Objective
We tested the validity of the factor structure and reliability of a new research‐informed comprehensive inventory of key relationship skills predictive of couple quality, the Couple ...Relationship Skills Inventory (CRSI).
Background
The CRSI is based on the National Extension Relationship and Marriage Education Model, an evidence‐derived framework developed as a guide for couple relationship education content. For internal consistency in assessing the effectiveness of programming for couples and for general use in practice and research with couples, an important next step is the design and validation of a comprehensive measure of these core behavioral/attitudinal skills.
Method
The analytic (or “training”) sample of ethnically and economically diverse adults included 824 (independent) men and women and two cross‐validation samples (n = 763 and n = 470).
Results
Bayesian confirmatory factor analysis of individual measurement models informed refinement to a 32‐item, nine‐factor (seven‐subscale) measure and indicated excellent fit of the model to the data. Reliabilities for the full scale and the subscales were good to excellent. Cross‐validation study fit statistics and reliabilities were similar, and measurement invariance across samples was validated. Further, support for internal discriminant validity was implied by small to moderate covariances among the factors and concurrent and predictive validity was evidenced (i.e., significant associations among CRSI scores and measures of relationship quality and family harmony).
Implications
This measure provides an efficient assessment of core relational skills critical for healthy couple quality and may prove useful in practice and for future studies of couple relationships and couple relationship education.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, ODKLJ, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Considerable evidence suggests couple relationship education (CRE) programs are effective in improving couples' relationship functioning, yet few studies have examined the implications of CRE ...programs on indicators of physical health despite substantial research supporting links between relational and physical health. This study utilized a sample of 308 couples randomly assigned to a CRE curriculum to explore the dyadic links between conflict management and self-care skills (emphasized in CRE), stress, and sleep dysfunction concurrently. We prospectively tested whether changes in skills drove changes in sleep dysfunction or vice versa, for both self and partner. Results from a series of structural equation models indicated indirect links for men and women between conflict management and self-care skills and sleep dysfunction through lower stress level at program start. Dyadically, men's and women's better conflict management skills were associated with partners' lower stress, which was in turn associated with partners' lower sleep dysfunction. Men's better self-care skills were linked with partners' lower stress levels, which were linked with partners' lower sleep dysfunction. Tests of dyadic prospective cross-lagged effects among changes in sleep and changes in skills indicated that initial improvements in both partners' sleep predicted improvements in their own conflict management skills 1 year later. Initial improvements in women's conflict management skills predicted reduced sleep dysfunction for themselves. Additionally, for both partners, early changes in self-care predicted later reductions in sleep dysfunction. Dyadically, immediate improvements in men's self-care predicted reduced sleep dysfunction for their partner a year later. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Parents of children with a disability experience elevated levels of stress compared to parents of typically developing children, which represents a risk for their couple relationship. Research on ...families where a child has a disability is principally based on mothers. More knowledge is needed about the paternal perspective. We conducted semi-structured interviews with seven fathers (aged 36–54 years) of children with a disability (primary school age to early twenties). We analyzed the material using qualitative conventional content analysis, focusing on participants’ descriptions of couple relationships. We categorized the participants’ descriptions in two main categories: Couplehood and Co-parenting. Throughout the material, partners were described as romantic partners, co-parents, and collaborators. Participants described that couple communication and emotional expression within couples were affected by parenting a child with a disability. Moreover, participants described influence by cultural masculinity norms on their involvement as partners and parents, and on the dynamic within their couple relationships. An uneven division of labor was described. A practice implication is that communication and emotional expression styles within the parental couple should be a key focus when working with families of children with a disability. The findings also suggest more active involvement of fathers in children’s health care.
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NUK, OILJ, SAZU, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The situation caused by the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been representing a great source of concern and a challenge to the psychological well-being of many individuals around the world. ...For couples in particular, this extraordinary rise in concern, combined with the stress posed by the virus containment measures, such as prolonged cohabitation and lack of support networks, may have increased the likelihood of couple problems. At the same time, however, COVID-19 concerns may have been a stimulus to activate couples' stress management processes. A couple's resource, which may have an important role in dealing with COVID-19 concerns and stress, is dyadic coping, i.e., the process through which partners face stress together. Drawing on a sample of 1,823 Italian individuals involved in a couple relationship, the current study tested a serial mediation model in which concerns about COVID-19 predicted psychological well-being, through both explicit stress communication and perceived partner dyadic coping responses. In addition, the study explored whether this dyadic coping process functioned the same way in satisfied and dissatisfied couples. Results showed that concerns about the situation related to COVID-19 significantly threatened individuals' psychological well-being. However, these concerns positively predicted explicit stress communication, which in turn positively predicted perceived partner's dyadic coping responses, which finally positively predicted psychological well-being. In addition, in the group of dissatisfied individuals, the association between explicit stress communication and perceived partners' dyadic coping responses was not significant. The present study adds to the research on couples' coping by testing for the first time the whole theoretical model of dyadic coping and does so during a global emergency situation. The study also suggests key components of preventive interventions for individuals in couples.
