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This study employed an experimental design that induced social comparison in couples by systematically varying performance feedback in a manipulated pretend IQ test. Sixty-two heterosexual couples were randomly assigned to four experimental groups, in which either the man (1) or the woman (2) was provided with superior feedback and compared to couples which received equal feedback (3) or no feedback (4). The biopsychological responses were assessed using repeated measures of mood, levels of the gonadal hormones testosterone (T) and estradiol (E2), and the stress hormone cortisol (C) in both partners. Compared to the men, the entire female sample responded to the test with a decrease in T. Women who received superior feedback showed a unique endocrine profile, characterized by an immediate increase in E2 and a delayed decrease in T. In contrast to men, women’s mood decreased in all conditions except for the superior feedback. Our results indicate that women may be physiologically and subjectively more strongly affected by comparison processes with their partners in the dimension of skills and achievement. Moreover, our findings are the first to show that in romantic relationships, the endocrine correlates of social comparison may include an intriguing interplay between the steroid hormones T and E2, but not C.

Distressed couples report more conflicts, less sexual satisfaction, and lower relationship quality. The literature also suggests that frequent conflict is related to lower sexual satisfaction. While evidence for these associations has started to accumulate in recent years, the evidence is largely limited to Western samples. The present study aims at corroborating these findings based on a sample of couples from Iran. Based on prior findings, we hypothesized a mediation model, examining whether the association of conflict frequency with relationship satisfaction is mediated by declines in sexual satisfaction. Alternatively, we tested a model in which conflict frequency mediated the effects of sexual satisfaction on relationship satisfaction. We tested these models based on data from 179 Iranian couples. Both partners provided weekly reports on their relational experiences for 6 weeks. The results supported the alternative model with conflict frequency mediating a positive association between weekly sexual satisfaction and change in relationship satisfaction. These findings extend existing evidence for interconnections of conflict and sexual life from Western samples to a sample of non-Western couples in a predominantly Muslim society. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

We present a preliminary validation of a newly built questionnaire aimed at evaluating people’s openness towards the notion of non-binary gender. To explore the validity of our questionnaire, we ran a principal component analysis to evaluate the existence of three overarching dimensions (Gender Categories, Gender Fluidity, and Gender Definitions) that were at the very foundation of our questionnaire. We also explored the link between our questionnaire and measures of one’s political orientation and feminist identification. In all, our questionnaire was found to have an acceptable level of reliability, and as such, constitutes an important tool for better understanding people’s attitudes towards non-binary gender.

Close relationships have a positive impact on partners’ well-being. However, not every individual seems to benefit to the same extent from being in a close relationship. Insecure attachment is suggested to play a role in this. This study examined the role of attachment insecurity in people’s negative cognitions and dysfunctional affect regulation when faced with a potential relationship threat. Based on the Articulated Thoughts in Simulated Situations Paradigm, cognitions of 155 participants were recorded while they imagined a separation from their romantic partner. Highly anxious individuals were found to think more negatively about their romantic relationship while imagining a potential relationship threat, which in turn increased their negative affect and negative ratings of the self and their relationship. A different pattern was found for avoidance; highly avoidant individuals benefited from negating the potential threat which in turn decreased their negative affect. Insecurely attached individuals, especially highly anxious people, should be helped to engage in more adaptive thinking and affect regulation in relationship-threatening situations to improve both their relational and individual well-being.

Gender roles and sexual orientation arguably shape an individual’s behavior, especially within the context of a romantic relationship. This chapter presents an overview of research on gender and sexual orientation with respect to relationship development and maintenance. It aims to elaborate theoretical constructs and discusses empirical findings of differences and similarities between gender and sexual orientation, as well as differences and similarities between different- and same-gender couples, where available. The chapter focuses on Rusbult’s model of commitment as this concept can be used to understand intimacy and stability of romantic relationships. It describes the communication skills that can be applied to the various stressors couples may experience, including both stressors that originate outside and inside the relationship. The chapter concludes with a discussion of important directions for future research that is inclusive of a more fluid concept of gender and sexuality, including gender and sexual minority individuals.

