Perinatal depression and patterns of attachment: a critical risk factor?

Background. This study aims to verify if the presence and severity of perinatal depression are related to any particular pattern of attachment. Methods. The study started with a screening of a sample of 453 women in their third trimester of pregnancy, who were administered a survey data form, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and the Experience in Close Relationship (ECR). A clinical group of subjects with perinatal depression (PND, 89 subjects) was selected and compared with a control group (C), regarding psychopathological variables and attachment patterns. Results. The ECR showed a prevalence of “Fearful-Avoidant” attachment style in PND group (29.2% versus 1.1%, < 0.001); additionally, the EPDS average score increases with the increasing of ECR dimensions (Avoidance and Anxiety). Conclusion. The severity of depression increases proportionally to attachment disorganization; therefore, we consider attachment as both an important risk factor as well as a focus for early psychotherapeutic intervention

“Let’s (Not) Talk About That”: Bridging the Past Sexual Experiences Taboo to Build Healthy Romantic Relationships

Research has shown that individuals in romantic relationships often avoid discussing past sexual experiences. In order to ascertain whether past relationships and/or past sexual experiences were considered to be “taboo,” 102 individuals involved in romantic relationships were asked to list the topics that they were reluctant to discuss with their partners. As past relationships and past sexual experiences were reported as topics often avoided, responses to an open-ended questionnaire were coded to determine: (1) the reasons individuals give for avoiding talk about past sexual experiences, and (2) whether there are sex differences in how often those reasons appeared in responses. In descending order of prevalence, respondents reported that they tend to avoid discussing past sexual experiences due to four main concerns: (1) belief that the past should be kept in the past, (2) identity issues, (3) perceived threats to their relationships, and (4) emotionally-upsetting feelings. Men and women displayed extreme similarity in the frequency with which they indicated particular reasons for avoidance. Data-inspired suggestions for individuals hoping to elicit discussion of past sexual experiences with partners are offered

Romantic Relationship Stages and Social Networking Sites: Uncertainty Reduction Strategies and Perceived Relational Norms on Facebook

Due to their pervasiveness and unique affordances, social media play a distinct role in the development of modern romantic relationships. This study examines how a social networking site is used for information seeking about a potential or current romantic partner. In a survey, Facebook users (N= 517) were presented with Facebook behaviors categorized as passive (e.g., reading a partner’s profile), active (e.g., ‘‘friending’’ a common third party), or interactive (e.g., commenting on the partner’s wall) uncertainty reduction strategies. Participants reported how normative they perceived these behaviors to be during four possible stages of relationship development (before meeting face-to-face, after meeting face-to-face, casual dating, and exclusive dating). Results indicated that as relationships progress, perceived norms for these behaviors change. Sex differences were also observed, as women perceived passive and interactive strategies as more normative than men during certain relationship stages

Conformity to Gender Stereotypes Impacting Body-Esteem, Eating, and Exercise Behaviors in Female College Students

Conformity to gender stereotypes and the impacts they may have on body-esteem, eating, and exercise behaviors have always been a very important topic in society because of the mental, physical and emotional problems that could arise. In society today, it is extremely unlikely to go a day without hearing or seeing something about eating healthy, exercising, or performing the correct “role”. With this increased pressure from the media and peers, conforming to the stereotypes in society can impact someone beyond what they may believe possible or even realize. A stereotype is a widely held and oversimplified image or idea of a particular person or thing. It is a preconceived notion that is generally conceptualized to an entire group of individuals or behaviors, which tend to be inaccurate and potentially harmful. The purpose of this study is to examine the link between gender stereotype adherence and body-esteem, eating, and exercise behaviors. Multiple regression analyses are used to examine a sample of 248 female college students. Findings reveal that several female gender stereotypes have effects on bodyesteem,eating and exercise behaviors. Of particular significance was the stereotype that females should strive to be thin

A Study of Communication in Baby Boomers\u27 Romantic Relationships and the Effects of their Children\u27s Communication about the Relationships

