Stressful Interpersonal Situations Research Articles

The Effects of Narcissism and Humor Coping on Anger Expression in Married Couples1

AbstractThis study examined the effects of narcissism (a self‐centered, self‐aggrandizing, dominant, and manipulative interpersonal orientation) and humor coping (a strategy in which people rely on humorous expression to cope with stressful interpersonal situations) on anger expression in married couples. A total of 288 married couples participated, with both husband and wife independently completing the questionnaire. Results of structural equation modeling showed that the frequency of received anger was positively related to the frequency of anger, which in turn was negatively related to marital satisfaction. Husbands with higher levels of narcissism were more likely to express their anger. In contrast, humor coping did not affect anger expression in either husbands or wives. We discuss the content of humor in order to clearly demonstrate the effects of humor coping.

Reduced caregiving quality measured during the strange situation procedure increases child\u2019s autonomic nervous system stress response

BackgroundDysfunctional maternal behavior has been shown to lead to disturbances in infant’s regulatory capacities and alterations in vagal reactivity. We aim to investigate the autonomic nervous system (ANS) response of the child during the strange situation procedure (SSP) in relation to the quality of maternal behavior.MethodsTwelve month after birth, 163 mother–child-dyads were investigated during the SSP. Heart rate (HR) and both, the parasympathetic branch (PNS) via the respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and the sympathetic branch (SNS) via the left ventricular ejection time (LVET) of the ANS were continuously determined during the SSP using electrocardiogram (ECG) and impedance cardiogram (ICG) measures. Maternal behavior was assessed by using the AMBIANCE measure.ResultsThe ANS response in infants of mothers with disruptive behavior compared to infants of non-disruptive mothers was significantly altered during the SSP: HR increased especially when infants of disruptive mothers were alone with the stranger (F (1, 161) = 4.15, p = .04) with a significant vagal withdrawal when being in contact with the stranger despite of presence of the mother (F (1, 161) = 5.11, p = .03) and a significant increase in vagal tone during final reunion (F (1, 161) = 3.76, p = .05). HR increase was mainly based on a decrease in LVET (F (1, 161) = 4.08, p = .05) with a maximum infant’s HR when the stranger came into the room instead of the mother.ConclusionBoth, SNS and PNS branches of the child are significantly altered in terms of an ANS imbalance, especially during contract to a stranger, in relation to dysfunctional maternal behavior. Our findings suggest the importance of supporting high quality caregiving that enables the infant to adapt adequately to stressful interpersonal situations which is likely to promote later health.

Changes in Executive Function Following a Stressful Interpersonal Task Are Associated With Condomless Anal Intercourse Among Men Who Have Sex With Men.

Executive functioning (EF) describes a set of neurocognitive processes critical to enacting complex health behaviors. However, theoretical frameworks for understanding sexual risk behavior have generally neglected neurocognitive constructs, and beyond a few studies of individuals selected for high substance use, the literature contains virtually no research on this topic with other adults at risk for HIV infection, such as men who have sex with men (MSM). This study tested whether EF was associated with condomless anal intercourse (CAI) among MSM. Seventy MSM completed cognitive tests assessing EF at two time points-baseline, and approximately 30 min later after engaging in a stressful interpersonal task. Men also reported their sexual behaviors over the past 3 months, including the frequency of CAI. Baseline EF was unrelated to CAI. However, CAI was associated with the degree to which performance improved from baseline to post-stressor administration. Compared with norms for practice effects, men who reported CAI improved less than expected from baseline to post-stressor EF performance, whereas men who reported no CAI exhibited a more normative practice effect. MSM with histories of greater sexual risk improved less than anticipated from baseline to post-stressor on tests of EF, suggesting that they might be more cognitively depleted by the stressful interpersonal task they engaged in between administrations. It is possible that certain individuals struggle to maintain executive control in stressful interpersonal situations, a finding that could contribute to the difficulty some individuals face executing precautionary behaviors during a sexual encounter.