Interviews with 30 women in two shires in Victoria, Australia, confirmed that domestic violence increased following the catastrophic Black Saturday bushfires on February 7, 2009. As such research is ...rare, it addresses a gap in the disaster and interpersonal violence literature. The research that exists internationally indicates that increased violence against women is characteristic of a postdisaster recovery in developing countries. The relative lack of published research from primary data in developed countries instead reflects our resistance to investigating or recognizing increased male violence against women after disasters in developed countries. This article begins with an overview of this literature. The primary research was qualitative, using in-depth semistructured interviews to address the research question of whether violence against women increased in the Australian context. The sample of 30 women was aged from 20s to 60s. Recruitment was through flyers and advertisements, and interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and checked by participants. Analysis was inductive, using modified grounded theory. Seventeen women gave accounts of new or increased violence from male partners that they attribute to the disaster. A key finding is that, not only is there both increased and new domestic violence but formal reporting will not increase in communities unwilling to hear of this hidden disaster. Findings are reported within a framework of three broad explanations. In conclusion, although causation is not claimed, it is important to act on the knowledge that increased domestic violence and disasters are linked.
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NUK, OILJ, SAZU, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VSZLJ
Detrimental biopsychosocial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on populations have been established worldwide. Despite research indicating that the transition to parenthood is a vulnerable period for ...maternal and paternal health, an in-depth examination of the specific challenges the pandemic poses for new mothers and fathers is still lacking. Using a mixed-method design, we investigated individual and relational well-being of women and men who were expecting their first child during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal and its associations with contextual, individual, and relational factors. Adults older than 18 (
= 316, 198 women) from early pregnancy to 6-months postpartum completed a cross-sectional online survey assessing sociodemographic, individual (depression, anxiety, perceived stress), and relational (dyadic adjustment, perceived social support) self-report measures. From those, 99 participants (64 women) responded to an open-ended question and reported perceived changes in their couple's relationship due to the pandemic. Men responding during strict lockdown measures reported significantly higher levels of perceived stress relative to those men who were not under lockdown. Overall, women reported higher levels of depression and greater social support than men. Qualitative analyses resulted in two main themes: Individual Changes and Relational Changes. These themes aggregate personal concerns and experiences (e.g., worsening of mental health, uncertainty about the future, lack of freedom) interrelated with relational issues (e.g., increased togetherness, avoidance of physical contact, and increased availability for parenthood during lockdown). The prevalence of negative effects (58.6%) exceeded the described positive effects (28.3%), and 13.1% described both positive and negative effects of the pandemic. Current findings offer grounds for important evidence-based strategies to mitigate the potential adverse effects of the current pandemic on new mothers' and fathers' individual and relational well-being.
Postpartum psychosis is a severe mental health illness following childbirth. Studies to date have developed from initial focus on experiences of women to address the role and experiences of partners, ...and recently to touch on the effect on their relationship. This study aimed to build on this work, by focussing directly on the impact of postpartum psychosis on the couple's relationship, from the perspectives of both the woman and her partner.
A constructivist grounded theory approach was utilised to generate a theory that explained the impact of postpartum psychosis on the couple's relationship. In-depth semi-structured interviews were completed with a sample of eight women and six partners.
Four stages and five general categories described the processes that the couple experienced, and the impact postpartum psychosis had on their relationship.
The grounded theory adds to current evidence and helps increase understanding of factors that play a role in adjustment and outcomes. New insights were identified, including postpartum psychosis amplifying existing relational patterns; and the mediating role of the pre-existing relationship and couplehood. Clinical implications and areas for further research are considered.
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BFBNIB, NUK, PILJ, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
A long‐standing university‐community partnership used a longitudinal randomized control trial to implement and evaluate two couple relationship education (CRE) curricula, ELEVATE and Couples ...Connecting Mindfully (CCM), among an economically and racially diverse population of adult couples. Married and non‐married couples (n = 929 couples) completed baseline surveys and were randomly assigned to either one of the two program groups or to the control group by implementation site. Follow‐up surveys were collected at 2 months, 6 months, and 1 year after baseline. Using an intent‐to‐treat approach, growth curve modeling comparisons of trajectories indicated program effects at 1 year post‐baseline in key outcome areas. Both the ELEVATE and the CCM group reported significant gains in couple relationship skills, couple quality, and family harmony over time compared to the control group that experienced either no change or declines. Further, the ELEVATE group also demonstrated positive program effects on measures of mental health and sleep quality. An assessment of the central premise of CRE indicated that the immediate post‐program improvements in couple relationship skills predicted later couple quality for both program groups. This study indicates that both ELEVATE and CCM can be considered evidence‐based CRE programs for use with a broad population of couples.