Objective The importance of recovery from stress is evident in times of high prevalence of stress-related diseases. Intimacy has been found to buffer psychobiological stress reactivity, suggesting that emotional and physical closeness might trigger biological mechanisms that underlie the health-beneficial effects of couple relationships. Here, we investigated whether couples' spontaneous expression of intimacy before and after psychosocial stress exposure in the laboratory reduced cortisol reactivity and accelerated recovery. Methods Data from 183 couples (366 individuals) were analyzed. Couples were randomly assigned to one of the following three experimental conditions: only the female partner (n = 62), only the male partner (n = 61), or both partners were stressed in parallel (n = 60) with the Trier Social Stress Test. Couples' behavior was videotaped and coded for expressions of intimacy, and saliva samples were taken repeatedly (nine times) to analyze cortisol levels before and after stress. Data were analyzed using hierarchical linear modeling. Results Observed partner intimacy reduced cortisol responses to stress in women (B = −0.016, SE = 0.006, p = .008), although this effect was eliminated among women using oral contraceptives. Observed partner intimacy also reliably accelerated cortisol recovery in men (B = −0.002, SE = 0.001, p = .023) and women (B = −0.002, SE = 0.001, p = .016). Conclusions Spontaneous nonverbal expressions of intimacy seem to regulate the effects of acute environmental demands on established biological indices of stress response.

Growing evidence that social support in times of stress is crucial for well-functioning relationships raises important questions about how intimate partners elicit specific forms of supportive behavior. To explore the process of support elicitation, we exposed either the male or female partner in a relationship to a standardized laboratory stressor (N = 127 couples), videotaped their subsequent reunion, and then coded those interactions at a microanalytic level to investigate links between expressions of stress and partner responses to those expressions. Multilevel analyses indicated that the type of stress expression served as a cue for the dyadic coping reaction of the partner. For example, problem-oriented stress expression within a 10-s interval of the conversation was strongly linked to problem-oriented dyadic coping in the same or following time sequence, while emotion-oriented stress expressions were associated with emotion-oriented dyadic coping reactions. These findings enhance the understanding of the link between different stress expressions and dyadic coping reactions and offer important implications for couple interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record

Positive interpersonal interactions such as affection are central to well-being. Sex is associated with greater individual well-being, but little is known about why this occurs. We predicted that experienced affection would account for the association between sex and well-being. Cross-sectional results indicated that affection mediated the association between sex and both life satisfaction (Study 1) and positive emotions (however, among men only in Study 2). In Study 3, an experience sampling study with 106 dual-earner couples with children, affection mediated the association between sex and increased positive affect in daily life. Cross-lagged analyses in Study 3 to 4 supported the predicted direction of the associations. Moreover, the strength of the daily association between sex and positive affect predicted both partners’ relationship satisfaction 6 months later. Our findings underscore the importance of affection and positive affect for understanding how sex promotes well-being and has long-term relational benefits.

Recent research demonstrates that it is the quality rather than the frequency of social networking experiences that places individuals at risk for negative mental health outcomes. However, the mechanisms that account for this association have yet to be examined. Accordingly, this study examined whet

Evidence for the stress-buffering effects of social support in intimate relationships raises important questions about whether partner support promotes recovery in physiological systems implicated in physical health. The present study examined (a) whether observed dyadic coping enhances cortisol stress recovery and (b) whether a stressed partner's self-reported attachment anxiety and avoidance moderate these effects. Stress was experimentally induced by asking either the man or woman in 123 heterosexual couples to participate in a standardized public speaking task. Stressed individuals recovered faster from stress the more positive dyadic coping they received from the partner, with women high in attachment anxiety benefiting less from these behaviors. Attachment avoidance did not moderate these associations. This study highlights the value of examining the interplay between partners' behaviors and attachment orientations in order to understand the impact of stress on close relationships and partners' health.

The respective roles of expressed emotion and dysfunctional cognitive processes are well documented in depression, but their interplay has seldom been given attention. We examined the patients' and partners' expressed emotion (EE) and dysfunctional attitudes in predicting depressive symptoms in a sample of N = 63 couples with one clinically-depressed partner (37 females and 26 males). Partners' EE played a more important role for patients' dysfunctional attitudes and their depressive symptoms; nondepressed partners' dysfunctional attitudes and depressive symptoms were unaffected by patients' EE. In contrasting two models that predict self-reported and clinician-rated depression, we found more support for dysfunctional attitudes serving as a mediator rather than a moderator for the association between partners' EE and patients' depressive symptoms. Partners' criticism may play a role worthy of more attention in depressed patients' dysfunctional attitudes and maintenance of their depressive symptoms.