Psychological flexibility mediates the relations between self-concealment and negative psychological outcomes

Consisting of two cross-sectional studies, the present study investigated whether psychological flexibility mediates the relations between self-concealment and negative psychological outcomes. Study 1 examined whether psychological flexibility mediates the relations between self-concealment and emotional distress in stressful interpersonal situations. In addition to replicating results of Study 1, Study 2 investigated whether psychological flexibility mediates the relationship between self-concealment and general psychological ill-health. Psychological flexibility was found to mediate the relation between self-concealment and emotional distress in stressful interpersonal settings and to partially mediate the relationship between self-concealment and general psychological ill-health.

Relationships Among Self-Concealment, Mindfulness and Negative Psychological Outcomes in Asian American and European American College Students

Research on Asian Americans and their psychological adjustment is limited. Consisting of two cross-sectional studies, the present investigation examined the relationships among self-concealment, mindfulness, emotional distress in stressful interpersonal situations, and general psychological ill-health in Asian American college students, and in comparison with European American counterparts. In the Asian Americans, self-concealment was found to be positively related to general psychological ill-health and negatively related to mindfulness. In both ethnic groups, mindfulness was found to be negatively related to general psychological ill-health. Findings suggest that, as seen with European American counterparts, both self-concealment and mindfulness may be important concepts in understanding the psychological adjustments of Asian American college students.

Mindfulness and Mental Health Among African American College Students

The current study examined the relation of a commonly used measure of mindfulness (Mindful Attention Awareness Scale [MAAS]) and psychological flexibility (Acceptance and Action Questionnaire [AAQ]) to mental health-related variables within an African American college sample. The study also examined these constructs as potential mediators of the link between self-concealment and mental health variables. The AAQ did not show adequate internal consistency, and thus was not used in subsequent analyses. Mindfulness was found to be a significant predictor of mental health-related variables and mediated the relation between self-concealment and emotional distress in stressful interpersonal situations (full mediation) and general psychological ill health (partial mediation). These results are suggestive that mindfulness may be useful to understand mental health within African Americans college students, although additional research is clearly needed.

Effects of Brief Cognitive-Behavioral Interventions on Confidence to Resist the Urges to Use Heroin and Methamphetamine in Relapse-Related Situations

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of brief cognitive-behavioral (C-B) intervention on improving confidence in managing situations related to heroin and methamphetamine (MAMP) use in drug users. The subjects in the intervention group received a five-session C-B intervention, which focused on the acquisition of skills aimed at helping the subject to reduce drug use. The subjects in the intervention and control groups completed pretest and posttest assessments to determine the changes of confidence in managing situations related to drug use. A total of 70 subjects (40 heroin and 30 MAMP users) and 75 subjects (38 heroin and 37 MAMP users) in the control group completed pretest and posttest assessments. The results revealed that among heroin users, the intervention group had greater improvement in confidence to manage interpersonal situations related to heroin use than did the control group, but there was no difference in the improvement in confidence to manage intrapersonal situations between the two groups. Furthermore, MAMP users in the intervention group showed greater improvement in confidence to manage both intrapersonal and interpersonal situations related to MAMP use than the control group. The present study confirmed the efficacy of brief C-B interventions in improving confidence in ability to resist urges to use heroin and MAMP in stressful interpersonal situations and to use MAMP in intrapersonal situations. The possible explanations for the ineffectiveness of brief C-B interventions to improve confidence in managing intrapersonal situations related to heroin use are discussed.

Gender differences in cardiovascular reactivity to competitive stress: The impact of gender of competitor and competition outcome

There is a broad literature indicating gender differences in cardiovascular heart disease (CHD), with higher risks among men. One possible explanation offered has been gender differences in cardiovascular reactivity. However, this gender gap in morbidity and mortality has been decreasing and attributed by some to the increasing competitive pressure placed on women in the workplace. As a result, it is important to understand situational factors that may influence cardiovascular reactivity during competitive stress. We examined this issue in 46 healthy men and women who competed against a same—or opposite—sex competitor while heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) were measured. Competition outcome (winning or losing) and gender composition of the dyads were balanced and controlled. Consistent with the gender-role conflict perspective, diastolic blood pressure (DBP) reactivity was higher when competing against a man than a woman. In addition, men also showed higher DBP reactivity when losing than when winning, and women demonstrated the opposite pattern. These data suggest that these gender processes may play an important role in understanding response to stressful interpersonal situations.

