scholarly journals Blame the Pandemic: Buffering the Association Between Stress and Relationship Quality During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
pp. 194855062110228
Author(s):  
Lisa A. Neff ◽  
Marci E. J. Gleason ◽  
Erin E. Crockett ◽  
Oyku Ciftci
Keyword(s):  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Multilevel Modeling ◽  
Work Stress ◽  
Daily Diary ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Coping Resources ◽  
Buffering Effect ◽  
Diary Data ◽  
Financial Uncertainty ◽  
The Relationship

The COVID-19 pandemic created a unique climate for examining the links between stressful conditions and couples’ relationship well-being. According to theories of stress spillover, stressors originating outside the relationship, such as work stress and financial uncertainty, often undermine relationship quality. However, if individuals can easily attribute their problems to the stressful circumstances, their relationship may be more resilient. Given the salience of the pandemic, the current study used two waves of 14-day daily diary data collected from 191 participants to examine whether blaming the pandemic for problems may reduce stress spillover. We also expected the buffering effect of pandemic blaming attributions to wane as stressful conditions persisted and continued to tax partners’ coping resources. Multilevel modeling confirmed that women, but not men, who were more blaming of the pandemic exhibited reduced stress spillover during the COVID-19 outbreak; notably, this buffering effect did not weaken over time.

Is self-esteem a resource for the parental couple? A longitudinal study on the quality of the romantic and coparental relationships

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (11-12) ◽  
pp. 3773-3795
Author(s):  
Nahema El Ghaziri ◽  
Joëlle Darwiche ◽  
Jean-Philippe Antonietti
Keyword(s):  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
The Self ◽  
Family Unit ◽  
The Family ◽  
Parental Couple ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Over Time

The aim of this study is to investigate the longitudinal influence of self-esteem on romantic and coparental relationship quality. The data were drawn from the German Family Panel, pairfam. Parents ( n couples = 2,364) were assessed three times over 4 years. The results indicated that romantic and coparental quality decreased over time, while self-esteem remained stable. The self-esteem of both parents predicted initial romantic and coparental quality. Additionally, mothers’ self-esteem reduced the decline in romantic quality. Finally, romantic quality mediated the relationship between parents’ self-esteem and coparental quality. These results suggest that self-esteem might be a resource for the parental couple and even for the family unit, as romantic and coparental quality are key elements for the well-being of both parent and child.

If You Shared My Happiness, You Are Part of Me: Capitalization and the Experience of Couple Identity

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 258-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ariela F. Pagani ◽  
Miriam Parise ◽  
Silvia Donato ◽  
Shelly L. Gable ◽  
Dominik Schoebi
Keyword(s):  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Daily Diary ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Diary Study ◽  
Daily Diary Study ◽  
Couple Identity ◽  
The Way

The way in which individuals react to a partner’s disclosure of positive news (capitalization response) is associated with relational well-being. Two studies analyzed the role of couple identity in explaining the association between perceived capitalization responses and relationship quality. A daily diary study ( n = 90 couples) revealed that on days people perceived their partners’ responses as active-constructive, they reported higher levels of couple identity. A longitudinal two-wave study ( n = 169 couples) showed that couple identity mediated the link between active-constructive (for both women and men) and passive-destructive responses (only for men) and relationship quality. Overall, our findings suggest that the experience of the partner’s involvement and support in good times contribute to a sense of couple identity, which over the long turn, is associated with partners’ relational well-being.

The Highs and Lows of Love: Romantic Relationship Quality Moderates Whether Spending Time With One’s Partner Predicts Gains or Losses in Well-Being

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 572-589
Author(s):  
Nathan W. Hudson ◽  
Richard E. Lucas ◽  
M. Brent Donnellan
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Romantic Relationship ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Relationship Status ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Romantic Relationship Quality ◽  
Daily Time ◽  
Quality Relationships

Previous research suggests both relationship status and relationship quality correlate with well-being. The present study extended these findings in three ways. First, we benchmarked individuals with various-quality relationships against uncoupled people to determine whether even low-quality relationships are associated with greater well-being than being unpartnered. Second, research suggests global well-being (e.g., life satisfaction) and experiential well-being (e.g., momentary affect) oftentimes have different predictors. Thus, we tested whether individuals report greater experiential well-being while with their partners. Finally, we examined whether daily time invested into one’s relationship predicted well-being. Results indicated that being in a romantic relationship, interacting with one’s partner, and investing greater time into the relationship all predicted greater well-being. However, these effects were moderated by relationship quality, such that being in even relatively neutral relationships and interacting therein were associated with lower well-being than being unpartnered.

