Stress, Dyadic Coping, and Relationship Instability During the COVID-19 Pandemic

How romantic partners respond to stress has important implications for the well-being of their relationship. In this study, we examined the effects of three types of stress on relationship instability and evaluated individuals’ perceptions of their partner’s dyadic coping as a mediator in a sample of 117 different-gender couples ( N = 234) across 6 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. We found that perceived stress, but not economic pressure or pandemic concerns, was associated with increases in relationship instability for both men and women. For women but not men, perceived stress was negatively associated with dyadic coping, and dyadic coping was related to lower relationship instability. Although direct effects were present for most of the variables of interest, dyadic coping did not mediate the associations between stress and relationship instability for either partner. These findings underscore the direct paths between stress, adaptive responses, and relationship instability, building upon past theorizing and research on stress and dyadic coping.

Borderline Personality Traits and Romantic Relationship Dissolution

Many studies have found that borderline personality disorder (BPD) is associated with romantic relationship instability, with relationship dissolution being a recurring theme. Scant research, however, has examined the dissolution strategies and post-breakup outcomes for individuals with elevated levels of borderline traits. Findings from two studies revealed that there was an association between BPD criteria and tendency to employ less adaptive dissolution strategies when terminating a relationship. Furthermore, elevated levels of BPD traits were associated with less self-concept clarity and more unwanted pursuit of ex-partners. These findings both provide insight into how individuals with BPD traits experience relationship dissolution and suggest possible factors underlying the unstable relationship processes typically associated with borderline traits.

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

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.

Recidivism risk and criminogenic needs of individuals who perpetrated intimate partner sexual violence offenses

Despite the common occurrence of sexual violence in intimate partner violence (IPV) and its association with increased risk of intimate partner homicide, intimate partner sexual violence (IPSV) is often overlooked in the literature. As a result, little is known about risk factors that may be unique to IPSV perpetrators. The present study utilizes a police-reported sample to compare the risk/need profiles of 36 IPSV and 36 IPV perpetrators by creating theoretically meaningful risk composites as proxies for a number of the central eight risk/need areas posited by Andrews and Bonta (2010, https://doi.org/10.1037/a0018362). Results indicate that the risk/need profiles of the IPSV group are more severe than the IPV group, with higher scores in measures of substance abuse, relationship instability, sexual aggression, and mental health concerns. Potential implications for IPSV assessment and intervention at the level of policing and correctional programming are discussed, including the need for higher intensity treatments and the treatment of non-criminogenic needs.

Individualized Relationship Practices and Union Dissolution: Differences Between Marriage and Cohabitation

Emotional disclosure, self-determination and egalitarianism are considered central benefits of individualized relationships. Yet, the body of research linking relationship practices and union stability is sparse. We study the extent to which relationship practices in the spheres of intimacy, autonomy, and democracy affect the risk of union dissolution, comparing marriage and cohabitation. Using longitudinal data from nine waves of the German Pairfam survey, we predict union dissolution of n = 3,650 cohabiting and married women and men. Cohabiters report higher levels of individualized relationship practices compared to the married. Intimacy is the key dimension predicting union stability. Individuals thus exhibit relatively low resilience towards decline in emotional gratification in their couple relationships. Autonomy and democracy are not empirically relevant to predict union stability beyond the extent to which they were connected to levels of intimacy. Differences between cohabitation and marriage were marginal with spouses’ benefits from higher levels of intimacy for union stability being larger compared to cohabiting individuals. Our study contributes to the analytical clarification of the consequences of the changing meaning of intimate relationships in individualized societies, and ultimately, to cultural explanations for increased relationship instability.

Stress generation theory in couples with depression: A latent profile analysis

Depressive symptoms and conflict negatively affect romantic relationships, but does this differ among couples? Using a stress generation theory framework, we aim to understand the types of profiles based on both partners’ responses of depressive symptoms and conflict. We used data from 1,598 German couples (different-sex) and conducted latent profile analyses in order to examine if there are different profiles of couples related to the male and female partners’ depressive symptoms and levels of conflict. We then examined if these profiles predicted relationship instability 1 year later. Our results revealed four profiles: congruent low conflict, incongruent female moderate conflict, incongruent male moderate conflict, and congruent moderate conflict. Both males and females in the congruent low and moderate conflict profiles showed agreement in their level of depressive symptoms and conflict, hence congruent. However, males and females differed in their levels of depressive symptoms and conflict in two incongruent profiles. For example, females in the incongruent female moderate conflict profile had higher levels of depressive symptoms and conflict than their partners. Prior depressive symptoms and conflict increased the odds of being in the incongruent female moderate conflict, incongruent male moderate conflict, and congruent moderate conflict profiles compared to the congruent low conflict profile. The congruent moderate conflict profile had the highest probability of relationship instability 1 year later. This study adds to our knowledge about the different profiles of couples with depressive symptoms and conflict as well as relationship instability.

A Longitudinal Hierarchical Examination of Smart Steps for Stepfamilies With Ethnically and Economically Diverse Couples

Over the past decade, relationship education has grown as a means of enhancing couple relationships. This longitudinal study was designed to examine the experiences and outcomes of 2,828 adults who participated in the Smart Steps for Stepfamilies: Embrace the Journey program. Self-report measures of relationship quality, commitment, and relationship instability were administered prior to participation, then immediately, 6 weeks, 6 months, and 1 year after participation. A three-level growth-curve analysis using hierarchical linear model suggested that stepfamily participants experienced small but statistically significant immediate increases in relationship quality and stability, but those gains diminished over time. The statistical analyses tested for moderating effects of individual and couple characteristics on programmatic outcomes over time. Application of these findings and implications for relationship education for stepfamilies are discussed.