Romantic relationships: An examination of partner evaluation, women's mate preferences, and dynamics in long -term relationships.

Choosing, attracting, and retaining a romantic partner are among the most compelling and complex tasks people face in their lives. The research presented in this dissertation integrates an evolutionary approach with theory and methods from social psychology to advance the understanding of how people evaluate possible partners, the role of intelligence in women's mate preferences, and dynamics in the formation and maintenance of long-term romantic relationships. The first chapter provides an overview of the research. In chapter 2, results of an experimental study demonstrate that favorable ratings of a potential partner's desirability decrease after information that the person was abandoned by his or her previous romantic partner. This information was perceived as similarly negative by both male and female participants, but had a larger effect when the target person was being evaluated for a long-term (compared to a sexual) relationship. Chapter 3 examines individual variation in women's mate preferences and attitudes about sex and appropriate gender roles. Data gathered from a cross-sectional sample of college women suggest that higher intelligence correlates with less concern about a future partner's ability to provide resources. Women's intelligence is also positively related to more favorable attitudes towards casual sex and more egalitarian views on gender roles in the context of romantic relationships. Finally, chapter 4 goes beyond examining what qualities people want and how they detect whether someone meets their standards, to explore how people attract and retain desirable partners. A new theory of relationship dynamics (The Relationship Negotiation Hypothesis; RNH) suggests that people pair with each other not only based on their absolute mate value, but also as a function of the accommodations individuals offer their partners. Data from both a student and a more representative sample gathered on-line reveal that people are willing to offer more accommodations to maintain a relationship with an attractive compared to unattractive partner. Consistent with this, data from existing couples suggests that the less attractive members of couples are more likely to concede to their partners' wants in the domains of money and sex. Implications and future research directions suggested by these findings are examined.Ph.D.PsychologySocial psychologyUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/127124/2/3382395.pd

Association between antithrombotic treatment and outcomes at 1-year follow-up in patients with atrial fibrillation: the EORP-AF General Long-Term Registry

International audienceAims In recent years, stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) has radically changed, with increasing use of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs). Contemporary European data on AF thromboprophylaxis are needed. Methods and results We report 1-year follow-up data from the EURObservational Research Programme in Atrial Fibrillation (EORP-AF) General Long-Term Registry. Outcomes were assessed according to antithrombotic therapy. At 1-year follow-up, 9663 (88.0%) patients had available data for analysis: 586 (6.1%) were not treated with any antithrombotic; 681 (7.0%) with antiplatelets only; 4066 (42.1%) with vitamin K antagonist (VKA) only; 3167 (32.8%) with NOACs only; and 1163 (12.0%) with antiplatelet and oral anticoagulant. At 1-year follow-up, there was a low rate of stroke (0.7%) and any thromboembolic event (TE) (1.2%), while haemorrhagic events occurred in 222 patients (2.3%). Cardiovascular (CV) death and all-cause death occurred in 3.9% and 5.2% of patients, respectively. Cumulative survival for all the three main outcomes considered was highest amongst patients treated only with NOACs (P < 0.0001). Multivariable-adjusted Cox regression analysis found that VKA or NOACs use was independently associated with a lower risk for any TE/acute coronary syndrome/CV death, while all treatments were independently associated with a lower risk for CV death and all-cause death. Conclusion The 1-year follow-up of EORP-AF General Long-Term Registry reported a low occurrence of thromboembolic and haemorrhagic events, although mortality was high. Both VKA and NOACs were associated with a lower risk of all main adverse outcomes. All treatments were associated with a lower risk for CV death and all-cause death