Emotional and cognitive reactivity: Validating a multilevel modeling approach to daily diary data.

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 431-441
Author(s):  
David A. Cole ◽  
Ruolin Lu ◽  
Jason D. Rights ◽  
Cassandra R. Mick ◽  
Sophia R. Lubarsky ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multilevel Modeling ◽  
Daily Diary ◽  
Cognitive Reactivity ◽  
Diary Data ◽  
Modeling Approach

The importance of investing in your relationship: Emotional capital and responses to partner transgressions

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 581-601
Author(s):  
Courtney M. Walsh ◽  
Lisa A. Neff
Keyword(s):  
Leisure Activities ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Daily Diary ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Prior Work ◽  
Negative Behaviors ◽  
Buffering Effect ◽  
Path Analyses ◽  
Emotional Capital ◽  
Partner Behaviors

Throughout their relationship, couples experience a myriad of small positive moments together, such as sharing leisure activities or laughing with one another. Although these moments may seem trivial in isolation, growing research suggests that accumulating positive moments together helps couples build emotional capital, which can buffer them from the harmful consequences of relationship difficulties. The current study examined two potential mechanisms, relationship attributions and forgiveness, for this buffering effect. Newlywed couples reported their relationships attributions and forgiveness tendencies and completed a 10-day daily diary task assessing emotional capital, negative partner behaviors, and marital satisfaction. Consistent with previous research, spouses who reported accumulating more emotional capital on average across the diary task exhibited a weaker association between their partners’ daily negative behaviors and their daily satisfaction. Extending prior work, path analyses revealed a significant indirect effect of emotional capital on reactivity through relationship attributions and forgiveness. That is, spouses who reported more emotional capital tended to make more benevolent and forgiving interpretations of their partners’ behaviors, which in turn predicted reduced reactivity to partners’ transgressions. These findings contribute to a growing literature illuminating the critical role everyday shared positive moments may play in enhancing relationship well-being.

scholarly journals THE VALUE OF US: EXPRESSIONS OF TOGETHERNESS IN COUPLES WHERE ONE SPOUSE HAS DEMENTIA

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S660-S660
Author(s):  
Anna Swall ◽  
Christine Williams ◽  
Lena Marmstål Hammar
Keyword(s):  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
The Family ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Partner Research ◽  
Prior Relationship ◽  
Research Show

Abstract Background: Living with dementia involves both illness and health and involves self-care and care by others. As most persons with dementia are living in their ordinary housing, dementia affects not only the person with the disease, but also the life of the family, commonly the partner. Research show that spouse carers feel like they are losing their partners due to an inability to share thoughts, feelings and experiences as a couple. Aim: The aim of the study was to describe spouse’s experience of their togetherness when one spouse has dementia. Method: The sample consisted of eighteen recorded conversations between 15 persons with dementia and their spouses. The filmed conversations were transcribed verbatim and then analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Findings: One overarching theme arose from the data “Dementia preserved and challenged the value of “us”. Being a couple trying to preserve a sense of togetherness and have the relationship they wished for could be seen as a challenge when one spouse was living with dementia. Conclusion: Based on our results, we suggest that practitioners should help couples to reinforce or strengthen their bonds as a couple to maintain well-being. Future studies should examine couplehood under differing conditions such as long versus short term relationships. Prior relationship quality may also be a factor influencing the sense of couplehood following a serious health challenge such as dementia.

scholarly journals Fathers’ and mothers’ enjoyment of childcare: the role of multitasking

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Zannella ◽  
Alessandra De Rose
Keyword(s):  
Time Use ◽  
Daily Diary ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Gender Perspective ◽  
Mothers And Fathers ◽  
Unique Measure ◽  
Time Use Survey ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Relationship

Using data from the latest edition of the Italian Time Use Survey (ITUS, 2013–2014), we analyse 31,309 childcare episodes to investigate the relationship betweenmultitasking (i.e., the combination of childcare with housework tasks) and parents’enjoyment of the time they spent on childcare, with a gender perspective. To this end,we rely on information from the episode enjoyment scores the respondents used toevaluate the degree of (un)pleasantness associated with the different activities theyrecorded in a daily diary. These episode enjoyment scores are a novelty in the ITUS,and provide a unique measure of the respondents’ momentary assessments of theirsubjective well-being. Our results highlight the existence of a negative relationshipbetween multitasking and parental well-being when spending time on childcare forboth mothers and fathers, regardless of the nature of the childcare activity theywere performing (i.e., routine or recreational childcare). Our findings add to priorresearch by shedding new light on the role of multitasking as a relevant contextualcharacteristic of care that affects the well-being of fathers, as well as of mothers.

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