missed opportunity to prevent suicide through a focus on romantic relationship factors that are strongly associated with suicidal thoughts and behaviors. To identify underutilized or new avenues for improving suicide prevention, the current article aims to (a) provide an overview of the literature on romantic relationship functioning and suicide risk in adults to elucidate potential prevention targets, and (b) use a public health framework to highlight evidence‐based and emerging avenues to prevent suicide by targeting relevant relationship factors.

Racial discrimination and parenting perceptions among low-income Black couples.

Racism affects Black individuals in the United States through multiple institutional, social, and economic injustices. Relationship scientists have called for greater attention to the potentially harmful effects racism might exert on Black families. A small literature has begun to document negative associations between experiences of racism and romantic relationship functioning. However, even less empirical work has focused on a central relationship domain for many Black couples: parenting. The present study used cross-sectional data (N = 312 couples) from low-income Black couples who had recently had a child together. We examined associations between both partners' experiences of racial discrimination and their coparenting relationship quality and parenting stress. We next controlled for depression and relationship dedication as substantive covariates that could guide future research in this area. Actor-partner interdependence models revealed actor associations between discrimination and poorer parenting outcomes and a partner association specifically between one's partner's discrimination experience and own lower coparenting relationship quality. This partner effect was no longer significant, and actor effects were attenuated, when controlling for depression and relationship dedication, respectively. Our findings indicate that the negative effects of racial discrimination on Black couples' relationships are also apparent in the parenting domain, even above and beyond associations of individual depression and relationship dedication. These findings underscore the urgent need for more basic science to better understand the harms of racism for Black families, identify mechanisms that drive those effects, and highlight ways that clinical services can begin to address these impacts even now. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Parent Aggression Exposure and Negative Expectancies in Couple Conversation: Rejection Sensitivity as a Mediator

Abstract Purpose Exposure to aggression during childhood or adolescence has been linked to negative outcomes, including poor future romantic relationship functioning. As a step toward understanding such intergenerational influences, the present study investigates whether aggression exposure in the family-of-origin is associated with negative expectancies of romantic partner interactions when facing a challenging couple discussion. Rejection sensitivity is tested as a mediator of this association, and gender was explored as a potential moderator. Method Negative expectancies were assessed before a 10-minute discussion about desired changes in the relationship in a sample of young adult dating couples. To test the theorized relationship between variables, the study employed self-report measures of parent aggression, rejection sensitivity, and negative expectancies. Results Multilevel analyses showed that exposure to family-of-origin aggression was positively associated with negative expectancies about the upcoming change discussion task, even after controlling for dating aggression within the current relationship. Additionally, rejection sensitivity mediated the association between parent aggression and negative expectancies. Gender did not moderate these associations. Conclusions Findings suggest that individuals who experience aggression in their family-of-origin are more likely to anticipate negative interactions with their dating partner during young adulthood. Results also highlight rejection sensitivity as a key mechanism of this process. Taken together, these findings help to explain why some individuals have negative expectancies as they approach difficult discussions with a romantic partner, which may be a putative link in the intergenerational continuity of aggression.

Love, health, and the 'hood: An examination of romantic relationship adjustment and perceived neighborhood quality as predictors of partnered Black Americans' long-term psychological health.

Existing disparities regarding Black Americans' psychological health warrant further investigation of socioecological factors that may be associated with negative and positive dimensions of psychological health in this population. Romantic relationship functioning and neighborhood context are two domains relevant to Black Americans' mental health. However, less is known about how they may serve as independent and interactive prospective predictors of Black Americans' psychological health and potentially in distinctive ways for Black men and women. Using data from 333 partnered Black Americans who participated in the Midlife in the United States study, we investigated relationship adjustment and neighborhood quality as independent and interactive predictors of negative and positive affect 10 years later and examined gender differences in these linkages. Higher neighborhood quality predicted lower levels of negative affect and higher levels of positive affect for both men and women a decade later. Additionally, for Black men, the longitudinal association between relationship adjustment and negative affect differed by neighborhood quality such that better relationship adjustment predicted higher subsequent negative affect only for men in lower quality neighborhoods. Findings demonstrate the connections among romantic relationship functioning, ecological resources, and gender in this population and highlight the importance of incorporating socioecological and intersectional perspectives for predicting Black Americans' long-term psychological health. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Perceived partner phubbing predicts lower relationship quality but partners’ enacted phubbing does not

