Jakob F. Jensen

Growing old together Compassionate love and health in older adulthood

The health benefits associated with marriage are disproportionately large in older adulthood, due in part to the powerful role spouses play in promoting each other’s well-being. What remains unclear is what motivates this caretaking. To determine whether compassionate love plays a role, the current study used an Actor–Partner Interdependence Model to examine how 64 older couples’ compassionate love is linked to their health. Feeling compassionate love was linked to better health for wives. The partner effects, however, painted a more complicated picture, with the receipt of compassionate love appearing to undermine health. Given the unprecedented growth in the number of older adults in the United States, we have a vested interest in determining how compassionate love may help or hinder well-being in later-life marriages.

Young adult females’ relationship work and its links to romantic functioning and stability over time

We examined the frequency with which 67 young adult females from the Southeastern U.S. discussed romantic relationship problems with their partners and their best friends, a process referred to as “relationship work” (RW). Results from data collected over two time points revealed that females engage in more frequent RW with partners than with friends and that RW with partners increases over time. Path analyses revealed early RW patterns did not predict changes in love or conflict, yet RW with partner and love were concurrently positively linked at both time points. Women reporting greater conflict reported decreases in RW with partners. Results suggest that discussing romantic challenges with one’s partner likely has a positive impact both immediately and over time.

Medical Family Therapy in Psychiatry

The term “Psychiatry,” named first in 1808 by physician Johann Christian Reil, is derived from two Greek words: psyche (soul) and iatros (healer) (Marneros, 2008). Over the years, psychiatry has remained a specialty of medicine focused on the complexities of the human mind. While understanding the etiologic and remediating factors of mental illness has been a mainstay of psychiatric practice, clinical methods have varied over time. Psychiatry has seen shifts from Freudian psychoanalysis to more structured, manualized therapeutic approaches. Emerging science has taken the profession further away from its therapeutic roots, in favor of psychopharmacologic and neurologic discovery. Nevertheless, psychiatry continues to be a practice defined by interdisciplinary collaboration as well as conceptualization sensitive to familial and cultural factors. This is demonstrated through the American Psychiatric Association’s (American Psychiatric Association, 2016a) values of “prevention, access, care and sensitivity for patients and compassion for their families; respect for diverse views and pluralism within the field; and respect for other health professionals” (para 3).

Should I Stay or Go? Examining Indicators of Relationship Commitment in Aggressive Relationships

ABSTRACT The research on the sustainability of aggressive relationships has yet to investigate the way the appraisal process to “settle” (satisfice) or to seek the best option (maximize) in our relationships affects commitment. The purpose of this study was to examine how those who are in aggressive relationships balance relationship commitment with the tendency to satisfice or maximize. Results indicate that satisficing and structural constraints were strongly associated with relationship commitment within aggressive relationships. Implications for practitioners with an emphasis on safety, the gendered nature of power in relational decision making, and various contextual factors are explored.

Will Improving My Marriage Improve My Sleep

ABSTRACT An essential component to overall health and well-being is sleep. Likewise, being happily married is associated with better physical, mental, and emotional health. In the present study, we examined links between marital satisfaction (MS) and aspects of sleep quality (SQ) among married individuals (N = 88) aged 39 to 64 years. Data were collected at baseline and 6-month follow-up. Regression analyses showed that MS at baseline was positively associated with overall SQ and sleep disturbance frequency at baseline and was negatively associated with minutes to fall asleep at follow-up. Results suggested that participants with greater MS at baseline reported better overall SQ at baseline and falling asleep faster at follow-up. However, results varied when controlling for other relevant covariates (e.g., age, depression, pain). Additionally, a negative change in MS between baseline and follow-up was a positive predictor of sleep disturbance frequency at follow-up, suggesting that participants whose MS decreased over time were more likely to report more frequent sleep disturbances 6 months later. Findings indicate that MS is linked with various aspects of SQ in married, middle-aged adults. Clinical implications, limitations of the current study, and areas for future research are discussed.