Motivated by the Attachment Security Enhancement Model (Arriaga et al., 2018), the present research investigated the associations between positive relationship experiences and romantic attachment ...avoidance in three dyadic studies that combined multiple methods, including daily diaries, laboratory observations, and longitudinal follow-ups. Frequency of daily positive relationship events (but not external positive events) during a 21-day diary period predicted declines in romantic attachment avoidance (but not anxiety) from pre- to post-diary in fledgling couples (Study 1) and newlyweds (Study 2). Video-recorded discussions of fledgling couples' shared positive experiences revealed that behaviors validating the relationship (but not simply showing conversational interest) predicted lagged declines in romantic attachment avoidance (but not anxiety) over 1 month (Study 3). The associations were mediated by positive affect during the diary period in Studies 1 and 2, and by changes in positive affect from pre- to post-discussion in Study 3. Positive relationship experiences did not significantly interact with time in predicting romantic avoidance over a 1-year follow-up with quarterly assessments of attachment orientations in Study 1, over an 8-month follow-up with monthly assessments in Study 2, or over a 2-month follow-up with monthly assessments in Study 3. Altogether, these studies provide one of the most comprehensive tests of how positive relationship experiences in nondistressing contexts are linked to romantic attachment.
Affective reactivity, defined as within-person increases in negative affect triggered by daily stressors, has well-established links to personal well-being. Prior work conceptualized affective ...reactivity as an intrapersonal phenomenon, reflecting reactions to one’s own stressors. Here, we conceptualized reactivity interpersonally, examining one’s responses to a romantic partner’s daily stressors. Across four longitudinal dyadic studies, we investigated how reactivity to partner stress predicts relationship quality appraisals. In fledgling couples, reactivity to a partner’s stressors, assessed via weekly (Study 1; N = 152) and daily (Study 2; N = 144) diaries, positively predicted partner relationship quality. In both studies, the associations were mediated by the partner’s perceptions of responsiveness. Furthermore, reactivity to partner stress buffered against declines in partner relationship quality over 8 weeks in Study 1 and 13 months in Study 2. The relevance of reactivity to partner stress for relationship quality diminished in the later stages of relationships. Among samples of established couples (Studies 3 and 4, Ns = 164 and 208, respectively), reactivity to partner stress did not directly predict partner relationship quality or moderate its trajectory over time. Overall, the predominant pattern across four studies painted a portrait of relational well-being benefits specific to fledgling relationships. Through its novel framework of situating affective reactivity interpersonally between partners, the present research contributes to both affective science and relationship science. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)
Past research has shown a negative relationship between time spent watching television (TV) and several indicators of hedonic well-being—including positive affect (PA). However, cross-sectional ...designs employed in most of these studies do not allow for inferences regarding the direction of the link between TV watching and PA. Present research aimed to address this gap by using daily diary data from a large national sample of U.S. adults (
N
= 1668, age = 33–83 years). Respondents reported time spent watching TV as well as PA for eight consecutive days. Results of multilevel modeling analyses showed that duration of TV watching on the previous day did not significantly predict changes in PA on the next day. However, PA on the previous day significantly predicted decreases in duration of TV watching the following day. The results held after controlling for factors known to predict duration of TV watching and PA (i.e., age, gender, income level, employment status, marital status, health status, and personality traits). The present research goes beyond past cross-sectional work by shedding light on the direction of the link between TV watching and PA. Our findings indicate that watching TV does not seem to diminish PA—as critics of TV proclaim—but individuals seem to watch TV to a greater extent whenever they experience reduced PA.
Positive relationship events that allow meaningful interactions with the romantic partner or reminding oneself of these events are expected to improve well-being, while engaging in solitary ...activities without the involvement of romantic partner might have an adverse effect on well-being. To address the role of positive relational experiences (and lack thereof) on well-being, the current dissertation investigated three diverse but interrelated questions. The first empirical chapter focused on how average responsiveness and responsiveness variability are linked with personal well-being and attachment orientations, as a consistent predictor of relational well-being. Across three studies, we showed low average responsiveness as a consistent predictor of increases in both partner-specific and global attachment avoidance, while responsiveness variability did not predict partner-specific or global attachment anxiety, especially after controlling for covariates. In the second empirical chapter, results of one laboratory study and two studies involving daily diary and longitudinal assessments demonstrated that both positive affect following a positive face-to-face interaction with one’s romantic partner, and daily positive relationship events—and daily positive affect as the mediator were linked to decreases in partner-specific attachment avoidance. In the last empirical chapter, we focused on the direction of the link between watching TV—a solitary daily activity that might steal time from relational activities—and positive affect. We showed that duration of watching TV did not predict lower positive affect, but lower positive affect predicted longer duration of watching TV. Overall, this research enhances our understanding of how relational and solitary experiences contribute to personal and relational well-being.
Monitoring liver and cardiac iron stores by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) enables identifying patients at risk of organ-specific morbidity and better tailoring of iron chelation therapy in ...thalassemia. Nevertheless, serum ferritin (SF) remains the only tool for monitoring iron status in most resource-poor regions. In this study, we assessed the impact of using MRI techniques to guide iron chelation therapy on iron overload outcomes in a cohort of 99 patients with thalassemia major (TM, mean age at baselines 20.7 ± 6.9 years) followed from 2006 to 2019. We also assessed the ability of SF trends to predict changes in consecutive liver iron concentration (LIC) and cardiac T2* (cT2*) measurements. The most commonly used chelator was deferasirox at baseline (65%) and final (72%) assessments. Overall, patients with safe LIC values (< 7 mg/g dw) increased from 57 to 77%, and safe cT2* values (> 20 ms) increased from 72 to 86%. We obtained the most significant improvement in patients with severe and moderate liver (
p
= 0.006 and
p
< 0.001) and cardiac (
p
< 0.0013 and
p
< 0.0001) iron overload at baseline. SF trends were in the same direction in 64% of changes in LIC, but only 42% of changes were proportional. Most of the changes in SF (64%) and LIC (61%) could not predict changes in cT2*. Moreover, downward trends in SF and LIC were associated with worsening cardiac iron in 29% and 23.5% of consecutive cT2* measurements. Liver and cardiac MRI-driven oral iron chelation improved the iron status of subjects with TM and demonstrated the importance of using validated MRI techniques in critical clinical decisions.
In this presented work, poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-glycidyl methacrylate) p(HEMA-GMA) cryogels were prepared by using the radicalic cryopolymerization technique, and then modified with lectin ...protein ConA. These ConA functionalized cryogels were used for the immobilization of laccase, and enzyme loading was found to be as 7.1 mg/g cryogel. Finally, these laccase immobilized cryogels were successfully used for the decolorization of six different types of dye molecules.
In this presented work, preparation of poly(AAm) cryogel, peroxidase immobilization onto the poly(AAm) cryogel, and usability of these enzyme modified cryogels for phenolic compounds removal were ...described. For this purpose, poly(AAm) cryogels were synthesized by using cryocopolymerization technique at sub-zero temperatures, and covalently functionalized with peroxidase enzyme by EDC/NHS chemistry. Characterization of the cryogels was carried out by FTIR, SEM, and EDX analysis. Maximum peroxidase loading onto poly(AAm) cryogel was found to be as 127.30 mg/g cryogel. Kinetic parameters of free and immobilized peroxidases were also investigated along with the stability tests. Finally, phenolic compounds removal efficiency of the peroxidase immobilized poly(AAm) cryogel was studied towards model phenolics such as phenol, bisphenol A, guaiacol, pyrogallol, and catechol; and very high phenolic removal efficiency was recorded.
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