Jennifer A. Theiss

A Relational Turbulence Model of Communication About Irritations in Romantic Relationships

The authors examined the impact of intimacy, relational uncertainty, and a partner’s interference on the directness of communication about relational irritations. The authors hypothesized that directness has (a) a positive association with the perceived negativity of irritations, intimacy, and self uncertainty; (b) a negative association with relationship uncertainty; (c) a negative association with partner uncertainty that is mediated by relationship uncertainty; and (d) a positive association with a partner’s interference that is mediated by the perceived negativity of irritations. The authors conducted a longitudinal Web-based survey in which individuals in romantic associations reported on qualities of their relationships once per week for 6 weeks. A structural equation model of data from the first week was consistent with the authors’ hypotheses. Longitudinal analyses of the full data set using hierarchical linear modeling provided mixed support for the authors’ predictions. The article discusses the implications of the findings for understanding both communicative directness and turbulence within developing dating relationships.

Experiences of U.S. military couples during the post-deployment transition: Applying the relational turbulence model

Although many military couples eagerly await reunion after deployment, the reentry of service members into family life can be challenging. This study employed the relational turbulence model to identify the issues facing military couples during the post-deployment transition. Individuals who had been reunited with their romantic partner during the past six months (N = 259; 137 service members, 122 partners) completed an online questionnaire. Content analytic results indicated that people encounter diverse changes to their relationship (RQ1), issues of relational uncertainty (RQ2), and interference in their daily routines (RQ3). Women, at-home partners, and reservist couples appear especially likely to encounter upheaval (RQ4). The relational turbulence model may have utility for illuminating the experiences of military couples upon reintegration.

Depressive symptoms and mechanisms of relational turbulence as predictors of relationship satisfaction among returning service members.

In contrast to romanticized portrayals of reunion after deployment, U.S. military personnel may contend with the harsh reality of both depressive symptoms and upheaval in their romantic relationships during the postdeployment transition. This study employed the relational turbulence model to evaluate mechanisms linking depressive symptoms with relationship satisfaction. Cross-sectional, self-report data were collected from 220 service members living in 27 states who had returned home from deployment within the past six months. As hypothesized, the negative association between depressive symptoms and relationship satisfaction was mediated by relational uncertainty and interference from partners. These findings advance scholarship on depressive symptoms and relational turbulence, and they also suggest guidelines for helping service members with depressive symptoms maintain satisfying romantic relationships upon reentry.

An actor—partner interdependence model of relational turbulence: Cognitions and emotions

We extend the relational turbulence model by applying an actor—partner interdependence model to people’s experiences of cognitive and emotional turbulence. In the study, 135 dating couples reported on their relationship once per week for six consecutive weeks. People’s appraisals of turmoil and feelings of negative emotion were predicted by (i) their own relational uncertainty, (ii) their partner’s relational uncertainty, and (iii) their own experiences of a partner’s interference. When partners reported more turmoil and negative emotion in one week, actors experienced more relational uncertainty and interference from partners in the following week. The findings illuminate the interdependence between dating partners’ experiences of relational turbulence over time.

Relational Uncertainty and Relationship Talk within Courtship: A Longitudinal Actor–Partner Interdependence Model

This study investigated the interplay between relational uncertainty and relationship talk for actors and partners over time. Participants were 135 romantic couples who completed an online survey once per week for six weeks. Between-person and within-person results indicated that people experiencing relational uncertainty appraised relationship talk as more threatening to themselves and to their courtship; they also reported avoiding more and enacting less relationship talk. Lagged analyses demonstrated that individuals who reported avoiding more and enacting less relationship talk in one week experienced more relational uncertainty in the following week. Partner effects, although not as prominent as actor effects, implied mutual influence within couples. The paper concludes by discussing how the findings advance scholarship on relational uncertainty and relationship talk.

An Actor-Partner Interdependence Model of Irritations in Romantic Relationships

This study examined actor and partner effects of relationship characteristics on peoples appraisals of irritations. Dating partners (N = 135 dyads) reported on characteristics of their relationship once per week for 6 weeks. Results of the longitudinal study indicated that the severity of irritations was positively associated with ones own perceptions of relational uncertainty and interference from partners. In addition, a partners relational uncertainty, severity of irritations, and directness of communication about irritations were positively associated with the severity of an actors irritations after controlling for the actors own perceptions of relationship characteristics. Our findings highlight the complex interdependence that exists between partners involved in courtship.

Modeling Dyadic Effects in the Associations Between Relational Uncertainty, Sexual Communication, and Sexual Satisfaction for Husbands and Wives

This study models the individual and dyadic associations between relational uncertainty, indirect communication about sexual intimacy, and sexual satisfaction within marital relationships. A sample of 220 married couples completed questionnaires about their sexual relationship, and hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling (SEM). Results indicate that (a) relational uncertainty is positively associated with indirect communication about sexual intimacy for both husbands and wives, (b) indirect sexual communication is negatively associated with husbands’ and wives’ own sexual satisfaction, (c) husbands’ and wives’ sexual satisfaction and indirectness about sexual intimacy are positively associated, and (d) husbands’ and wives’ indirect communication about sexual intimacy are negatively associated with their spouse’s sexual satisfaction. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for understanding the dynamics of sexual intimacy within marriage.

Actor-partner effects in the associations between relationship characteristics and reactions to marital sexual intimacy

This study uses the relational turbulence model and dyadic data analysis to examine how marital relationship characteristics affect emotional and cognitive reactions to sex. We surveyed both spouses from 220 married couples about their sexual relationship. Results indicated that: (i) relational uncertainty and interference from partners were negatively associated with sexual satisfaction and positively associated with negative cognitive and emotional reactions to sex; (ii) an actor’s sexual satisfaction was negatively associated with the partner’s relational uncertainty and interference from actors; and (iii) an actor’s negative emotion and negative cognition following sex were positively associated with the partner’s relational uncertainty and interference from partners. These findings highlight dyadic interdependence between spouses’ perceptions of sexual intimacy.

Relational Turbulence and the Post-deployment Transition: Self, Partner, and Relationship Focused Turbulence

This study applied the relational turbulence model to the communication of U.S. service members and at-home partners following the return from a tour of duty by evaluating three turbulence markers: (a) relational maintenance, (b) partner responsiveness, and(c) turmoil appraisals. Participants were 235 individuals (128 service members, 107at-home partners) who completed an online questionnaire within 6 months following reunion. Relational uncertainty and interference from partners predicted turbulence markers, and they partially mediated the association between relationship satisfaction and turbulence markers. Results suggest that the relational turbulence model is useful for illuminating the experiences of military couples during the post-deployment transition. Findings also point to turbulence markers that may be salient during a variety of relationship transitions.

The Role of Intimacy in the Production and Perception of Relationship Talk Within Courtship

The authors define relationship talk as content messages that reference the nature of the relationship between people. They seek to contribute to the literature by (a) conceptualizing relationship talk in ways that attend to its nuances, and (b) evaluating how intimacy predicts the production and perception of relationship talk. They conducted an observational study of conversations between 120 dating couples. Length of romantic interest, compared to intimacy, was the more proximal predictor of the prominence, explicitness, depth, and negative valence of relationship talk. In general, relationship talk was positively associated with peoples perceptions of the relational impact of conversation, but intimacy was unrelated to relational impact. The prominence of relationship talk noted by third-party judges was positively associated with relational impact when intimacy was low but not high. The authors discuss how their findings illuminate content messages about relationships.