A DYADIC VIEW OF FLEDGLING RELATIONSHIPS IN A NON-WESTERN CONTEXT: A TEST OF THE INTERPERSONAL MODEL OF INTIMACY

Self-disclosure and perceived partner responsiveness are two principal components of the intimacy that aims to explain relationship functioning. This theory has been tested in the past but all focused on long-term married couples with Western samples. The current study examines the basic tenets of the process model of intimacy in the context of a fledgling relationship in a non-Western cultural setting. Couples who were in the early stages of a romantic relationship (N= 151) reported their intimacy in two sessions three weeks apart. Between the two sessions, they completed a 21-day diary assessing self-disclosure and perceived partner responsiveness. Dyadic analyses using multilevel modeling provided evidence for the reciprocal links between self-disclosure and perceived responsiveness. Additionally, perceived responsiveness partially mediated the effects of disclosure on increases in intimacy. These findings demonstrated that the current conceptions of the interpersonal model of intimacy generalize across early stages of romantic relationships and across a non-Western cultural context

ASSOCIATIONS OF PERCEIVED PARTNER RESPONSIVENESS WITH AFFECT REGULATION AND WELL-BEING

117 pagesThe present dissertation investigates the role of perceived partner responsiveness (PPR) — the extent to which individuals believe that their romantic partners understand, validate, and care for them — in affect regulation and well-being. The first paper examines mean levels and variability in affect as determinants of changes in perceived partner regard among African American couples (N = 250 individuals). Using dyadic analysis, we found that higher actor negative affect variability was associated with lower subsequent perceived partner regard. By contrast, actor positive affect variability was curvilinearly associated with perceived partner regard, with moderate levels of variability associated with higher subsequent perceived partner regard. The second paper investigates whether perceived partner responsiveness moderates the associations between daily events (positive and negative events) and daily affect (positive and negative affect). Using a nationally represented sample (N = 1313 participants), we found that experiencing daily negative events was associated with increases in daily negative affect and decreases in daily positive affect, whereas experiencing daily positive events was associated with decreases in daily negative affect and increases in daily positive affect. More importantly, perceived partner responsiveness predicted lower negative affective reactivity to negative events. That is individuals who perceived their partners as highly responsive experienced lower increases in their negative affect from a non-stressor day to a day in which they experienced at least one stressor. The third paper focused on perceived partner responsiveness as a stress- buffering mechanism explaining the association between the unfair division of housework and well-being. By sampling individuals who were living with their relationship partner during COVID-19 (N = 355 participants from 27 different countries), we found that greater perceived partner responsiveness in wave one leads to the reduced perceived unfairness of housework division in wave two, which in turn predicted greater sleep quality and positive affect at wave three. Taken together, three papers contribute to our growing understanding of perceived partner responsiveness, affect regulation, and well-being.2024-09-0

The Role of Perceived Partner Responsiveness in Derogating Attractive Alternatives

How do people maintain their relationships in the face of relationship threats? Previous research has demonstrated that attractive alternative others are one of the common relationship threats that couples face. Here, I propose that perceiving one’s partner as responsive will act as a proactive factor against the threat of alternative others. Across two studies (N = 680 individuals), I predict that people who perceive their partners as responsiveness will report lower attractiveness ratings of alternative others and have lower intentions toward infidelity than people who perceive their partners as unresponsive. Moreover, this hypothesized association will be stronger for women compared to men. The present research will also demonstrate that perceived partner mate value will be potential mechanism between responsiveness and interest in alternative others. Implications for couples’ therapy are discussed

Mean Level and Variability in Affect and Perceived Regard: A Dyadic Daily Diary Study of African American Couples

High positive affect and low negative affect have been repeatedly tied to better individual and interpersonal well-being. However, research has focused on mean levels whereas the day-to-day unfolding of affect and its impact on romantic relationships remain largely unknown. Here, we examined the links between affect variability, mean levels of affect, and changes in perceptions of partner regard —the extent to which people believe that their partners value and accept them. One hundred and twenty-five African American couples (N = 250 individuals) reported how positively they thought their partners viewed them in two sessions (T1 and T2), separated by a 3-week daily diary study in which participants reported on their positive and negative affect each day for 21 consecutive days. Using dyadic analysis, we found that higher actor negative affect variability was associated with lower perceived regard at T2 controlling for perceived regard at T1. This finding held when controlling for mean levels of actor and partner negative affect. While higher mean levels of actor positive affect were associated with more favorable perceived regard, positive affect variability was not associated with subsequent perceived regard. These results highlight the importance of accounting for mean levels of affect when examining affect dynamics

Affective reactivity, resting heart rate variability, and marital quality: a 10-year longitudinal study of US adults

Increasing evidence suggests that heightened affective reactivity to daily stressors has implications for mental and physical health, yet little is known about the long-term repercussions of day-to-day stress reactivity for marital quality. This study examined associations between affective reactivity and two indicators of marital well-being (marital satisfaction and marital risk) over a 10-year period. An additional aim was to investigate the potential role of resting high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV), an index of cardiac vagal regulation, in moderating the association between affective reactivity and marital quality. These relationships were examined using data from 344 married adults in the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS II and III) study. Respondents completed daily telephone interviews and longitudinal reports of stressors, affect, and marital quality. HF-HRV was measured at rest. Greater affective reactivity to daily stressors predicted lower marital satisfaction and higher marital risk 10 years later. These associations remained after adjustments for potential confounders, including demographics, physical and behavioral factors, and psychological characteristics. In addition, HF-HRV moderated the associations between affective reactivity and marital quality. Results are consistent with a buffering effect, in which high levels of HF-HRV offset the inverse association between affective reactivity and marital quality

Relationship difficulties and “technoference” during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has touched many aspects of people’s lives around the world, including their romantic relationships. While media outlets have reported that the pandemic is difficult for couples, empirical evidence is needed to test these claims and understand why this may be. In two highly powered studies (N = 3,271) using repeated measure and longitudinal approaches, we found that people who experienced COVID-19 related challenges (i.e., lockdown, reduced face-to-face interactions, boredom, or worry) also reported greater self and partner phone use (Study 1) and time spent on social media (Study 2), and subsequently experienced more conflict and less satisfaction in their romantic relationship. The findings provide insight into the struggles people faced in their relationships during the pandemic and suggest that the increase in screen time – a rising phenomenon due to the migration of many parts of life online – may be a challenge for couples

Relationship difficulties and “technoference” during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has touched many aspects of people’s lives around the world, including their romantic relationships. While media outlets have reported that the pandemic is difficult for couples, empirical evidence is needed to test these claims and understand why this may be. In two highly powered studies (N = 3271) using repeated measure and longitudinal approaches, we found that people who experienced COVID-19 related challenges (i.e., lockdown, reduced face-to-face interactions, boredom, or worry) also reported greater self and partner phone use (Study 1) and time spent on social media (Study 2), and subsequently experienced more conflict and less satisfaction in their romantic relationship. The findings provide insight into the struggles people faced in their relationships during the pandemic and suggest that the increase in screen time – a rising phenomenon due to the migration of many parts of life online – may be a challenge for couples.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio