Conversation Goals, Communication Satisfaction, and Relational Dynamics While Navigating Alzheimer’s Disease: A Pre- and Post-Diagnosis Dyadic Examination of Family Communication

Currently there are more than 16 million unpaid Alzheimer’s disease and dementia caregivers in the United States. These caregivers are often family members of the person living with dementia, and as they navigate the process of giving care to the patient, they must also maintain relationships with each other. Families enter the dementia experience with a history of their relational experiences, and their relational experiences potentially change as they navigate family experiences after the dementia diagnosis. Much existing scholarship examining family communication in the context of progressive Alzheimer’s disease and other related dementias has focused on the perspectives of one individual within a family, single communication encounters, and has operationalized communication in terms of frequency. This dissertation applied the multiple goals theory of interpersonal relationships (Caughlin, 2010) to address some of the gaps in extant scholarship by focusing on family dyads, collective past communication experiences, and measured the quality of family communication. Seven research questions were presented, which inquired about the associations between pre-diagnosis relational dynamics, post-diagnosis communication satisfaction, post-diagnosis interaction goals, and post-diagnosis relational dynamics. Perspectives of adult family members of U.S. dementia patients were elicited through self-guided online questionnaires. Participants were recruited in dyadic pairs, and the total sample included 53 family dyads (n = 106 individuals). Data were analyzed using path analyses in actor-partner interdependence models to examine the relationships between variables. Statistically significant actor effects were observed between pre-diagnosis relational dynamics and post-diagnosis communication satisfaction, post-diagnosis interaction goals and communication satisfaction, and post-diagnosis communication satisfaction and relational dynamics. Statistically significant actor and partner effects were observed between pre-diagnosis relational dynamics and post-diagnosis interaction goals, pre- and post-diagnosis relational dynamics, and post-diagnosis interaction goals and relational dynamics. The results of this dissertation provide compelling evidence that actual communication experiences are important to how family members evaluate their ability to attend to interaction goals in the context of dementia, and those perceptions in turn affect family relational dynamics after the dementia diagnosis. Findings of this research demonstrate that pre-diagnosis relational dynamics aggregate and influence post-diagnosis perceptions and evaluations of own and other’s interaction goals and satisfaction with enacted communication. Additionally, results of this dissertation show family members’ ratings of relational closeness increased and functioning decreased from pre- to post-diagnosis. Results of this dissertation have several theoretical and practical implications. Theoretically speaking, these findings provide evidence supporting previous multiple goals research and extending this work into the family dementia context. Actual communication experiences are important to how family members evaluate their ability to attend to interaction goals in this context, and those perceptions in turn affect family relational dynamics after the patient’s dementia diagnosis. The current research also provides some initial evidence that more global perceptions of interaction goals are related to more global relational concepts. Additionally, the findings from this dissertation can be used to inform the evidence-based evaluation of dementia caregiver interventions, education programs, and online social support resources. The interwoven experience of family members navigating the experience of dementia is complex. The practical insight gained from these results can be used to assist caregivers and families with their relational needs and to mitigate the negative implications associated with caregiving. These findings can be utilized to ultimately improve health outcomes for family members of dementia patients and patients themselves

Relational Turbulence and Identity Gaps Amongst Committed Consensually Non-Monogamous Partners

