Digital Commons Network^™

An Integrated Conceptual Framework Linking Attachment Insecurity To Increased Risk For Both Enacting And Experiencing Objectification, Frances C. Calkins, Sarah Gervais, Gemma Sáez, Meredith J. Martin, M. Meghan Davidson, Rebecca L. Brock

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Sexual objectification (i.e., reducing a person to their appearance, body, or sex appeal and functions) is a significant risk factor for negative health outcomes. In the present investigation, we examined multiple manifestations of objectification (i.e., objectification of others, objectification of self, and objectification by others) in an interpersonal context. We merged objectification theory with attachment theory, one of the most prominent theories of close relationships, and propose that sexual objectification can shed light on attachment processes (and vice versa). To bolster this conceptual overlap, we tested this novel, integrated framework across two independent samples of women and men including (a) …

Attachment Anxiety And Avoidance Predict Postnatal Partner Support Through Impaired Affective Communication, Frances C. Calkins, Rebecca L. Brock

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to investigate perceived difficulties in affective communication as a key mechanism linking attachment anxiety and avoidance during pregnancy to the quality of postpartum support received by partners.

Background: During the postpartum period, partner support has the potential to promote family well-being by mitigating stress related to changes experienced during this transition. Attachment security is one of the most robust predictors of intimate relationship processes and impacts partner communication and support dynamics.

Method: Heterosexual couples (N = 159) completed surveys and semi-structured interviews to obtain measures of attachment security, perceived difficulties in …

Partner Support And Connection Protect Couples During Pregnancy: A Daily Diary Investigation, Shaina A. Kumar, Rebecca L. Brock, David Dilillo

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Objective: The objective of the current study was to examine associations between daily subjective stress and relationship satisfaction as a function of two protective factors—partner support and connection (i.e., intimacy, passion, and commitment)—among couples during pregnancy. Background: Stress brought into the intimate relationship by each partner is often associated with relational dissatisfaction and discord, referred to as stress spillover. Although much research has focused on risk for poor relational outcomes associated with partner stress, it is equally important to focus on resilience. Method: We examined this phenomenon among 154 couples navigating pregnancy. Couples attended an initial laboratory session and then …

Competency-Based Training In The Supervision Of Relational Telemental Supervision, Paul Springer, Richard Bischoff, Nathan C. Taylor, Vanessa Neuhaus, Cassandra Leow

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

Supervision has long been considered essential to developing effective mental health practice, especially among COAMFTE accredited training programs. But with telemental health rapidly being accepted as a standard treatment medium for couple and family therapy, there is little guidance about how to supervise clinicians who are engaged in telemental health practice. This paper presents an important step toward increasing the effectiveness of the supervision of therapists who are delivering relational therapies online through the identification of relational competencies unique to this delivery medium. These competencies have been adopted and integrated into a COAMFTE accredited master's degree program that has been …

The Dark Side Of Helping Behaviors: Partner Support Increases Daily Alcohol Use In Outpatients With A History Of Alcohol Dependence, Frances C. Calkins, Rebecca L. Brock

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

The primary goal of the present study was to systematically investigate the role of intimate partner support in alcohol use and to examine whether partner support serves a maladaptive function among individuals with a history of alcohol dependence. This goal was pursued in a sample of low-income outpatients because of increased risk for chronic stress and alcohol use disorders among this population. We implemented a comprehensive, multimethod assessment of partner support and ecological momentary assessments of alcohol use over 14 consecutive days. Results demonstrate the potential “dark side” of helping behaviors that has been proposed in recent literature. Specifically, in …

An Integrated Relational Framework Of Depressed Mood And Anhedonia During Pregnancy, Rebecca L. Brock, Molly Franz, Erin L. Ramsdell

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Objective: The aim of the present study was to test a unified framework that integrates several theories into a cohesive model to explain the interplay between neuroticism and intimate relationship quality as risk factors for prenatal depression.

Background: There is a notable spike in risk for depression during pregnancy, and the processes unfolding in the interparental relationship during this important time in the family life cycle might serve to mitigate or enhance this risk. Yet there is a need for theory-driven research integrating multiple conceptual frameworks to explicate the role of intimate relationship quality in depression.

Method: In a sample …

Mutual Influence? Gender, Partner Pregnancy Desires, Fertility Intentions, And Birth Outcomes In U.S. Heterosexual Couples, Colleen M. Ray, Sela R. Harcey, Julia Mcquillan, Arthur L. Greil

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Competing hypotheses exist with regard to how men’s and women’s pregnancy desires and intentions are associated with births among contemporary heterosexual couples. There are compelling cultural and structural reasons to support either the hypothesis that men’s desires and intentions (patriarchal) or that women’s desires and intentions (matriarchal) will have more influence, or that both partner’s desires and intentions will be associated with births (mutual influence). In addition, patterns of change are likely to differ for couples that have children at wave 1 compared to those who do not. Path analyses of the of heterosexual couples (n = 615) who completed …

Partner Congruence On Fertility Intentions And Values: Implications For Birth Outcomes, Karina M. Shreffler, Stacy Tiemeyer, Julia Mcquillan, Arthur L. Greil, Tiffany Spierling

