Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Self-Compassion Mediates The Link Between Attachment Security And Intimate Relationship Quality For Couples Navigating Pregnancy, Tuyen Huynh, Eric Phillips, Rebecca L. Brock

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Millions of couples navigate the transition from pregnancy to postpartum in a given year, and this period of change and adjustment in the family is associated with elevated risk for intimate relationship dysfunction. Self-compassion has the potential to promote skills that are essential for healthy adaptation (e.g., emotion regulation, greater openness and flexibility, more awareness of the needs of oneself and one’s partner). The overarching goal of the present study was to investigate the role of self-compassion in intimate relationship quality during pregnancy. A sample of 159 couples completed semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. Parents engaging in more compassionate self-responding during …

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 …

Attachment Injury-Related Responses From The Offending Partner And Forgiveness In Romantic Relationships, Shruti Pillai

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

Attachment injuries in romantic relationships carry the potential for several negative outcomes for the injured partner, the offending partner, and the relationship. Forgiveness can serve to repair the damage caused by such an injury. The concept of forgiveness, however, has predominantly only been studied as the responsibility of and of primary interest to the injured partner. There is a growing need for closer examination of what the offending partner can do to promote forgiveness. The Attachment Injury Resolution Model (AIRM) proposes eight distinct steps including actions for each partner that can lead a couple towards recovery. This study examined the …

Brain Mechanisms Underlying The Impact Of Attachment-Related Stress On Social Cognition, Tobias Nolte, Danielle Z. Bolling, Caitlin M. Hudac, Peter Fonagy, Linda Mayes, Kevin A. Pelphrey

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Mentalizing, in particular the successful attribution of complex mental states to others, is crucial for navigating social interactions. This ability is highly influenced by external factors within one’s daily life, such as stress. We investigated the impact of stress on the brain basis of mentalization in adults. Using a novel modification of the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET-R) we compared the differential effects of two personalized stress induction procedures: a general stress induction (GSI) and an attachment-related stress induction (ASI). Participants performed the RMET-R at baseline and after each of the two inductions. Baseline results replicated and …

Relational, Cultural, Cognitive, And Affective Predictors Of Prosocial Behaviors [Olumlu Sosyal Davranışların İlişkisel, Kültürel, Bilişsel Ve Duyuşsal Bazı Değişkenlerle İlişkisi], Asiye Kumru, Carolyn P. Edwards, Gustavo Carlo

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

This research examined age group and gender differences in adolescent prosocial acts and the associations between these behaviors and peer and parent attachments, collectivistic values, prosocial moral reasoning, perspective taking, and empathy. In this study 550 adolescents (300 boys, 250 girls) from middle and high schools, and college with ages ranging 11-21.5 years (M=15.07, SD=2.50) were recruited from Ankara, Turkey. Results indicate that adolescents displayed compliant prosocial behavior most followed by emotional, anonymous, altruistic, and public prosocial acts. MANOVA analyses revealed that younger adolescents displayed more public and emotional prosocial acts while older adolescents showed more altruistic and anonymous behaviors …