The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate relational turbulence processes and test Relational Turbulence Theory’s (RTT) first five propositions in a sample of 528 committed consensually non-monogamous (CNM) partners as they are experiencing the transition of their committed partner adding a new sexual or romantic partner other than themselves. CNM relationships are those in which at least one partner has multiple sexual and/or romantic relationships with the consent of all parties involved. Generally, the first five propositions of RTT were supported. Specifically, self uncertainty and partner uncertainty positively predicted relationship uncertainty, which in turn predicted biased cognitive appraisals, and was also positively predicted by self uncertainty. Partner interference positively predicted intensified emotions but partner facilitation failed to predict intensified emotions. Biased cognitive appraisals negatively predicted communication engagement and valence and was linked to intensified emotions, but intensified emotions failed to predict communication engagement and valence. Finally, biased cognitive appraisals and intensified emotions positively predicted perceptions of relational turbulence, but communication engagement and valence failed to predict perceptions of relational turbulence. This dissertation also found evidence that relationship parameters of uncertainty and partner interdependence may also be predictive of intensified emotions and biased cognitive appraisals, respectively. Additionally, perceptions of relational turbulence also positively predicted anticipated CNM stigma, personal-relational identity gaps, and personal-enacted identity gaps. This dissertation also analyzed participants open-ended responses for evidence of communal identity gaps participants had with the LGBTQIA+ community. Evidence of communal-personal, communal-enacted, communal-relational, and communal-communal identity gaps with their identities as members of the LGBTQIA+ community were also found among a smaller portion of the participants’ responses. Implications for RTT and the Communication Theory of Identity as well as practical implications for individuals in or supportive of CNM relationships are also discussed

Change in marital satisfaction among Chinese couples during the early years of marriage: the roles of individual characteristics, couple interactive processes, and social network factors

Understanding couple relationship well-being and its key determinants is paramount given the substantial costs of marital distress to individuals, families, as well as the society. However, some groups of couples have been historically underrepresented in prior marriage research (e.g., Non-Western couples). Without investigating these groups of couples systematically, the diversity inherent within marriage cannot be adequately acknowledged. Furthermore, from a cultural sensitivity perspective, empirical findings and theoretical perspectives derived from studies of one certain group of couples are likely to be poorly suited to or even irrelevant to the life experiences of another group of couples. To somewhat fill this gap, a series of empirical studies were conducted in the present body of work to particularly examine how the variation in Chinese couples’ marital well-being over time could be accounted for by the complex, dynamic interplay among factors of different levels (e.g., individual characteristics, couple dyadic adaptive processes, and external contextual factors) based on the data from a recent longitudinal research project named Chinese Newlyweds Longitudinal Study (CNLS). The first study in the present body of work focused on the associations between spouses’ personal characteristics (i.e., neuroticism) and marital satisfaction and the mechanisms explaining why such associations might occur. Specifically, based on three annual waves of data obtained from 268 Chinese couples during their early years of marriage, this study tested an actor-partner interdependence mediation model in which spouses’ neuroticism was linked to the changes in their own and their partners’ marital satisfaction through both intrapersonal (i.e., marital attribution) and interpersonal (i.e., marital aggression) processes. Considering both intra and interpersonal processes simultaneously in a single model, a series of indirect pathways were identified: Wave 1 Husbands’ Neuroticism ? Wave 2 Husbands’ Negative Marital Attribution ? Wave 1 to Wave 3 Changes in Husbands’ Marital Satisfaction; and Wave 1 Wives’ Neuroticism ? Wave 2 Wives’ Negative Marital Attribution or Aggression ? Wave 1 to Wave 3 Changes in Wives’ or Husbands’ Marital Satisfaction. As such, this study not only adds to a limited body of research examining why neuroticism affects conjugal well-being, but also extends prior research by focusing on Chinese couples, utilizing a longitudinal, dyadic mediation model, and testing intra and interpersonal processes simultaneously. The findings also have important practical implications. That is, couples involving highly neurotic partners may benefit the most from interventions based on the cognitive-behavioral approaches. When working with couples bothered by neuroticism, practitioners need to help them address both dysfunctional interactive patterns and distorted cognitive styles. The second study in the present body of work sought to understand the associations between couple dyadic interactive processes (i.e., marital hostility) and marital satisfaction and the conditions under which such associations might vary. Specifically, based on both observational and self-report survey data obtained from 106 Chinese couples during their early years of marriage, this study linked marital hostility observed from multiple couple interactions to both the concurrent levels of and the subsequent changes in spouses’ reports of relationship satisfaction, and also examined how intrapersonal traits (i.e., self-esteem), relationship features (i.e., commitment), external environment factors (i.e., life event stress), and spouses’ avoidance tendency in marital problem resolutions may contextualize such associations. Results indicated that both the concurrent and the longitudinal actor and/or partner effects of marital hostility on marital satisfaction were moderated by spouses’ own and/or their partner’s self-esteem, commitment, life event stress, and avoidance. Furthermore, in general, whereas spouses’ own factors as moderators explained under what circumstances hostility may be harmful for relationship satisfaction, spouses’ partner’s factors as moderators determined when hostility can be beneficial for relationship satisfaction. Such findings highlight the importance of approaching the association between marital hostility and conjugal well-being from a dyadic, multilevel, and contextual perspective. The third study in the present body of work examined the associations between external contextual factors (i.e., parents’ attitude and in-law relationship quality) and marital satisfaction and how different social network factors might operate in conjunction with each other to shape conjugal well-being over time in Chinese marriage. Based on three annual waves of data obtained from 265 Chinese couples during the early years of marriage and utilizing an actor-partner interdependence mediation model with latent difference scores, this study examined the associations among parental attitude toward their adult children’s marriage, in-law relationship quality, and adult children’s marital satisfaction. Results indicated that when both husbands’ and wives’ parents’ attitude and relationship quality with mothers-in-law and with fathers-in-law were considered simultaneously in a single model, only two indirect pathways were still significant: husbands’ parents’ satisfaction with their adult children’s marriage was positively associated with the changes in both husbands’ and wives’ marital satisfaction via wives’ relationship quality with their mothers-in-law. Such findings not only suggest the particularly salient roles of husbands’ parents’ attitude and the relationship between daughters-in-law and mothers-in-law in predicting Chinese adult children’s marital well-being, but also highlight the importance of conceptualizing families as configurations of interdependent relationships across multiple households and examining marital well-being from ecological and social network perspectives. Taken altogether, the present body of work represents one of the very first steps in systematically understanding marital well-being and its determinants among Chinese couples. Findings of the three aforementioned studies have clearly demonstrated that Chinese couples’ relationship development over time is a product of the complex, dynamic intersections of individual characteristics, relational dynamics, and external contextual factors. Furthermore, findings of the present body of work may promote cultural sensitivity in marriage research by yielding important insights for developing culturally relevant frameworks for understanding marital issues in Asian countries

