Does covid-19 "infect" love? How italian emerging adults lived their romantic relationships during the time of lockdown

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Gaia Cuccì ◽  
Maria Giulia Olivari ◽  
Emanuela Confalonieri
Keyword(s):  
Romantic Relationships ◽  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Emerging Adults ◽  
Romantic Relationship ◽  
Negative Emotions ◽  
Romantic Partners ◽  
Relationship Importance ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Romantic Relationship Quality ◽  
The Way

In Italy the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown have deeply changed the way Italian people used to live. Many emerging adults had to self-distance from their romantic partners and modify the way of communicating and relating to each other. Thus managing a romantic relationship could be very challenging.The study quantitatively and qualitatively investigates the association between Lockdown related negative emotions, perception of the romantic relationship quality, changes in the relationship's characteristics and conflict within the couple. The sample consists of 171 emerging adults involved in a romantic relationship, who spent the time of lockdown apart from the romantic partner.Results showed that the perception of the relationship quality was not greatly associated with Lockdown related negative emotions, but was associated with changes and higher conflict within the relationship. Qualitative data support and enrich these results. Changes and conflicts within the relationship were due to: difficulties to communicate, lack of intimacy, awareness about relationship importance or presence of emotionaldetachment between partners.

Romantic partners’ weight criticism and Latina/o/x young adults’ relationship instability

2021 ◽  
pp. 026540752110354
Author(s):  
Sarah E. Killoren ◽  
J. Kale Monk ◽  
Avelina Rivero ◽  
Dawson Quinn ◽  
Gabrielle C. Kline
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Romantic Relationship ◽  
Romantic Partners ◽  
Romantic Partner ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Relationship Outcomes ◽  
Relationship Instability ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Romantic Relationship Quality

Negative interactions between romantic partners, such as when one partner criticizes another about their weight, are associated with poor relationship outcomes. The purpose of the study was to examine associations between romantic partner weight criticism, romantic relationship quality, gender, and Latinx young adults’ romantic relationship instability. Participants were recruited from a Qualtrics panel and completed 30-minute surveys online. The sample included 475 Latinx young adults (60% women; M age = 24.80 years, SD = 3.22; 66% Mexican) who reported on their experiences of romantic partner weight criticism, positive romantic relationship quality (e.g., intimacy, affection, nurturance), negative romantic relationship quality (e.g., conflict, antagonism), and relationship instability. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to test the study goals. Overall, weight-related criticism was more strongly associated with romantic relationship instability for men than for women. Further, for men, associations between weight criticism and romantic relationship instability were also particularly strong in the context of low levels of negative romantic relationship quality compared to high levels of negative romantic relationship quality.

Pushed Together or Pulled Apart? Economic Stressors and Romantic Relationship Quality

2020 ◽  
pp. 073112142097844
Author(s):  
Amy Lucas ◽  
Jessica Halliday Hardie ◽  
Sejung Sage Yim
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Romantic Relationship ◽  
Romantic Partners ◽  
Material Hardship ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Process Perspective ◽  
Romantic Relationship Quality ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Economic Stressors

Previous research indicates that romantic partners’ relationship quality is associated with poverty and material hardship. Few studies have used longitudinal data to incorporate changing economic circumstances over time, included a range of economic factors, or investigated the role of social support in this association, however. Using five waves of data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, we extend prior work by evaluating the association between multiple economic stressors and romantic relationship quality over time, and whether social support explains or alters this association. Changes in economic stressors are associated with changes in romantic relationship quality over time, particularly nonstandard work and material hardship. Social support neither explains nor moderates this association in most cases. This study confirms the stress process perspective, showing how economic and work-related stress can proliferate into family life, but does not support the contention that social support buffers families against stress proliferation.

scholarly journals Associations between neurochemical receptor genes, 2D:4D, impulsivity and relationship quality

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (12) ◽  
pp. 20180642 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eiluned Pearce ◽  
Rafael Wlodarski ◽  
Anna Machin ◽  
Robin I. M. Dunbar
Keyword(s):  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Multiple Testing ◽  
Romantic Relationship ◽  
Preliminary Evidence ◽  
Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽  
Single Nucleotide ◽  
Digit Ratios ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Romantic Relationship Quality

The ratio between the second and fourth digits (2D:4D) has been widely used as a proxy for fetal exposure to androgens and has been linked to a number of sociosexual traits in humans. However, the role of genes in this equation remains unknown. Here ( N = 474), we test, firstly, for associations between 2D:4D and single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in nine neurochemical receptor genes ( AR, OXTR, AVPR1A, OPRM1, DRD1/2, ANKK1, 5HTR1A/2A ), and secondly, whether digit ratios mediate the relationship between genetic variation and sociosexuality. We demonstrate significant associations between AR , OPRM1 and AVPR1A and 2D:4D. Moreover, mediation analysis indicates that, in women, AR and OPRM1 variation drives digit ratios, which are related positively to impulsivity and, for OPRM1 , negatively to romantic relationship quality. Although these findings are subject to multiple testing issues, this study provides preliminary evidence that in women genetic factors may affect both impulsivity and perceived relationship quality through influencing factors indexed by digit ratios.

