The Relationship between Romantic Attachment and Coping Styles for Graduation Stress for College Seniors

The aim of the current study was to investigate the relationship between graduation stress and attachment domains for college seniors. Two hundred and fifteen university students expecting to graduate in one or two academic semester participated to the study. Out of the participants 123 (57.2%) were female, 78 (36.3%) were male, the mean age of participants was 22.06. Participants answered the questions of Experiences in Close Relationships Questionnaire-Revised (ECR-R; Fraley, Waller and Brennan 350) and Coping Style Scale (Şahin and Durak 56) via web-based database application. The results showed that students having high level of attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance were less likely to have problem focused/effective coping styles, and more likely to have emotion focused/ineffective coping styles when they feel stress related to graduation. This study has provided a helpful resource not only to the researchers but also to the practitioners and experts providing psychological support to university students

Anne ve babaların ortak ebeveynlik davranış ve algılarının romantik bağlanma ile ilişkisi (The relationship between romantic attachment and coparenting behaviors and perceptions)

Ortak ebeveynlik, anne ve babaların çocuk yetiştirmeyle ilgili sorumlulukları paylaşmaları, birbirlerini desteklemeleri ve aile içindeki dinamikleri birlikte yönetmeleri olarak tanımlanır (McHale, “Coparenting and Triadic…” 985). Mevcut çalışmada, gözlemlenen ve algılanan ortak ebeveynliğin, bağlanma kaygısı ve bağlanma kaçınması olarak iki boyutta ölçülen romantik bağlanma ile ilişkisi incelenmiştir. Çalışmaya üç aylık bebek (Ort. = 103.78 günlük) sahibi 45 anne-baba bebekleriyle birlikte katılmıştır. Ev ziyaretleri yapılarak ve Lozan Üçlü Oyun Paradigması (Fivaz-Depeursing ve Corboz- Warnery 1) kullanılarak, anne-babalardan bebekleriyle 10'ar dakikalık yarıyapılandırılmış etkileşimlerde bulunmaları istenmiş ve etkileşimler videoya kaydedilmiştir. Kaydedilen ortak ebeveynlik davranışları, “Ortak Ebeveynlik ve Aile Değerlendirme Sistemi” (McHale ve diğerleri, “The Transition to Coparenthood…” 711) kullanılarak araştırmacılar tarafından kodlanmıştır. Algılanan ortak ebeveynlik ve romantik bağlanma değişkenleri, sırasıyla “Ebeveynlik İşbirliği Ölçeği” (Abidin ve Brunner 31) ve “Yakın İlişkilerde Yaşantılar Envanteri-II” (Fraley, Waller ve Brennan 350) ölçekleri ile öz bildirim yöntemiyle değerlendirilmiştir. Bulgular, hem gözlemlenen hem de algılanan olumlu ortak ebeveynliğin, romantik bağlanma boyutları ile olumsuz yönde ilişkili olduğunu göstermiştir. Bağlanma kaygısı ve kaçınması yükseldikçe anne ve babaların bebekleriyle birlikte etkileşimde bulunurken daha az işbirliği gösterdikleri gözlemlenmiştir. Algılanan ortak ebeveynlik ise, hem anneler hem de babalar için sadece bağlanma kaçınması ile (kaygısı ile değil) ilişkili bulunmuş, bu bulgu da ilişkisel Türkiye kültüründe bağlanma kaygısının görece daha işlevsel olduğunu gösteren diğer çalışmaları desteklemiştir

Türkiye ve ABD’de ortak ebeveynlik süreçleri: annelerin, babalarin ve büyükannelerin 3 aylik bebeklerle olan üçlü etkileşimleri.

In the current dissertation, coparenting dynamics and its relationships with the critical family variables were examined among families having a 3-month-old baby in Turkish and the US samples. Forty-five Turkish and 54 American families participated in the study. Coparenting behaviors were observed during triadic interactions (mother-father-baby) of family members for approximately 10-minutes, and parents reported their perceived coparenting alliance. Several family variables, such as marital-adjustment, romantic-attachment of parents, parenting-stress, and postpartum-depression were examined in relation to coparenting. Considering the important role of extended family members in raising children in Turkish culture, mothers’ coparenting behaviors with grandmothers were also investigated in the Turkish context only. Results indicated that both observed and perceived coparenting dynamics in Turkey can be meaningfully assessed using the conceptual paradigm and associated measurement tools developed in the US. Turkish families with mothers having college degree education and American families were more similar than different in the majority of the observed coparenting variables. However, mothers with low level of education in Turkey differed from the US-mothers and highly educated Turkish-mothers. Families with mothers having higher education tended to be more cooperative and more actively engaged with baby during triadic interactions. Mothers’ coparenting behaviors were similar along the most dimensions in the presence of fathers or grandmothers. However, grandmothers were observed as more flirting and distracting. Both observed and perceived coparenting behaviors were significantly associated with marital-adjustment and romantic-attachment, parenting stress and depression in the anticipated directions. The implications of the study for further research and practice were discussed.Ph.D. - Doctoral Progra

Conflict Resolution Styles Scale in Romantic Relationship: The Validity and Reliability Study

NTRThe aim of the current study is to test the reliability and validity of the 'Conflict Resolution Styles Scale' (CRSS), which was developed by the researchers. For this aim, two studies have been conducted. In the first study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants who are either married or involved in romantic relationship. A large item pool was generated with the items developed from the interviews and the items developed by the authors after reviewing the related literature. Exploratory factor analysis with 200 dating participants (Mage=23.13, SDage =2.96) revealed that four factor solution is suitable for the CRSS. These factors were named as negative conflict resolution style, positive conflict resolution style, subordination, and retreat. In order to confirm the factor structure of the scale, 140 married couples (280 individuals; Mage =38.09, SDage =10.35) were participated to the second study. Both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to test the factor structure of the scale. The results of these analyses and the correlations with the related variables showed that CRSS was reliable and valid measurement tool in the assessment of the conflict resolution styles.Bu çalışmanın amacı çiftlerin çatışma çözüm stillerini ölçmek amacıyla geçerli ve güvenilir bir ölçek geliştirmektir. Bu amaçla 2 ayrı çalışma yürütülmüştür. İlk çalışmada, romantik ilişki yaşayan ya da evli kişilerle yarı yapılandırılmış mülakatlar gerçekleştirilmiştir. Hem bu mülakatlardan oluşturulan maddeler, hem de alanda uzman kişiler tarafından ilgili yazın incelenerek eklenen maddelerle geniş bir madde havuzu oluşturulmuştur. Romantik ilişki yaşayan 200 katılımcıyla (Ort.yaş = 23.13, S.yaş = 2.96) yapılan açımlayıcı faktör analizi sonuçlarına göre ÇÇSÖ için dört faktörlü yapının uygun olduğunu gözlenmiştir. Bu boyutlar, olumsuz çatışma çözme stili, olumlu çatışma çözme stili, boyun eğme ve geri çekilme olarak tanımlanmıştır. İkinci çalışmada ise 140 evli çiftten (280 kişi; Ort.yaş = 38.09, S.yaş= 10.35) veri toplanmıştır. Bu çalışmada ölçeğin faktör yapısı hem açımlayıcı hem de doğrulayıcı faktör analizleriyle test edilmiştir. Yapılan analizler ve ilgili değişkenlerle olan korelasyonları incelendiğinde, ÇÇSÖ'nün çatışma çözüm stillerini ölçmede geçerli ve güvenilir bir araç olduğu bulunmuştu

Improvements in unmarried African American parents’ rapport, communication, and problem-solving following a prenatal coparenting intervention.

This report examines effects of a coparenting intervention designed for and delivered to expectant unmarried African American mothers and fathers on observed interaction dynamics known to predict relationship adjustment. Twenty families took part in the six-session “Figuring It Out for the Child” (FIOC) dyadic intervention offered in a faith-based human services agency during the third trimester of the mother’s pregnancy, and completed a postpartum booster session 1 month after the baby’s arrival. Parent referrals for the FIOC program were received from a county Health Department and from OBGYNs and Pregnancy Centers in the targeted community. All intervention sessions were delivered by a trained male–female paraprofessional team whose fidelity to the FIOC manualized curriculum was independently evaluated by a team of trained analysts. At both the point of intake (“PRE”) and again at an exit evaluation completed 3 months postpartum (“POST”), the mothers and fathers were videotaped as they completed two standardized “revealed differences” conflict discussions. Blinded videotapes of these sessions were evaluated using the System for Coding Interactions in Dyads. Analyses documented statistically significant improvements on 8 of 12 variables examined, with effect sizes ranging from moderate to large. Overall, 14 families demonstrated beneficial outcomes, 3 did not improve, and 3 showed some signs of decline from the point of intake. For most interaction processes, PRE to POST improvements were unrelated to degree of adherence the paraprofessional interventionists showed to the curriculum. However, better interventionist competence was related to decreases in partners’ Coerciveness and Negativity and Conflict, and to smaller increases in partner Withdrawal. Implications of the work for development and delivery of community-based coparenting interventions for unmarried parents are discussed