This study contributes to our knowledge of life-span communication by examining the communication of the Baby Boomer generation (born 1946-1964) as they re-enter the dating scene. Although Baby Boomers\u27 early years of dating (the 1960\u27s, 1970\u27s, and 1980\u27s) occurred in a time of new-found freedom, especially in sexual relationships, the experience of dating several decades later brings many complications due to aging and children. The intent of this study was not to generalize that all Baby Boomers would express the views stated in this study, but to show the complexity of this generation, and to present a theoretical framework for better understanding communication in their romantic relationships, and with their adult children. Information gathered in this research fills an important gap in the information about this generation. Although previous studies have examined romantic communication of much younger or older subjects, the current study employs a life-span perspective with extended interviews of twenty-four men and women age 46-64, to examine changes in communication from the respondents\u27 early years of dating to mid-life. Results indicated that numerous changes in romantic communication and behavior have occurred, especially in the areas of communication channels, use of technology, and physical romance. Bowen Family Systems Theory (1966) and Petronio‟s (2002) Communication Privacy Management Theory were used as a framework to explore how management of communication within the family affects the romantic relationships of single Baby Boomer parents. Results indicate that a poorly differentiated family member can create or amplify privacy boundaries, thus hampering communication within the family unit. Triangulation, the addition of any third person (in this case, the romantic partner of the Baby Boomer parent) to a two-person relationship (parent and child), can potentially affect the original relationship. Most interviewees indicated that they had open communication with their adult children, but they failed to notice that they were not discussing the parent\u27s romantic relationship. Most of them also stated that their children\u27s opinions about their partners would be noted, but not acted upon. These findings suggest that communication in the family should be carefully monitored when triangulating new persons into relationships

The Role of Motivational Persistence and Resilience Over the Well-being Changes Registered in Time

The present study investigates the interaction between personal characteristics that are considered nowadays strengths used to face difficult events or transition period. A number of 200 married or living together participants completed self-reports for common goals, motivational persistence, resilience and well-being. Results show that persistence and resilience do interact with each other at an individual level but also from a family concept perspective. Moreover, maintaining apositive outlook and family spirituality do have an impact over the intensity and direction of the relationship between long term purposes pursuing and recurrence of unattained purposes and changes in well-being registered in time. Resiliency as a personal characteristic and family resilience show good psychometric qualities for this study. Although some of the results are descriptive, in-depth analyses of direction and intensity of the relationships lead the finalconclusions to suggestions for further research and implications for psychological practice

Identity Negotiations in Family Relationships: Discussing Substance Use Disorder Through the Communication Theory of Identity

Guided by the communication theory of identity (CTI), the current study explores identity negotiations among family members who have experience with substance use disorder. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 9 participants. Personalenacted, enacted-relational, and personal-relational identity gaps guide the scope and use of CTI. Findings mirrored 3 major themes in consideration of these identity gaps: (1) participants embraced or rejected SUD as a central aspect of personal identity, (2) participants experienced turbulence in relational identities due to SUD, and (3) personalrelational identity gaps and alignment surface in multiple contexts where interpersonal communication occurs

The Influence of the Interaction Between Trust and Cognitions on Aggressive and Withdraw Communication Behavior Between Members of Clinical Couples

The purpose of this study was to examine the moderation effect of avoidance and aggressive cognitions on the relationship between levels of trust and levels of negative communication behavior, within a clinical sample of 60 heterosexual couples who had experienced mild-to-moderate conflict or abuse in the relationship. Results were found separately for males and females. For males, a non-significant positive trend was found suggesting avoidance cognitions have an effect on the relationship between trust and avoidance communication behavior. Females showed a significant association between avoidance cognitions and withdraw communication behaviors. The level of trust and the level of aggressive cognitions were significantly predictive of aggressive communication behavior in males. And the level of trust and the level of avoidance cognitions were significantly predictive of withdraw communication behavior in females. Implications for clinical interventions are discussed

Lasting couple relationships: recent research findings

This paper reviews recent research findings into couples in long-term relationships (married and de facto) that provide insight into the couple relationship over time. This paper addresses aspects of couple relationships such as commitment, personality traits, transitioning to parenthood, health, and relationship satisfaction. The aim of this paper is to inform practitioners and other professionals working with couples in an educative or therapeutic context. Key messages Recent increases in the availability of longitudinal data, combined with developments in analytical techniques and an upturn in interest in learning from longer-lasting couple relationships, have enabled researchers to gain a deeper understanding into the complexities of couple relationships. Factors underlying the complexity of couple relationships as they evolve over extended periods of time are likely to respond to prevention and early intervention strategies targeted at couples in the early stages of their relationships. An active engagement in behaviours that are supportive of the relationship is needed to maintain relationship stability - simply wanting the relationship to continue is not enough. Similarities between partners, and viewing partners through rose-coloured glasses, appears to support marital satisfaction, although there are some differences in this between men and women. Relationship quality has an impact on health in later life therefore investing in the quality of the couple relationship can be of benefit to health promotion and intervention strategies. Studies of newlyweds cannot be used to understand couples in longer-term relationships as the salience of some personality characteristics and behaviours appears to alter over time