Perceptions of partner phubbing can be detrimental for romantic relationship functioning. However, research does not typically focus on couple members' reports of their own phubbing behavior and how this relates to relationship functioning. Our aim was to examine both perceptions of partner phubbing and reports of one's own enacted phubbing behavior in a dyadic diary dataset to better specify their effects on relationship functioning at the daily level and two months later. The role of attachment was also examined. Daily perceived phubbing was associated with lower relationship quality; however, these effects did not hold two months later. Importantly, actors' and partners' enacted phubbing was unrelated to relationship quality both daily and two months later. Attachment anxiety and avoidance moderated the above results, although the directions of these effects were not always consistent across models or with previous findings or theorizing. Future research is needed to untangle if and how attachment orientations are reliably linked to phubbing. Together our results suggest that perceptions about partner's phubbing are more important than partners' actual phubbing behavior. Future research should appraise the potential of targeting phubbing perceptions to improve relationship functioning.

Effects of alcohol problem discrepancy on relationship adjustment: The moderating role of conflict negotiation among couples with alcohol use disorder and intimate partner violence.

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) has well-known negative effects on romantic relationship functioning, including the occurrence of intimate partner violence (IPV). A separate literature focused on community couples indicates that relationship functioning is more likely to suffer when partners report greater discrepancies in alcohol consumption. It is important to expand this literature to couples with AUD and to examine the role of impactful AUD domains in dyadic functioning. Furthermore, few studies have examined adaptive, treatment-malleable factors that could potentially offset the negative impact of alcohol discrepancies on relationship functioning. This study examined the association between couples' alcohol problem discrepancies and relationship adjustment, as well as the moderating effect of self-reported adaptive conflict negotiation behaviors. Participants were 100 couples (N = 200 individual participants) with intimate partner violence wherein at least one partner met diagnostic criteria for AUD. Actor-Partner Interdependence Models indicated that greater alcohol problem discrepancy was associated with lower dyadic adjustment. Moderation analyses revealed that the highest level of relationship adjustment was observed among couples with lower alcohol problem discrepancy and greater negotiation behaviors, while relationship adjustment was similar for couples with larger alcohol problem discrepancy, regardless of negotiation behaviors. Although further study is needed to clarify under what specific conditions adaptive negotiation behaviors are most helpful, they appear to be beneficial for some couples in this sample. We found no evidence that negotiation behaviors may be harmful among these high-risk couples.

Values in Romantic Relationships.

There are substantive theoretical questions about whether personal values affect romantic relationship functioning. The current research tested the association between personal values and romantic relationship quality while considering potential mediating mechanisms related to pro-relational attitudes, communal strength, intrinsic relationship motivation, and entitlement. Across five studies using different measures of value priorities, we found that the endorsement of self-transcendence values (i.e., benevolence, universalism) was related to higher romantic relationship quality. The findings provided support for the mediating roles of pro-relational attitudes, communal strength, and intrinsic relationship motivation. Finally, a dyadic analysis in our fifth study showed that self-transcendence values mostly influence a person's own relationship quality but not that of their partner. These findings provide the first evidence that personal values are important variables in romantic relationship functioning while helping to map the mechanisms through which this role occurs.