Resumen
Una asociación duradera entre la universidad y la comunidad utilizó un ensayo controlado aleatorizado y longitudinal para implementar y evaluar dos currículos de educación sobre las relaciones de pareja, ELEVATE y Couples Connecting Mindfully (CCM), entre una población de parejas adultas económicamente y racialmente diversa. Parejas casadas y no casadas (n = 929 parejas) contestaron encuestas en el momento basal, y luego, en el lugar de implementación, se las distribuyó aleatoriamente a alguno de los dos grupos del programa o al grupo de referencia. Se recogieron encuestas de seguimiento dos meses, seis meses y un año después del momento basal. Utilizando un método por intención de tratar, las comparaciones de trayectorias del modelo de curva del crecimiento indicaron efectos del programa un año después del momento basal en áreas de resultado claves. Tanto el grupo de ELEVATE como el de CCM informaron beneficios significativos en las habilidades para las relaciones de pareja, la calidad de la pareja y la armonía familiar con el tiempo en comparación con el grupo de referencia, que no tuvo ningún cambio ni empeoramientos. Además, el grupo de ELEVATE también demostró efectos del programa en las medidas de salud mental y calidad del sueño. Una evaluación de la premisa fundamental de la educación sobre las relaciones de pareja indicó que las mejoras inmediatas después del programa en las habilidades para las relaciones de pareja predijeron una posterior calidad de la pareja para ambos grupos del programa. Este estudio indica que tanto ELEVATE como CCM pueden considerarse programas factuales de educación sobre las relaciones de pareja aptos para su uso con una amplia población de parejas.
摘要
一个存续较久的大学‐社区伙伴关系使用纵向随机对照试验(RCT)，在经济情况多样化和种族多样化的成年伴侣群体中实施和评估两门伴侣关系教育(CRE)课程，ELEVATE和伴侣有意识连接(CCM)。已婚和未婚夫妇(n = 929对夫妇)完成基线调查，并根据实施地点被随机分配到两个方案组中的任何一个或控制组。随访调查分别在基线后2个月、6个月和1年进行。使用刻意治疗方法，生长曲线建模比较轨迹表明项目在关键结果区域基线后一年的效果。随着时间的推移，ELEVATE组和CCM组在夫妻关系技巧、夫妻质量和家庭和谐方面都有显著提高，而对照组要么没有变化，要么下降。此外，ELEVATE小组还证明了方案对心理健康和睡眠质量等因素的影响。对CRE中心前提的评估表明，项目后伴侣关系技能的立即改善预示着两个项目组以后的伴侣质量。这项研究表明，ELEVATE和CCM都可以被视为基于证据的CRE项目，用于广泛伴侣群体。
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BFBNIB, DOBA, FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VSZLJ
•Couple negative interaction moderated mothers’ and fathers’ depression symptoms from 3- to 30-months postpartum.•Mothers and fathers with high negative interaction scores experienced a steeper ...increase in depression symptoms from 3- to 30-months postpartum, than those with low negative interaction scores.•Fathers with low positive interaction scores experienced an increase in anxiety symptoms from 3- to 30-months postpartum, whereas those with high positive interaction did not experience changes in anxiety symptoms.
The association between the couple relationship and the mothers’ and fathers’ psychological adjustment to the transition to parenthood has been examined in the literature. However, the direction of effects between these variables has not been extensively explored. This study aimed to assess the direction of effects between mothers’ and fathers’ positive and negative interactions and anxiety and depression symptoms trajectories over the transition to parenthood.
A sample of 129 couples (N = 258) completed self-report measures of positive and negative interactions, anxiety and depression symptoms at each trimester of pregnancy, at childbirth, and at 3- and 30-months postpartum. Dyadic growth curve models were performed using multilevel modeling.
Whereas anxiety and depression showed no moderation effect on positive and negative interactions over time, negative interaction moderated depression from 3- to 30-months postpartum. Mothers and fathers with high negative interaction scores experienced a steeper increase in depression from 3- to 30-months postpartum. Additionally, gender moderated the effect of positive interaction on anxiety from 3- to 30-months postpartum. Fathers with low positive interaction scores experienced an increase in anxiety, whereas fathers with high positive interaction scores and mothers with high or low positive interaction scores did not experience changes in anxiety from 3- to 30-months postpartum.
Despite the longitudinal aspect of the models, a possible causal relationship need to be taken with caution.
Our results suggest that mothers’ and fathers’ positive and negative interactions affect their anxiety and depression symptoms trajectories: negative interaction raises mothers’ and fathers’ depression symptoms and positive interaction prevents the increase of fathers’ anxiety symptoms over the postpartum period.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
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