Empathy and Romantic Relationship Quality Among Cohabitating Couples

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 208-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emilio C. Ulloa ◽  
Julia F. Hammett ◽  
Nicole A. Meda ◽  
Salvador J. Rubalcaba
Keyword(s):  
Romantic Relationships ◽  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Romantic Relationship ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Married Couples ◽  
Dyadic Data Analysis ◽  
Dyadic Data ◽  
National Longitudinal Study ◽  
Partner Effect ◽  
Romantic Relationship Quality

This study employed a dyadic data analysis approach to examine the association between partners’ empathy and relationship quality among cohabitating couples. Data were collected from 374 cohabitating but nonmarried couples who were participants in the Wave 3 romantic pairs subsample of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). Men’s higher empathy was related to their own perceptions of better relationship quality and women’s higher empathy was related to their own as well as their partner’s perceptions of better relationship quality. These findings show that individuals’ abilities to be understanding, compassionate, and sympathetic may be related to the overall feeling of satisfaction and love in romantic relationships. The only effect that did not reach statistical significance was the partner effect from men’s empathy to women’s relationship quality. Although previous research with married couples has shown that men’s empathy may play a more important role in shaping couples’ perceptions of relationship quality, according to the current findings, these findings may not extend to cohabitating couples. The current results provide beneficial guidance to clinicians working with distressed, nonmarried couples.

Media Exposure and Romantic Relationship Quality: A Slippery Slope?

2014 ◽  
Vol 114 (1) ◽  
pp. 231-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abira Reizer ◽  
Amir Hetsroni
Keyword(s):  
Romantic Relationships ◽  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Romantic Relationship ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Media Consumption ◽  
Viewing Time ◽  
Tv Viewing ◽  
Mood Management ◽  
Control Factors ◽  
The Relationship

This study examines whether media consumption predicted relationship quality among 188 college students who were involved in romantic relationships. The respondents assessed their commitment to the relationship, their satisfaction from the relationship, and their tendency to engage in conflicts within the relationship. Media consumption was measured by assessing the time dedicated to television viewing in general, watching specific genres, Internet use, and news-paper reading. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that total TV viewing time statistically predicted lower commitment to the relationship, while viewing of programming focusing on romantic relationships predicted lower satisfaction and stronger tendency to engage in conflicts. Consumption of media other than television and the control factors did not predict any indicator of relationship quality. The pattern of negative associations between TV viewing and relationship quality is discussed with reference to cultivation theory and mood management theory.

Romantic relationships in adults with ADHD: The effect of partner attachment style on relationship quality

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-64
Author(s):  
Katherine Knies ◽  
Elizabeth A. Bodalski ◽  
Kate Flory
Keyword(s):  
Romantic Relationships ◽  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Attachment Style ◽  
Attachment Styles ◽  
Romantic Relationship ◽  
Insecure Attachment ◽  
Adhd Symptoms ◽  
Anxious Attachment ◽  
Avoidant Attachment ◽  
Romantic Relationship Quality

Prior literature indicates that insecure attachment styles (i.e., anxious or avoidant) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) both have negative impacts on romantic relationships, but relatively little is known about how these factors interact among couples where one partner has ADHD and the other does not. One hundred and fifty-nine partners of adults with significant ADHD symptoms completed measures of their own attachment styles, their partner’s ADHD symptoms, and relationship quality. Anxious attachment was associated with lower romantic relationship quality, but avoidant attachment was associated with more positive relationship outcomes. Results also indicated that the negative effect of ADHD symptoms on romantic relationship quality may be exacerbated by a partner’s high level of anxious attachment. Though insecure attachment styles are generally thought to have a negative impact on romantic relationships, avoidant attachment was generally associated with more positive outcomes in this study. Several possible explanations based on theoretical support are included in the discussion along with clinical applications and future directions.