Web-Based Relationship Education and Pornography-Related Behaviors: A Single-Group Design During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Research surrounding pornography and its impact on individual and relationship functioning is a frequent and ongoing debate in the current literature. However, recent meta-analyses and aggregated studies suggest that relationship distress is associated with higher levels of general pornography use. This may be a reason why a significant number of men and women view pornography and seek help for their use. In the present study, we explored whether participation in the OurRelationship program, a web-based relationship education program that has been empirically shown to reduce relationship distress but is not tailored to reduce general pornography use, was associated with reliable changes in pornography-related behaviors. In a sample of low-income and diverse couples (N = 314 couples; 628 individuals), we observed high completion rates (64.3%) as well as reliable, small-sized decreases in the frequency and duration of pornography use for the average couple (d = 0.12-0.13). Furthermore, post hoc analyses found that individuals who began the program viewing pornography daily reported reliability-larger decreases in pornography-related behaviors (d = 0.32-0.90) than those who viewed pornography less frequently. However, we did not see reliable changes in couples' arguments about pornography use or perceptions of problematic use. The findings were generally not moderated by gender or lifestyle changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Clinicians struggling to reduce their client's general pornography use may consider including a focus on improving general romantic relationship functioning.

Mental health treatment utilization and relationship functioning among male and female OEF/OIF veterans.

This study examined whether romantic relationship functioning was associated with mental health treatment utilization in male and female veterans. Veterans (N = 760) enrolled in a longitudinal registry completed self-report measures and a diagnostic interview for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Mental health treatment utilization data procured from Veterans Affairs administrative records were analyzed over 12 months. For men with PTSD, greater romantic relationship dysfunction was associated with more total mental health visits, medication management visits, and group psychotherapy visits. For women with PTSD, romantic relationship dysfunction was negatively associated with total mental health, individual psychotherapy, and group therapy visits. For women without PTSD, greater relationship dysfunction was associated with fewer total mental health visits and group therapy visits. For men, relationship difficulties appear to be positively related to mental health service use; however, for women, relationship difficulties appear to have no relation or a negative relation to mental health service use. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

The roles of parental and partner attachment working models in romantic relationships

Attachment theory suggests that romantic relationship dynamics are not only shaped by how people relate to their partners but also by the bonds they share with other important people in their lives. The present study investigated how parental and partner attachment representations work together to predict romantic relationship functioning. In addition, we examined how the associations between these working models and relationship functioning might differ in newer versus more established relationships. We measured attachment representations and relationship functioning in a sample of 1,469 adults involved in romantic relationships. Our results suggest that partner-specific attachment might mediate the associations between parental attachment working models and relationship satisfaction. Furthermore, it appears that the association between partner-specific attachment anxiety and relationship satisfaction is stronger in more established relationships, whereas partner-specific avoidance is associated with satisfaction to similar degrees across relationships of varying lengths.

Family-Involved Mental Health Care Among OEF/OIF Veterans With and Without PTSD Using VHA Administrative Records

Prior research indicates that veterans are interested in including family members in health care and that family-inclusive mental health treatment can improve treatment outcomes. Consequently, the Veterans Health Administration’s (VHA) directive requires providers to offer family-inclusive mental health services to veterans. However, the extent to which veterans engage in family-inclusive mental health services at the VHA remains unclear. Using data from a longitudinal registry of male and female veterans with and without posttraumatic stress disorder, we examined the extent to which veterans included family members in their mental health care and predictors of engagement in family-involved therapy visits using VHA administrative records over a 5-year time span. Of the 1,329 veterans who received mental health care during the study, 8.4% received a family therapy visit—the number of visits per veteran ranged from 1 to 34. Results from logistic regressions indicate that relative to White veterans, Black veterans were 61.0% less likely to receive a family-involved therapy visit. Married veterans or veterans living with a partner, and veterans with poor romantic relationship functioning, were more likely to receive a family-involved therapy visit. These findings indicate that only a small percentage of veterans received a family therapy visit across 5 years. Efforts to understand barriers to family-involved therapy visits and strategies to increase engagement in family-involved visits may improve clinical outcomes and promote patient-centered care.

Collateral Benefits of Evidence-Based Substance Use Prevention Programming During Middle-School on Young Adult Romantic Relationship Functioning.

The quality of romantic relationships formed during early adulthood has critical implications for physical andpsychological wellbeing,futureromantic relationships,and subsequent parenting of the next generation. The present study evaluates the cross-over effects of the PROSPER-delivered adolescent substance use prevention programming on young adult romantic relationship functioning through a long-term developmental cascade of adolescent skills and behaviors, along with subsequent family-of-origin functioning. Prospective, longitudinal, bivariate growth models were used to analyze the effects of the PROSPER-delivered interventions in a sample of 1008 youths living in rural and semi-rural communities in Iowa and Pennsylvania, starting in sixth grade (AgeM = 11.8; 62% female) who were in a steady romantic relationship at the young adult assessment (AgeM = 19.5). Findings indicated a cascading effect through which PROSPER promotes adolescent problem-solving skills during early-to-mid-adolescence; problem-solving skills were associated with better family functioning during mid-adolescence; and family functioning was associated with better romantic relationship quality, indicated by lower levels of relationship violence and more effective relationship problem-solving in young adulthood. PROSPER, which primarily targets adolescent substance misuse and conduct problem prevention, has lasting, collateral effects that benefit young adults in their romantic relationship functioning - which may have further downstream benefits for their own relationships and those of their children (i.e., intergenerational transmission effects). These findings add to the growing body of literature evidencing important cross-over effects of widely disseminated substance use prevention programs delivered during adolescence.

Reconciling Associations Between Minority Stress and Sexual Minority Romantic Relationship Functioning.

This is the final version. Available on open access from Frontiers Media via the DOI in this record.

Young women with and without non-suicidal self-injury: A comparison of romantic relationship functioning

IntroductionThe interpersonal context of an individual struggling with non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is of critical importance. ObjectiveThe purpose of the current study is to offer, through a dyadic perspective, a unique portrait of the relevant indicators of romantic relationship functioning (i.e., romantic attachment, dyadic trust, dyadic coping, relationship satisfaction, and caregiving) that distinguish young women who have engaged in NSSI from those who have not. MethodParticipants consisted of 20 women who indicated having engaged in NSSI in the past six months and 20 women who indicated having never engaged in NSSI, along with their respective partner. ResultsResults revealed that women who engaged in NSSI were more likely to report subjective distress in the form of attachment anxiety and distrust, as well as lower relationship satisfaction and adaptive dyadic coping strategies, compared to women who had never engaged in NSSI. Findings also showed that partners of women who engaged in self-injury reported more attachment anxiety than partners of women who do not engage in NSSI. ConclusionThese results highlight the importance of romantic relationship dynamics and the potential associations with engagement in self-injurious behaviors, which has implications for the development of effective prevention and intervention strategies.

Parent-Child Relationship Quality in the Family of Origin and Later Romantic Relationship Functioning: A Systematic Review.

A large and diverse literature has shown that parent-child relationship quality shapes development to affect later romantic relationship functioning. Guided by the developmental psychopathology framework, the current systematic review aimed to characterize the links between two major subtypes of parent-child relationship quality (parent-child attachment security and interaction quality) and several romantic relationship outcomes (i.e., adjustment, attachment security, aggression, and observed interaction quality), as well as to identify mechanisms accounting for these associations. We focused on studies that included both members of a couple/partnership for dyadic assessment of romantic relationship functioning, to more accurately and fully capture both partners' perspectives. A total of 40 articles met inclusion criteria, most of which sampled early/emerging adult couples between the ages of 18 and 26 years. Findings suggest that parent-child attachment security and interaction quality have similar associations with dyadic romantic relationship functioning, with the strongest evidence of effects on romantic relationship adjustment and observed interactions between romantic partners. Many studies found gender differences in effects, as well as cascading effects across development and over the course of a relationship. We argue that it is important for future studies to explore effects of one partner's parent-child relationship quality history on the other partner's romantic relationship adjustment and behavior, and to evaluate the extent to which parent-child attachment security mediates associations between parent-child interaction quality and romantic relationship functioning.

Protective Factors for Military Veteran Fathers’ Parenting Functioning and Satisfaction

Employing a strengths-based perspective, this study examined protective factors related to fathers’ positive parenting behaviors and parenting satisfaction. The sample included 3,810 active duty veteran fathers who separated from the active component and had at least one child 18 years and younger. Logistic regression analyses indicated that financial status, health functioning, resilience, social support, positive social functioning with community and friends, and positive social functioning with relatives were all associated with parenting functioning. The interaction of the number of deployments and resilience was related to parenting functioning. Furthermore, health functioning, resilience, social support, positive social functioning with community and friends, and positive social functioning with relatives were associated with parenting satisfaction. Among fathers in a romantic relationship, the interaction of the number of deployments and romantic relationship functioning and the interaction of the number of deployments and romantic relationship satisfaction were both related to parenting functioning and parenting satisfaction.

