Suchergebnisse

The Defining the Relationship Study aimed to gather information from teens aged 15 to 17 about their use of "defining the relationship" conversations in their romantic relationships. Very little information existed about defining the relationship talks prior to this research, so this study used an exploratory approach to gather descriptive data about defining the relationship talks. Therefore, it was important to recruit a sample that appropriately represented diverse teens across the United States, and I used a variety of strategies to meet that goal. I obtained a waiver of parent permission and used Facebook advertising as an efficient, cost-effective way to reach teens who were interested in participating in this research study; because the vast majority of U.S. teens use Facebook, this method allowed me to recruit a diverse sample of teens from across the United States. I collected data using an online self-report survey that was accessible on a computer, tablet, or smartphone to make the study available to all teens regardless of geographic location or socioeconomic status. To minimize self-selection bias, I used a quota sampling procedure to ensure that we recruited appropriate numbers of participants of relevant demographic identities into the sample. These methods allowed me to obtain a diverse, nationwide sample of 435 teens and to discover new information about the role that defining the relationship talks play in teens' lives.

Using data from 570 male service members and their wives, the current study investigated over-time associations between male service members' self-report of PTSD symptoms and marital functioning (marital satisfaction, positive bonding, conflict behavior) as perceived by both spouses. Analyses spanned five time points over a two year period and fully disentangled between- and within-subject effects. Higher levels of all four PTSD symptom clusters (numbing, hyperarousal, effortful avoidance, and reexperiencing) showed significant between-subjects associations with lower levels of marital satisfaction and positive bonding, and higher levels of conflict for both men and women, whereas there were markedly fewer significant within-subject associations. When running models with all four PTSD symptom clusters entered at once, the primary between-subjects finding was that men with higher numbing symptoms overall reported poorer marital functioning in all domains; there were no significant between-subjects links between numbing and marital functioning for women. In contrast, within-subject effects for numbing were found for both men and women, linking increased numbing with decreased positive bonding and increased conflict behavior over time; women also had lower marital satisfaction when their husbands reported relatively higher numbing. Between-subject analyses also revealed that for men with higher average levels of effortful avoidance, wives reported lower levels of satisfaction and positive bonding, whereas men themselves reported less frequent conflict behavior. Finally, within-subject effects showed that at times when men reported increased hyperarousal, they also perceived increased marital conflict, whereas women surprisingly reported increased marital satisfaction. Implications of divergent between- and within-subject results are discussed.

Although there are studies on voting similarity in mate selection, very little research has examined party identification and relationship quality. We assessed associations between reports of personal and partner voting behavior (Democrat, Republican, or Independent) and both relationship adjustment and commitment to one's partner. We used a national (U.S.) sample of individuals (N = 510) in their 20s and 30s who were mostly in different-sex, serious relationships (Mdn duration = 5.25 years; 50% married). Controlling for age, college graduation, income, religiosity, minority status, and duration of relationship, voting Republican was associated with higher levels of commitment compared to voting Democrat. Similarly, being partnered with someone voting Republican was associated with higher relationship adjustment and commitment compared to being partnered with someone voting Democrat. Notably, differences in commitment were found only among those who were not already married or engaged. Findings were largely consistent with numerous online reports of survey data that have shown modestly greater relationship quality among those who report being politically conservative. While research has shown that people are less attracted to those who vote differently and that voting differently can be associated with lower relationship quality, we did not generally find perceived voting similarity to be associated with relationship adjustment or commitment. There was one exception: In exploratory analyses, Republicans paired with Democrats tended to report substantially lower relationship adjustment than if paired with Republicans. Implications for political differences among intimate partners and clinical work around these themes are discussed.