"Technoference" and Implications for Mothers' and Fathers' Couple and Coparenting Relationship Quality

Technology devices are widely used today, creating opportunities to connect and communicate with distant others while also potentially disrupting communication and interactions between those who are physically present (i.e., technoference or phubbing). These disruptions in couple and coparenting relationships have the potential to negatively impact relationship outcomes. In this two-part study of 182 married/cohabiting couples from the Daily Family Life Project and 239 couples from the Couple Well-Being Project, we examined the role of technoference in couple and coparenting relationship quality and potential gender differences utilizing dyadic data. We found that greater technoference related to greater conflict over technology use, and greater conflict predicted lower relationship satisfaction and poorer perceptions of coparenting quality (Study 1). Using a more diverse sample (Study 2), we again found support for the main pathways tested in our first study, suggesting that results found in Study 1 and in previous work are not artifacts of sampling. As satisfaction, support, and agreement among relationship partners and parents are often critical to relationship health and family cohesion, it is important for couples and families to evaluate, monitor, and be willing to adapt their technology usage patterns so that these patterns do not cause conflict and possibly relationship deterioration over tim

Stages of change, coparenting patterns, and post-divorce parent education programming : a pre-program assessment

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Given concerns about the effect of divorce and interparental conflict on children, many judges now require divorcing/legally separating parents with children under age 18 to attend parent education programs (PEPs). In general, evaluations of these programs have shown their effectiveness. Evaluation studies of PEPs, however, have often not been rigorous. Despite the fact that researchers and practitioners acknowledge that individuals display markedly different patterns of coparenting following divorce and that not all program participants are amenable to making changes in their coparental relationship, researchers have not empirically assessed participants' coparenting patterns or stage of change prior to participation in PEP . Using latent class analysis of survey data from participants in a PEP class, this dissertation provides an initial evaluation of participants coparenting patterns and stage of change prior to participating in PEP and considers how demographic factors are related to both coparenting pattern and stage of change. The association between coparenting pattern and stage of change is also evaluated. Results from this evaluation suggest a need for a more tailored approach to parent education programming and have broader implications for family life education and relationships research

Strong Relationality and Ethical Responsiveness: A Framework and Conceptual Model for Family Science

Family scholars and practitioners rely on theories of relationships to guide our understanding and promotion of healty intimate relationships; however, assumptions about the self are often implicit and unquestioned. This article describes a strongly relational view of the self that can transform family science by accounting for partners\u27 ethical responsiveness and dialogical way of being (I–It vs. I–Thou), concepts long understood in philosophy but largely neglected in family science. We emphasize the importance of ethical responsiveness and way of being as fundamental to both understanding and improving intimate relationships and propose a framework and conceptual model to guide both research and practice. We integrate empirical evidence with the work of Martin Buber and Emmanuel Levinas to provide an understanding of factors that may lead to meaningful and flourishing relationships. We discuss implications for empirical research and practice to advance family science

Initial Coparenting Patterns and Postdivorce Parent Education Programming: A Latent Class Analysis

Many judges now require divorcing or legally separating parents with children under age 18 to attend parent education programs (PEPs). Evaluations of these programs have shown their effectiveness, although these have often not been rigorous. Individuals display different patterns of coparenting following divorce, yet researchers have not empirically assessed participants\u27 coparenting patterns prior to participation in PEPs. Using data from participants in a PEP class (N = 1,540), we describe participants\u27 coparenting patterns prior to participating in PEP and consider pre-posttest differences in parenting and coparenting outcomes for each coparenting pattern. Results from this evaluation suggest a need for a more tailored approach to parent education programming and have broader implications for family life education

Ethical Responsiveness as a Mediator Between Enduring Vulnerabilities and Relationship Quality

The strong relationality model of relationship flourishing emphasizes the role of ethical responsiveness (how well a person intrinsically responds to the manifest or identifiable needs of others) as a direct predictor of relationship quality and as an indirect pathway for explaining the influence of vulnerabilities. This study is among the first explicit tests of the theorized role of ethical responsiveness. The sample consisted of 1432 adults in a romantic relationship, from the United States and Canada. Modeled as latent variables, ethical responsiveness served as a path between the variables of depression, anxiety, and friend and family support, and the dependent variable of relationship-focused relationship quality. Depression and friend support predicted ethical responsiveness. Ethical responsiveness, both supports, and depression predicted relationship quality. Friend support and depression had an indirect effect through ethical responsiveness. Our findings support the role of ethical responsiveness and suggest continued research into how and why it influences relationships