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

In heterosexual couples, both partners’ intentions to have a baby (or not) are associated with the likelihood of a subsequent birth, yet most studies only measure women’s intentions. Therefore, little is known about the potential association of couple agreement or disagreement on intentions or on such values as importance of parenthood, career, and leisure and the implications for childbearing. The goal of this article is to assess whether couple-level agreement or disagreement in fertility intentions and values are associated with the likelihood of a subsequent birth. Guided by the Theory of Conjunctural Action, we use couple data from two waves …

The Impact Of Sexual Violence On Intimate Relationship Dynamics: A Grounded Theory Study, Nicole M. Lozano

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study intended to develop a theory that explains the relationship dynamics of opposite-sex couples in which the female partner has been sexually victimized as an adult outside of the couple relationship. Four couples participated in the study sharing their experiences of disclosing the assault, communicating about the assault, physical intimacy, and salience of the assault to the relationship. Using a constructivist grounded theory approach the model emerged from the data. Overall, the women decided to disclose because they felt secure in their current intimate relationship. Disclosure happened for one of two reasons: (a) either to test the relationship and …

An Evaluation Of The Impact Of A Couples Enrichment Program On Relationship Satisfaction, Communication, Conflict Resolution, And Forgiveness, Chelsi A K Davis

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Relationship enrichment programs serve to promote the development of healthy intimate relationships (Halford, Markman, Kling, & Stanley, 2003). There are hundreds of relationship enrichment programs available in the United States, alone (smartmarriages.com, 2013). Weekend to Remember is a faith-based relationship enrichment program which has not yet been the subject of empirical evaluation. This is not unusual. A select few of these types of interventions have received research attention, and little of this research has been published in peer reviewed journals. This study aims to contribute to this small body of existing literature by examining the effectiveness of the Weekend to …

Contextualizing Couples: Three Essays On Inequality, Stress, And Dyadic Functioning As A Longitudinal And Reciprocal Process, Deadric T. Williams

Department of Sociology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In this dissertation, I use an integrated theoretical and conceptual model that consists of several theoretical frameworks to examine the following questions: (1) is there a longitudinal and reciprocal association between parental stress/distress and dyadic functioning? (2) does the association change over time? (3) does the association vary across social contexts (e.g., marital status, race/ethnicity, and poverty)? In order to explore these questions, I use longitudinal and dyadic data from the Fragile Families and Child Well-being Study, which follows a cohort of children and their parents from birth to five years of age. Through three separate analytic studies, the results …

He Said, She Said: (Dis)Agreement About The Occurrence Of Intimate Partner Violence Among Young Adult Couples, Harmonijoie Noel

Department of Sociology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Using a sample of 1,269 dating, cohabitating, and married young adult couples, my dissertation explores the extent of disagreement about violence between heterosexual romantic partners, how the prevalence and common predictors of intimate partner violence (IPV) change because of disagreement, and how errors in the cognitive response process can explain disagreement. Disagreement occurs when one partner reports physical violence in their relationship but the other partner does not. Male and female-perpetrated violence are analyzed separately because disagreement may operate differently for these two types of violence. As a result of disagreement among partners, estimates of violence based on individual assessments …

Child Maltreatment History And Subsequent Romantic Relationships: Exploring A Psychological Route To Dyadic Difficulties, David K. Dilillo, Terri Lewis, Andrea Di Loreto-Colgan

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

A sample of 174 college students involved in heterosexual dating relationships was studied lo investigate the role of psychological distress in mediating links between child maltreatment (CM) history and current couple functioning. Females, but not males, with a history of CM reported greater levels of psychological and relationship difficulties than did non-maltreated women. Psychological distress among females was also found to mediate associations between abuse history and various aspects of couple functioning including intimacy, sexuality. and conflict resolution. No such relationships were found for males. The implications of these results and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Nf05-592 Both Partners Are Responsible For The Relationship, Kathy Bosch

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Strong marriages or partnerships do not just happen; they require effort. The individual must work together to create and maintain a healthy, satisfying relationship. It is a responsibility that both partners share equally.

This NebFact discusses the different ways that make a marriage last through the years.

Nf556 Our Relationship....And Communicating Effectively, Kathy Bosch

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This publication helps couples learn how to communicate with one another.

Nf97-326 Family And Children Web Sites, Herbert G. Lingren

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebFact presents Web sites that will provide you with useful information about family, children and parenting issues.

G90-986 Strengthening The Couple Relationship, Herbert G. Lingren

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

After a couple has been married for a number of years, there seems to be a lack of individual artistry and creativity in the relationship. Each person becomes involved in a routine of relating to the other in a certain way. Patterns develop because of living in the same house and responding to children's needs. Couples develop certain habitual work patterns, see the same people socially, etc. The same ways of relating and behaving may persist, unchallenged and unchanged, for years. The behavior will continue long after it has ceased to produce delight, zest or growth. Therefore, the most destructive …

Heg84-193 "Fighting Fair" In Marriage, Herbert G. Lingren

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebGuide presents steps to follow to recognize and resolve marital conflicts through negotiation and finding mutually agreeable alternatives.

Do you ever use extreme or irrational tactics to gain your point (slamming doors, stomping around)?

Do you sometimes hurt your spouse in order to have the last word (sarcasm, name-calling)?

Do you store up grudges and use them to "hit" your partner over the head at a later time (revenge)?

Is your attitude "If I don't get what I want, I will quit cooperating?"

Do you continually expect others to do things the "right way" (your way)?

If you answered …