Minimal social interactions with strangers predict greater subjective well-being

Past empirical work has repeatedly revealed that positive social interactions including expressing gratitude and socializing are associated with greater happiness. However, this work predominantly focused on prolonged interactions with close relationship partners. Only a few studies demonstrated hedonic benefits of forming social connections with strangers. The present research investigated whether minimal social interactions with strangers—just taking a moment to greet, thank, and express good wishes to strangers—contribute to happiness of individuals who initiate these interactions. Study 1 (N = 856) provided correlational evidence that commuters who reported engaging in minimal positive social interactions with shuttle drivers experienced greater subjective well-being (life satisfaction and positive affect). Moreover, hedonic benefits of positive social interactions went beyond relatively more neutral social interactions, Big-Five personality factors, and age, speaking to the robustness of the effect. Study 2 (N = 265) provided experimental evidence that commuters who greeted, thanked, or expressed good wishes to shuttle drivers experienced greater momentary positive affect than those who did not speak with drivers. These findings add to the burgeoning literature on hedonic benefits of interacting with strangers by showing that even very minimal social interactions with strangers contribute to subjective well-being in everyday life

Caregiving profiles of mothers in an economically disadvantaged sample from Turkey: an observational study

Objective: This study aims to investigate the patterns of maternal sensitivity via structured and systematic observational methods among mothers from a disadvantaged community in Turkey. Background: Caregiving sensitivity is shaped by cultural parenting ethnotheories, and there is a need to examine in non-Western cultures to see its universal and culturally-specific features. Method: Ninety-eight mothers and their interactions with infants were videotaped during home-visits, and their caregiving behaviours were assessed via the Maternal Behaviour Q-Set. Results: Results of the Q-factor analysis revealed two distinct caregiving profiles. The first profile, 'sensitivity vs. insensitivity', describes mothers who were characterised by sensitive behaviours to their babies, and acceptance of their infant. Mothers in this group were more aware and responsive to their babies' needs and demands. The second profile, 'nonsynchronous vs. synchronous', describes mothers who showed noncontingent behaviours during interactions such as being unable to follow the pace of the infant or to respond to infants' needs on time. Conclusion: This study contributes to the literature by showing that mothers from Turkey can be grouped in terms of sensitivity similar to the previous studies, although the descriptive behaviours of sensitivity may vary

A prenatal coparenting intervention with unmarried father-mother dyads: Fidelity of intervention delivery by male-female community mentor teams.

Background: Most prenatal preventive interventions for unmarried mothers do not integrate fathers or help the parents plan for the development of a functional coparenting alliance after the baby’s arrival. Furthermore, properly trained professionals have only rarely examined the fidelity of these interventions. Purpose: This report examines whether experienced community interventionists (home visitors, health educators, fatherhood service personnel) with no formal couples’ therapy training are capable of pairing together to deliver with adequate fidelity a manualized dyadic intervention designed for expectant unmarried mothers and fathers. Methods: Three male and four female mentors (home visitors, health educators, fatherhood personnel) working in paired male-female co-mentor teams delivered a seven-session “Figuring It Out for the Child” curriculum (six prenatal sessions, one booster) to 14 multirisk, unmarried African American families (parent age ranging from 14 to 40). Parental well-being and views of fatherhood were assessed before the intervention and again 3 months after the baby’s birth. Quality assurance analysts evaluated mentor fidelity (adherence to the curriculum, competence in engaging couples with specified curricular content) through a review of the transcripts and audiotapes from the sessions. Mentors also rated their own adherence. Results: Although the mentors overestimated adherence, quality assurance analyst ratings found acceptable levels of adherence and competence, with no significant male-female differences in fidelity. Adherence and competence were marginally higher in sessions that required fewer direct couples’ interventions. Parents reported satisfaction with the interventions and showed statistically significant improvement in the family dimensions of interest at 3Y4 months posttreatment. Conclusions/Implications for Practice: Findings support the wisdom of engaging men both as interventionists and as recipients of prenatal coparenting interventions-even in families where the parents are uncoupled and non-co-residential