The Contribution of Stressful Marital Interactions to Loneliness and Health across Mid-life and Later Adulthood

Although past research has noted longitudinal, and sometimes bi-directional, associations between marital interactions, loneliness, and physical health, previous work has not identified long-term associations and differential associations over life-course stages (i.e., mid-life and later adulthood). Utilizing a life-course stress process perspective and a sample of 250 couples in enduring marriages over 17 years (2001–2017), a structural equation model within a dyadic framework assessed the unique influences of stressful marital interactions on loneliness and physical health and the variation in bi-directional influences of loneliness and physical health over time. Marital interactions were relatively stable across life stages, yet marital interactions appear to influence loneliness and physical health. Notable distinctions were evident across life stages (from mid-life to later adulthood and then within later adulthood). Findings are discussed with an emphasis on the implications for health promotion and prevention programs targeting couples’ quality of life in later years.

Is Low Power Associated With Submission During Marital Conflict? Moderating Roles of Gender and Traditional Gender Role Beliefs

Lower power during marital interactions predicts greater aggression by men, but no research has identified women’s response to lower power. We tested whether women who experienced lower situational power during conflict exhibited greater submission, especially if they held traditional gender role beliefs and thus accepted structural gender differences in power. Newlywed couples (Time 1, N = 204 couples) completed questionnaires and discussed an area of conflict 3 times over 3 years. Individuals who perceived lower power during couples’ discussions evidenced greater submission, but this effect was more pronounced for wives, especially wives who held traditional gender role beliefs. Among those with traditional gender role beliefs, greater submission together with lower power predicted lower marital adjustment over time. These results highlight that the low power–submission link, and associated implications for marital adjustment, need to be evaluated in the context of power-relevant situations, gender, and broader power-related beliefs about gender roles.

THE PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH OF THE DOMINANT CONFIGURATION MODELS OF MARITAL RELATIONSHIPS OF A WOMEN WITH NEUROTIC DISORDERS

The aim: To study the psychological peculiarities of relationships in families of women with neurotic disorders. Materials and methods: 30 women who received treatment in the neurotic unit of the A.F. Maltsev Poltava Regional Clinical Psychiatric Hospital and 30 mentally healthy women have been examined. In the research the authors used a complex of interrelated and complementary general scientific and specific methods based on the systematic approach. Results: There was a tendency for following types of marital interactions: dependent – 58% of couples, intermediate – 35% of couples. The emotionally-metaphorical type of interpreting life events is inherent for 89% of women with neurotic disorders. Studying the types of relationships with a husbands demonstrated that women with neurotic disorders perform ‘the role of victim’ – 30% (1,7689) and ‘the role of ‘burden’’ – 40% (1,7689) in their relationships. Conclusions: The types of relationships with a partner of women with neurotic disorders are partly determined by the specifics of early parenting experiences.

Interactive Processes in Grief and Couples’ Adjustment After the Death of a Child

The death of a child is an individual process of grief but also a context of significant relational processes, which have been only rarely considered in research. The aim of this study was to examine the interactive processes within bereaved parents. Eighteen married bereaved parents were interviewed individually. The semistructured script included questions about the couples’ relationship after the death of the child, particularly the relational dynamics and the association between the individual and relational realms. Data analysis using constructivist grounded theory allowed for the development of a circular hypothesis, suggesting that parents’ individual grief influences and is influenced by the couple’s relationship and partner support, involving interdependence and patterns of emotional transmission (empathy and emotion contagion) within the couple. The findings suggested that psychological interventions should include the dyadic level to optimize mutual support and the benefits obtained within marital interactions.

Interpersonal interactions within couples: Convergences and divergences between self-description and partner’s perception

Conjugality refers to the shared experience between partners characterized by an enduring bond. It is related to a high degree of intimacy, affective involvement, and different interpersonal strategies, and it is seen by partners as their most significant relationship. Such intensity makes couple interaction different from any other type of relationship. The objective of this study was to verify how interpersonal attitude of the participants toward their spouses are associated with their partners and the independent interviewer’s perception of their attitudes. The results showed that the participants had a perception of themselves that was, in general, congruent with their partners’ and the interviewer’s perception. However, the spouses agreed more about their relationship roles (dominant or submissive) and disagreed on the dedicated affection (friendly or hostile) between them. In contrast, the interviewer overestimated the subjects’ attempts to control but confirmed the presence of statements of affection. The results obtained also provided a realistic portrait of marital interactions, increasing the application spectrum of the Checklist de Relações Interpessoais (Check list of Interpersonal Transactions).