Measuring the quality of the sibling relationship during middle childhood: The psychometric properties of the Sibling Relationship Inventory

To address a significant gap in the literature on sibling relationships, the present study examined the psychometric properties of the Sibling Relationship Inventory (SRI) in an Italian sample. The study had three main aims: (i) to investigate the factorial structure of the SRI; (ii) to evaluate the invariance of the SRI's factorial structure across birth order; and (iii) to test the SRI's validity. To this end 385 children, 213 first-borns and 172 second-borns (aged 6 to 12) were recruited. Confirmatory factor analyses showed a three-factor structure identical to that reported by the authors of the SRI. Critically, the SRI structure was stable when first- and second-borns were considered separately. Overall, the Italian version of the SRI showed good psychometric properties.     

When love is not blind: Rumination impairs implicit affect regulation in response to romantic relationship threat

The present research examined how rumination influences implicit affect regulation in response to romantic relationship threat. In three studies, the disposition to ruminate impaired the ability to maintain positive feelings about the romantic partner in the face of explicit or implicit reminders of relationship threatening events. In Study 1, a high disposition to ruminate was correlated with impaired down-regulation of negative feelings toward the partner in response to a hurtful relationship incident. Two follow-up studies manipulated relationship threat explicitly through an experiential recall procedure (Study 2) or implicitly through a subliminal evaluative-conditioning procedure (Study 3). In both studies only individuals with low disposition to ruminate were able to ward off negative feelings and maintain positive feelings toward the partner. These findings illuminate the role of implicit affect regulation in the context of relationship threat—and how it is inextricably connected with the processes underlying rumination.     

Social anxiety and self-protective communication style in close relationships

People with higher social anxiety tend to reveal less information about themselves in interactions with strangers, and this appears to be part of a self-protective strategy adopted in situations in which the risk of negative evaluation is judged to be particularly high. This research examined whether a similar style of communication may be adopted by people with higher social anxiety in their close relationships, and whether it may be associated with decrements in the quality (support, depth, conflict) of these relationships. Over 300 people from the community completed a series of online questionnaires measuring social anxiety and depression, and disclosure in and quality of their close friendships and romantic relationships. After controlling for levels of depression, social anxiety was associated with a paucity of disclosure in both romantic relationships and close friendships in females, but not males. There was an indirect association between higher social anxiety and lower relationship quality (lower support, with a trend towards greater conflict) via lower self-disclosure in women's romantic relationships, but not their close friendships. Addressing disclosure in the context of close relationships may assist socially anxious women to develop more fulfilling and harmonious close relationships.     

Individual‐Oriented Relationship Education: An Evaluation Study in Community‐Based Settings

The effects of relationship education aimed at individuals, rather than couples, have not yet been widely investigated. However, increasingly, relationship education is provided to large and diverse groups of individuals who may be in varying stages of relationships. Several programs have been developed to strengthen relationship competencies among single individuals as well as among partnered individuals who, for a variety of reasons, seek relationship education without their partners. The current study is an exploratory evaluation study that examined self‐reported outcomes for 706 single and partnered individuals who attended Within My Reach classes delivered in community‐based agencies. Participants were from diverse backgrounds and exhibited many of the risk factors for poor relationship outcomes including unemployment, low income, and childhood experience of abuse or neglect. Pre‐post analyses indicated that the program was beneficial for both singles and partnered individuals. Singles reported increased belief in ability to obtain healthy relationships. Partnered individuals reported increased relationship quality, relationship confidence, and reduced conflict. Regardless of relationship status, participants also reported improvement in general relationship and communication skill. Results support the utility of individual‐oriented relationship education for singles and partnered individuals with diverse background characteristics.     

Multiple facets of women’s relational orientation and their role in the relationship formation process

Over three decades of theory and research has sought to highlight the notion of relational orientation as central to women’s well-being. While researchers have extensively examined the negative outcomes of women’s relational orientation, relations with positive outcomes has gone little explored and largely assumed as present. The purpose of the current study is to examine social competence and satisfaction associated with women’s relational orientation. Previously unacquainted female participants (N = 160) completed measures of relational orientation, a dyadic interaction task, and were then asked to evaluate the quality of the interaction. Results supported a mitigation (versus trade-off) model in which facets of women’s relational orientation are differentially related to relationship competence and satisfaction. Structural equation modelling was used to examine overall fit along with specific actor and partner effects. Specific results are interpreted within the mitigation model of relational orientation, contributing to our understanding of women’s well-being.     

Development of Family Functions and Relationship in Families: A Mixed-Design Study

Abstract

This is a mixed-design study that examines the effects of a psychoeducation program on family functioning and the parent-adolescent relationship. The quantitative dimension of the study was quasi-experimental and included the pretest, post-test and follow-up model with control and experiment groups. The data were collected from both parents and adolescents. In the study, there were 32 adolescents in the experiment group (18 male, 14 female), while the control group consisted of 31 adolescents (15 male, 16 female). The results of the study show that the education program decreases the problem behaviors of adolescents while increasing family functions and promoting the adolescent-parent relationship     

Adult playfulness and relationship satisfaction: An APIM analysis of romantic couples

Previous research has shown that adult playfulness contributes to relationship satisfaction (RS). Using 211 heterosexual romantic couples we test the association between four facets of playfulness (Other-directed, Lighthearted, Intellectual, and Whimsical; OLIW) and indicators of RS in an Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM)-design. The four OLIW components are differentially associated with indicators of RS. Out of the OLIW facets, predominantly Other-directed and Intellectual playfulness were associated with high RS. Couple similarity was unrelated to RS. Overall, the findings support the notion that distinguishing between the facets of playfulness and those of RS is needed for a comprehensive understanding of their association. We discuss the findings with respect to theoretical and practical implications.     

The role of personality in relationship closeness, developer assistance, and career success

We investigate the role of relationship closeness, which is adapted from social network theory, in developmental relationships using a sample of 278 full-time working individuals. We theorize that personality, operationalized with the Five Factor Model, is associated with relationship closeness which is positively related to developer assistance received, which in turn is linked to objective and subjective measures of career success. In general, results supported our hypothesized model, although personality had direct effects on career success beyond the indirect effects through relationship closeness and developer assistance. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

Cognitive consequences of perceiving social exclusion

Although a great deal is now known about how people mentally represent individuals and groups, less attention has been paid to the question of how interpersonal relationships are represented in memory. Drawing on principles of categorization, this paper reports an investigation into how we mentally represent the relationships of others. In three experiments, evidence for assimilation effects following social exclusion (and subsequent categorization) is found. Experiment 1 uses a judgment paradigm to demonstrate that social exclusion influences the perception of interpersonal closeness. Experiments 2 and 3 employ a memory confusion paradigm to establish that representations of relationship partners are assimilated following the exclusion of a third party.