Hope, problem-solving ability, and coping in a college student population: some implications for theory and practice.

The influence of high versus low hope on problem-solving ability and on coping with stressful academic and interpersonal situations was examined in 211 college students. Consistent with Snyder's (1995) model, high-hope students were found to have greater problem-solving abilities than low-hope students. High-hope students were also found to employ less disengagement strategies than low-hope students for coping with stressful academic situations. No difference was found in the strategies used by high- and low-hope students for coping with stressful interpersonal situations. Separate hierarchical regression analyses indicated that hope was an important predictor of both academic and interpersonal life satisfaction independent of coping activities. Implications of the present findings for both theory and practice are discussed.

A Model of Common-Sense Reasoning Underlying Intentional Nonaction in Stressful Interpersonal Situations and Its Application in the Technology of Computer-Based Psychotherapy

Article A Model of Common-Sense Reasoning Underlying Intentional Nonaction in Stressful Interpersonal Situations and Its Application in the Technology of Computer-Based Psychotherapy was published on September 1, 1991 in the journal Journal of Intelligent Systems (volume 1, issue 3).

Stress management for essential hypertension: Comparison with a minimally effective treatment, predictors of response to treatment, and effects on reactivity

Few studies of psychological interventions for essential hypertension have incorporated comprehensive coping skills treatment programs, evaluated the efficacy of such programs against credible, minimally effective controls, examined the effects of these interventions on pressor responses, or clarified the nature of person by treatment interactions. The present study examined the relative effectiveness of multimodal stress management training and a minimally effective treatment control (i.e. GSR biofeedback training) in the treatment of essential hypertensives' blood pressure at rest and in response to simulated stressful interpersonal situations. At the conclusion of an 8 week training period, stress management participants exhibited reliably lower resting diastolic blood pressure and tended to exhibit lower systolic pressure than controls. The former condition maintained their lower pressure through a 6-month follow-up period, but decreases in controls over follow-up rendered the conditions equivalent in blood pressure. No differences between conditions emerged in analyses on pressor responses. Stress management training was somewhat more effective for individuals scoring low rather than high on measures of trait anxiety and irritability.

Pregnancy-Prevention Groups for Adolescents

Both social workers and other human service professionals need to develop and test innovative methods to help adolescents reduce the risk of unanticipated and frequently unwanted pregnancy. 2 techniques that might help adolescents become better able to deal with issues concerning sexuality are decision making and interpersonal skills. This study conducted in a public high school shows that decision making and interpersonal skills can be taught successfully. It tested the efficacy of group training in decision making and interpersonal skills to prevent unwanted adolescent pregnancy. Participants were 12 women and 7 men aged 14-18. The participants were randomly assigned to a group that received interpersonal decision making intervention or to a control group that received no intervention. Both groups completed identical pretest and posttest assessment measures. Data from broad based assessment documented positive intervention effects. Independent 2-tailed t-tests examined the hypothesis that participants from the group receiving intervention would show significantly more positive posttest scores than would participants from the control group. As predicted teenagers receiving group training correctly answered more questions concerning facts on human reproduction and birth control methods. Members of the intervention group scored significantly better on tasks that were essential to effective decision making interpersonal relationships. They listed more potential obstacles occurring in interpersonal problems and were better able to specify problems from different perspectives. Videotapes of students role playing in stressful interpersonal situations provided an opportunity for assessing communication skills. Participants from the group receiving intervention made more eye contact made more statements including the word no; refused more unreasonable demands; and made more requests for changes in another persons behavior. Follow-up reports collected 3 and 6 months after the last group session showed that teenagers who had received training had greater commitment to postponing pregnancy used birth control more often and had greater reliance on the more effective methods of birth control than did control group members.