Does Pandemic Covid 19 Influence Romantic Relationship?

The COVID 19 pandemic that hit many countries around the world not only has bad impact on economic sector, but also on romantic relationships. The purpose of this study was to explore various aspects of romantic relationships during pandemic 1) perception of harmony, 2) increased conflict, 3) reasons for conflict, 4) intensity of relationships during pandemic. This study used a survey with open-ended questions and several questions with tiered answer responses. The sampling method was incidental sampling with the respondent criteria married, dating, and no official status. Data analysis employed was coding and categorization, as well as Kruskal Wallis analysis. There were 345 respondents aged 13-51 years. The results showed that in general there was an increase in the frequency of conflict between partners during pandemic, where the main reason was meeting difficulty due to social restrictions, lack of communication, and other reasons not directly related to the pandemic. The results of Kruskal Wallis showed that the harmony of partners and the frequency of conflict during the pandemic is related to the type of status (no official status, dating, and married), length of relationship, intensity of communication, and intensity of meeting. Respondents with married status have the highest perception of harmony while dating status has the highest conflict frequency. Couples with length of relationship over 2 years and rarely communicate perceived the highest increase in conflict. Based on the intensity of meeting, the couples whose intensity of meeting often had the highest perception of harmony, although on the other hand the frequent meetings also led to an increase in conflict.

I Feel You, We Can Do This

We investigated whether similarity between partners in positive and negative affect is associated with the perception that one manages everyday life well together as a couple (dyadic mastery). To this end, we used data from 99 older couples (mean age = 75 years; mean length of relationship = 45 years) obtained 5 times a day over 7 consecutive days as participants went about their everyday lives. Analyses using actor-partner interdependence models revealed that higher (average and momentary) similarity in negative affect between partners, but not positive affect between partners, was associated with higher levels of dyadic mastery among both men and women. Our results point to the significance of emotional similarity between partners for smooth relationship functioning.

Personality Similarity and Romantic Relationship Adjustment During the Couple Life Cycle

Over the last decade, a substantial number of studies have focused on the role of personality traits and of the personality trait similarity/dissimilarity in partner selection and in predicting the quality of adult romantic relationships. The present study contributes to this general objective by investigating the correlations between levels of similarity/dissimilarity in partners’ personality profiles, analyzed through the Big Five dimensions, and levels of romantic relationship adjustment at different stage of a couple’s life course. A sample of Italian couples ( N = 92 couples; 184 individuals) completed the Big Five Questionnaire and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale. The results revealed that similarity was not directly related with romantic relationship adjustment. Similarity only affected adjustment in interaction with the length of relationship. Partners reporting high levels of similarity in conscientiousness and openness showed the highest levels of romantic relationship adjustment during the first years of their relationship, while showing lower levels of adjustment as the relationship progressed. The lower levels of romantic relationship adjustment fell within the length of relationship range spanning between 10 and 21 years. These results suggest the importance of considering the life cycle perspective when studying the impact of personality similarity on romantic relationships, as well as suggesting the need to analyze the relationship between personality factors and interpersonal processes in a deeper way particularly in counseling and therapeutic contexts.

Does Length of Relationship or Gender Predict Response to Behavioral Diabetes Intervention?

Purpose The purpose of the study was to determine, through secondary analysis, whether the length of a couple’s relationship and the participants’ gender are associated with glycemic response to a type 2 diabetes (T2D) behavioral couples-based intervention. Methods A randomized trial was conducted to test the impact of a couples-level, telephone-based behavioral intervention on hemoglobin A1C in patients with T2D. One hundred and four patients and partners participated in the couples intervention arm, and 94 individuals participated in the individual arm. A1C levels were measured at baseline and 1-year follow-up. Results Results of the regression analysis showed that for men with T2D (n = 35) in the couples intervention group, longer length of relationship was associated with lower A1C at 1-year follow-up, after controlling for baseline A1C, diabetes duration, and income. Length of relationship was not significantly related to follow-up glycemic measures for women or men with T2D in the individual intervention. Conclusions Study findings suggests that for men with T2D in a couples-based intervention, those in longer relationships may be more likely to benefit from the intervention. More research is needed to better understand factors that contribute to successful couples-based behavioral approaches to help adults with T2D improve their glycemic control.