British Bangladeshi Muslim Women’s In-Law Relationships: A Narrative Analysis

Despite being a major feature of everyday life, research on in-law relationships has received relatively scant attention in comparison to other close relationships. In-law relationships have mostly been portrayed negatively in popular culture, influencing and reflecting the pervading negative attitudes held by wider society. This has provided a narrow and restrictive view of affinal relationships. In-law relationships are found across the globe, and literature suggests that culture and its underlying values play a major role in shaping the nature and dynamics of such relationships. However, the majority of research has been dominated by the mother-in-law/daughter-in-law dyad, with little attention to the wider context. Using a post-colonial feminist framework and narrative analysis, the current research documents the stories of 10 British Bangladeshi Muslim women and their subjective experiences of in-law relationships. The research highlights the subtle and nuanced way they navigate in-law relationships and exercise their agency. It also demonstrates how intersecting markers of difference impact experiences of agency and the shaping of their identity. The research highlights four major themes from the analysis: (1) “It’s a family marriage” (2) Rising tensions (3) Tug of war – the role of husband and (4) Developing a survivor’s identity. A description of these themes and related subthemes are discussed. The findings of the present study challenge Eurocentric models of feminism and demonstrate the diversity of women’s experiences and identities. They also reveal how gender intersects with other markers of identity that shape the participants’ social realities. They also point to the urgency of highlighting the role of the wider family in the perpetration of abuse against women. The research discusses further implications of findings for academics, clinicians, policy, and the wider community, and recommends suggestions for future research