Dyadic coping has received increased attention during the last decade, both in theory and empirical studies. Two main models of dyadic coping are proposed in the current literature: (1) a comparative approach in which each partner’s individual coping is compared with the other’s individual coping with regard to congruence or discrepancy and (2) a systemic model where dyadic coping is conceptualized as an interactive and reciprocal process. In this study, the predictive power of these two different models of dyadic coping is examined regarding relationship quality and well-being. The study is conducted with 443 Swiss couples. Results reveal that both dyadic coping measures are related to relationship quality and psychological well-being. However the systemic dyadic coping measure is a stronger predictor than the discrepancy measure for relationship quality. Both measures show weaker associations with well-being. Findings are discussed with regard to theoretical issues and their implication for practical work.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of treating depression with coping-oriented couples therapy (COCT) as compared with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT; A. T. Beck, C. Ward, & M. Mendelson, 1961) and interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT; M. M. Weissman, J. C. Markowitz, & G. L. Klerman, 2000). Sixty couples, including 1 clinically depressed partner, completed pre- and posttest questionnaires as well as follow-up assessments at 6-month intervals over the subsequent 1.5 years. Effects of the 3 treatments on depressive symptomatology assessed by the Beck Depression Inventory (A. T. Beck, A. J. Rush, B. L. Shaw, & G. Emery, 1979) and Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (M. Hamilton, 1960); recovery rates; and relapse rates were examined. Additionally, changes in relationship quality were evaluated. Results suggest that the COCT is as effective in improving depressive symptomatology as are the well-established, evidenced-based CBT and IPT approaches. The COCT did not demonstrate a significantly better outcome with regard to self-reported relationship satisfaction or dyadic coping; however, it did produce significant improvements in partners' expressed emotion, changes that were not seen in other treatment conditions.

Although evolutionary and social-structural models predict that women will be more supportive than men in relationships, behavioral studies fail to confirm this difference. We predicted instead that gender differences in support will be moderated by stress, and that men will provide lower-quality support primarily when their stress is high. We predicted further that the detrimental effects of stress on men’s support will be more evident when men are responding to women’s emotionally toned expressions of stress than when men are responding to women’s affectively neutral expressions of stress. Stressed and unstressed men and women were observed providing support to a stressed relationship partner. While unstressed, men and women generally provided similar support to the stressed partner. While stressed, men provided lower-quality support than did comparably stressed women, but only in response to emotionally toned expressions of stress. Thus, gender differences in support may arise because women are better able than men to regulate other people’s emotional distress while managing stresses of their own.

Stress originating within one’s relationship (internal stress), such as conflicts between partners, has been shown to have detrimental effects on relational longevity and well-being. Theoretical arguments suggest the need to examine the impact stress originating outside the relationship (external stress) can have on relational well-being. External stress can spillover into the relationship causing internal stress, making stress a dyadic versus individualistic phenomenon. Using data from 131 couples, we examined whether internal stress may mediate the association between external stress and relationship satisfaction and how dyadic coping may moderate this relationship within one year. Dyadic coping was found to decrease the impact of chronic external stress on chronic internal stress, particularly in women. Women who reported higher dyadic coping skills had a higher relationship satisfaction which influenced also their partner’s relationship satisfaction positively. Further research should focus on couples’ dyadic coping skills as a mechanism between stress and relationship satisfaction.

The current study examined the associations between sexual orientation prototypicality--or the extent to which an individual's attractions or sexual behaviors are similar to others in the same sexual orientation category--and several indicators of well-being (depressive symptoms, loneliness, and self-esteem). Data were analyzed from a sample of 586 self-identified heterosexual and sexual minority (lesbian/gay and bisexual) men and women who completed an online survey. We used k-means cluster analysis to assign individuals to sexual orientation clusters (resulting in heterosexual and sexual minority clusters) based on dimensions of same-sex and other-sex attractions (emotional, romantic, and sexual) and sexual behavior. Sexual orientation prototypicality was operationalized as the Euclidean distance between an individual's position in the cluster and their cluster centroid. Lower sexual orientation prototypicality (i.e., greater Euclidean distance from one's cluster centroid) was significantly associated with higher depressive symptoms, higher loneliness, and lower self-esteem for men and women; results did not significantly differ for self-identified heterosexuals versus sexual minorities. Although self-identified sexual orientation and sexual orientation prototypicality were both associated with well-being for women, only sexual orientation prototypicality was associated with well-being for men. Findings suggest that sexual orientation prototypicality may be a better indicator of well-being than sexual orientation for men. Further, sexual orientation prototypicality appears to play a significant role in well-being for women.

Verbally aggressive exchanges between intimate partners are more likely during times of stress. Therefore, the present study examines (i) whether partners’ proneness to anger mediates the association between stress and verbal aggression and (ii) the degree to which individual and dyadic coping moderate associations among stress, anger, and aggression. Effective individual and dyadic coping reduces the effects of stress on aggression. Moreover, dyadic coping may attenuate associations between stress and both anger and verbal aggression. Individuals reporting adaptive and maladaptive coping typically differed in verbal aggression when stress was low, but not when stress was high. This is consistent with the notion that stressors govern strong negative emotion displayed in marriage. Implications of these findings for interventions that mitigate the effects of stress on relationships are discussed.