Developmental Pathways from Childhood Maltreatment to Young Adult Romantic Relationship Functioning

ABSTRACT Childhood abuse has been suggested to potentiate a maladaptive developmental trajectory, leaving adolescents and young adults at risk for mental health and romantic relationship problems. It has been suggested that mental health problems mediate the relationship between childhood abuse and young adult romantic relationship functioning; however, there are few prospective studies. The objective of the current study was to examine the effects of childhood physical, sexual, and emotional abuse on posttraumatic stress symptoms in adolescence, and relationship quality, intimacy, companionship, and conflict in young adult’s romantic relationships. Using data from the Longitudinal Studies of Childhood Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN), a sample of 313 racially diverse adolescents were used. Using structural equation modeling, it was found that dissociation mediated the relationship between physical abuse and relationship quality, but in the opposite direction of what was expected. Additionally, anger mediated the relationship from both physical and sexual abuse to conflict. Childhood abuse appears to influence young adult relationship functioning through mental health problems in mid-adolescence, particularly anger and dissociation. These results are consistent with the notion that children who were abused may struggle in romantic relationships in young adulthood and addressing mental health problems in adolescence may a point of intervention.

Childhood emotional maltreatment and couple functioning among women across transition to parenthood: A process model.

Research on the implications of childhood emotional maltreatment for later romantic relationship well-being has been accumulating. More efforts are needed to systematically delineate the etiological chains of the more proximal processes explaining why childhood emotional maltreatment, as a more distal risk factor, might ultimately result in later romantic relationship malfunctioning. Using multiple-wave data from a diverse community sample of primiparous women across the transition to parenthood (N = 159), we conducted a process model in which adult attachment, emotion regulation difficulties, and depressive symptoms were examined as potential mediators for the associations between childhood emotional maltreatment and various aspects of later couple functioning. Results demonstrate that adult attachment anxiety played a key role in accounting for the associations between childhood emotional maltreatment and the negative aspects of later couple functioning (i.e., conflict and ambivalence) through its associations with emotion regulation difficulties and depressive symptoms. In contrast, adult attachment avoidance more directly mediated the associations between childhood emotional maltreatment and the positive dimensions of later couple functioning (i.e., love and maintenance), without other intervening mediators. Overall, the currently identified risk chains contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the mechanisms via which childhood emotional maltreatment shapes later romantic relationship functioning and also help clinicians specify potential targets for effective interventions aimed at diminishing the detrimental consequences of childhood emotional maltreatment for later intimate relationship well-being. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

The role of sexual passion in romantic relationship functioning: A dyadic analysis

The dualistic model of sexual passion defines sexual passion as a strong motivational drive to engage in various types of partnered and non-partnered sexual activities and distinguishes two types of sexual passion that lead to distinct consequences, obsessive sexual passion (OSP) and harmonious sexual passion (HSP). The purpose of the present research was to examine the associations between these two types of sexual passion and relationship functioning in partners of romantic relationships using dyadic analyses. Heterosexual participants (132 couples; n = 264) completed an online survey which included three indicators of relationship functioning: relationship quality, sexual satisfaction, and level of conflict. An actor-partner interdependence model analysis (APIM) revealed that, for both men and women, HSP was positively associated with relationship functioning, whereas OSP was negatively associated with it. In addition, results unveiled significant partner effects, such that both men’s and women’s HSP were associated with their partners’ perceptions of relationship functioning, but not for OSP. Finally, there were a significant moderation between men’s HSP and women’s OSP on women’s relationship functioning, suggesting that men’s HSP can buffer the negative effect of women’s OSP. The present results provide evidence that sexual passion can either facilitate or hinder relationship functioning through multiple personal and dyadic pathways.