What Relationship Researchers and Relationship Practitioners Wished the Other Knew: Integrating Discovery and Practice in Couple Relationships

As we consider what both family scientists and practitioners can learn from each other, we discuss important advances in relationship and marriage education (RME). We note best practices for research and review recent evaluative findings from randomized controlled trial studies that have important implications for RME. An almost singular RME focus on teaching communication and conflict resolution skills may not be as valuable as it was believed to be. We discuss recent shifts in RME, share results from recent research, and advocate for a balanced approach that incorporates both skill-based and principles-based approaches. Important insights can be gained from disciplines outside of family and relationship science, and we encourage both family scientists and practitioners to broaden the scope of models of healthy relationship functioning. Finally, we offer some direction for future progress and issue a call for more integrative and rigorous efforts in both the science of discovery and practice

A Strong Relationality View of Mindfulness and Flourishing \u3ci\u3eI–Thou\u3c/i\u3e Relations: A Dyadic Analysis

Despite the increasing popularity of mindfulness and research concerning its role in relationships, there is limited strongly relational theoretical discussion explaining the role of mindfulness in intimate couple relationships. In this article, we articulate a strongly relational view of the role of mindfulness in couple relationships. We then empirically test theoretically relevant associations using dyadic data (N = 514 heterosexual couples) from couples in the U.S. and Canada. In Study 1, we evaluated a model with male and female mindfulness predicting couple relational-connectivity (a sense of friendship, intimacy, and belonging) through couple responsible actions (behaviors intentionally enacted to strengthen couple connection), which indicated a fully mediated effect; the influence of male and female mindfulness on couple relational-connectivity was fully accounted for by associations with couple responsible actions (indirect standardized betas of .08). With a subsample of 120 of these couples, in Study 2 we used a daily diary design to explore how mindfulness was associated with ethical responsiveness (a tendency to respond benevolently to a perceived need), responsible actions, and relational-connectivity at the within-person level. Study 1 results were reinforced, showing stronger associations in these within-person analyses (indirect standardized betas of .21 and .23). In conceptualizing individual mindfulness and ethical responsiveness as dimensions of a more relational form of mindfulness, one way by which mindfulness may influence couples\u27 relational-connectivity is through its influence on responsible actions. These results provide initial support for using a strongly relational paradigm to understand the role of mindfulness in intimate couple relationships

Qualities of Character That Predict Marital Well-Being

A growing body of literature has examined relations among qualities of character—or marital virtues—and marital outcomes. Results of past research have suggested positive relations between qualities such as generosity, kindness, and forgiveness, and marital well-being. We expand on previous research by examining relations between three qualities of character and marital satisfaction with 1,513 respondents randomly selected from three states. Specifically, we examined the effects of participants\u27 perceptions of their partners\u27 humility, compassion, and positivity on their own marital satisfaction. Results indicated statistically significant, positive associations between each of these qualities and marital satisfaction, although results vary by gender. Furthermore, a statistically significant interaction effect suggested that spousal humility may be a protective factor against marital stress among women. Implications for practice and program development are discussed

Satisfaction or Connectivity?: Implications From the Strong Relationality Model of Flourishing Couple Relationships

A central feature of couple relationships research is the use of self-report measures of relationship satisfaction. Despite the widespread use of such measures in couples\u27 research, scholars have raised critical questions about satisfaction-focused assessment, including concerns about taking an ontologically individualistic focus. Moving beyond ontological individualism, drawing from the Strong Relationality Model of Relationship Flourishing and data from 615 couples in the United States and Canada (N = 1230 individuals), we explored similarities and differences between assessments of relationship satisfaction and a measure based on strong relationality (relational-connectivity). We evaluated associations with other scales assessing relationship factors including indicators of well-being, relationship processes, virtues, and responsible actions. Using confirmatory latent profile analysis, we classified individuals as Flourishing (55.4%), Languishing (31.8%), Connected, Less-Satisfied (7.8%), or Satisfied, Less-Connected (5.0%). Our results suggest that attending to richer perspectives of relationship quality may spur additional understanding of many factors associated with meaningful couple relationships