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.

scholarly journals Longitudinal changes in emerging adults’ attachment preferences for their mother, father, friends, and romantic partner

2016 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 136-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomo Umemura ◽  
Lenka Lacinová ◽  
Petr Macek ◽  
E. Saskia Kunnen
Keyword(s):  
Romantic Relationships ◽  
Emerging Adults ◽  
Multiple Regression ◽  
Romantic Relationship ◽  
Romantic Partners ◽  
Romantic Partner ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Time Points ◽  
The Family ◽  
Latent Difference Score

Only a few studies have longitudinally explored to whom emerging adults prefer to turn to seek closeness, comfort, and security (called “attachment preferences”), and previous studies on attachment preferences in emerging adults have focused only on the beginning of romantic relationships but not on the end of relationships. Czech emerging adults ( M = 21.47; SD = 1.48) completed the questionnaire of attachment preferences at two time points, Wave 1 (Summer 2013) and Wave 2 (Summer 2014). Latent difference score analyses revealed that emerging adults who were not in a romantic relationship in Wave 1 but started a romantic relationship between the two waves ( n = 97) and those who had a romantic partner in both waves ( n = 379) were both more likely to increase their attachment preference for the romantic partner and decrease their preference for friends, whereas those who did not start a relationship ( n = 185) were not. Emerging adults who were in a romantic relationship in Wave 1 but were not in Wave 2 ( n = 69) decreased their preference for the partner and increased their preference for friends. In all the groups, attachment preferences for the mother, for the father, or for the family did not change. Multiple regression analyses further revealed that for those who had a romantic partner in both waves, their length of romantic relationship was associated with changes in attachment preferences for romantic partners and for friends.

scholarly journals Machiavellianism, relationship satisfaction, and romantic relationship quality

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 491-502 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gayle Brewer ◽  
Loren Abell
Keyword(s):  
Relationship Satisfaction ◽  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Emotional Abuse ◽  
Romantic Relationship ◽  
Negative Behavior ◽  
Controlling Behavior ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Satisfaction Measures ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Romantic Relationship Quality

Machiavellianism is characterised by a manipulative interpersonal style, willingness to exploit others, and a preference for emotionally detached relationships. The present studies investigate the extent to which Machiavellianism influences relationship satisfaction and romantic relationship quality. In Study 1, 194 heterosexual partnered women completed Machiavellianism and Relationship Satisfaction measures. Women with higher levels of Machiavellianism reported lower levels of relationship satisfaction. In Study 2, 132 heterosexual partnered women completed Machiavellianism, Trust, Commitment, Control, and Emotional Abuse scales. Women with higher levels of Machiavellianism perceived their partners to be less dependable, reported less faith in their partners, and were less willing to persist with the relationship than those with low levels of Machiavellianism. With regards to negative behavior, Machiavellianism predicted each form of control and emotional abuse investigated, such that those with high levels of Machiavellianism were more likely to engage in controlling behavior and emotional abuse. Findings have important implications for the prediction of romantic relationship quality and in particular for negative behavior such as control and abuse.

Responses to dissatisfaction in friendships and romantic relationships: An interpersonal script analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 1651-1670 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheryl Harasymchuk ◽  
Beverley Fehr
Keyword(s):  
Romantic Relationships ◽  
Romantic Relationship ◽  
Close Relationships ◽  
Romantic Partners ◽  
Close Friend ◽  
Romantic Partner ◽  
Main Hypothesis ◽  
Relationship Context ◽  
Script Analysis ◽  
The Relationship

According to interpersonal script models, people’s responses to relational events are shaped by the reaction they expect from a close other. We analyzed responses to dissatisfaction in close relationships from an interpersonal script perspective. Participants reported on how a close friend or romantic partner would react to their expressions of dissatisfaction (using the exit-voice-loyalty-neglect typology). They were also asked to forecast whether the issue would be resolved (i.e., anticipated outcomes). Our main hypothesis was that people’s expectations for how a close other would respond to dissatisfaction would be dependent on their own self response. Further, we predicted that passive responses would be more common and viewed as less deleterious to a friendship than a romantic relationship. Results indicated that the responses that were expected from close others were contingent on how self responded. Moreover, as predicted, these contingencies followed different tracks depending on the type of relationship. Friends were more likely to expect passive responses to self’s expression of dissatisfaction, especially if self responded with neglect, whereas romantic partners expected more active responses. Furthermore, people anticipated that the issue would be more likely to be resolved if their friend (vs. romantic partner) responded passively and less actively (especially for destructive responses). It was concluded that people hold complex, nuanced interpersonal scripts for dissatisfaction and that these scripts vary, depending on the relationship context.

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