Jennifer Fillo

Attachment and the Management of Empathic Accuracy in Relationship-Threatening Situations

The current studies tested how attachment orientations are related to empathic accuracy (i.e., the accuracy with which one infers a partner’s private thoughts and feelings) during attachment-relevant discussions. In Study 1, married couples were videotaped discussing a severe or a less severe relationship issue that involved intimacy or jealousy. In Study 2, dating couples were videotaped trying to resolve a relationship conflict. Consistent with the revised empathic accuracy model, highly avoidant individuals were less empathically accurate in both studies. Relative to less anxious persons, highly anxious individuals were more empathically accurate when discussing intimacy issues that posed a potential threat to their relationship (in Study 1) and when they were rated as more distressed when discussing a relationship conflict (in Study 2). The findings are discussed in terms of how highly anxious and highly avoidant people differentially manage empathic accuracy to regulate negative affect and facilitate their interpersonal goals.

Dads Doing Diapers: Individual and Relational Outcomes Associated With the Division of Childcare Across the Transition to Parenthood

This longitudinal study examined how relative contributions to the division of childcare are related to individual and relational outcomes across the first 2 years of the transition to parenthood. Data were collected from a large sample of first-time parents 6 weeks before the birth of their child and then at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months postpartum. The results revealed that certain individual differences-especially gender and attachment avoidance-shape individual reactions to childcare, above and beyond the proportion of childcare tasks that partners report completing. Women and less avoidantly attached new parents handle the introduction of childcare tasks better than most men, especially those who are more avoidantly attached. In addition, certain reactions to childcare, such as childcare self-efficacy and perceptions of work-family conflict, moderate the relation between contributions to childcare and relationship satisfaction over the course of the transition. We also discuss the need for more research on mens adjustment during this particularly stressful transition.

Emotion dysregulation explains relations between sleep disturbance and smoking quit-related cognition and behavior

Poor sleep quality and tobacco use are common and co-occurring problems, although the mechanisms underlying the relations between sleep disturbance and smoking are poorly understood. Sleep disturbance lowers odds of smoking cessation success and increases odds of relapse. One reason may be that sleep loss leads to emotion dysregulation, which in turn, leads to reductions in self-efficacy and quit-related problems. To address this gap, the current study examined the explanatory role of emotion dysregulation in the association between sleep disturbance and smoking in terms of (1) self-efficacy for remaining abstinent in relapse situations, (2) the presence of a prior quit attempt greater than 24h, and (3) the experience of quit-related problems among 128 adults (Mage=40.2; SD=11.0; 52.3% female) seeking treatment for smoking cessation. Results suggested that increased levels of sleep disturbance are related to emotion dysregulation which, in turn, may lead to lower levels of self-efficacy for remaining abstinent, more quit-related problems, and being less likely to have had a quit attempt of 24h or greater. Further, these indirect effects were present above and beyond variance accounted for by theoretically-relevant covariates (e.g., gender and educational attainment), suggesting that they may maintain practical significance. These findings suggest that this malleable emotional risk factor (emotion dysregulation) could serve as a target for intervention among those with poor sleep and tobacco use.

Substance use and dependence among current reserve and former military members: Cross-sectional findings from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2010–2014

ABSTRACT Maladjustment after leaving the military may contribute to poor health outcomes, including increased risk for substance use and dependence. The authors examined differences in substance use and dependence on the basis of military involvement in a large nationally representative sample. Data are from a subset of the 2010–2014 waves of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (n = 5,608). The sample included men (81.9%) and women (18.1%) aged 20–49 years who had either separated/retired from the military (n = 4,862) or were a current reserve service member (n = 746). The sample was 70.8% Non-Hispanic White with a median family income between

Military status and alcohol problems: Former soldiers may be at greater risk

50,000 and

The Angel and the Devil on your shoulder: Friends mitigate and exacerbate 21st birthday alcohol-related consequences.

74,999. Those who were separated/retired from the military had a higher odds of past month smoking (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.73, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.27, 2.36; p = 0.001), nonmedical use of prescription painkillers (AOR = 4.07, 95% CI: 1.88, 8.83; p < 0.001), illicit drug use (AOR = 2.75, 95% CI: 1.79, 4.24; p < 0.001), alcohol dependence (AOR = 2.17, 95% CI: 1.20, 3.93; p = 0.011), nicotine dependence (AOR = 2.03, 95% CI: 1.25, 3.28; p = 0.004), and illicit drug dependence (AOR = 5.89; 95% CI: 2.19, 15.85; p = 0.001), compared to current reserve service members, controlling for sex, age, race, and income. Service members are leaving the military at an increasing rate and substance use may increase after separation. Across a range of substances, those who are separated/retired from the military have a higher likelihood of substance use/dependence than current reserve service members. Care models that assist in the transition from discharge to civilian life should be considered.

Attachment insecurity, biased perceptions of romantic partners’ negative emotions, and hostile relationship behavior.

OBJECTIVES The goal of this study was to explore differences in alcohol problems as a function of military status (current soldier, previous soldier and civilian spouses), and the possible interaction between sex and military status. We hypothesized that 1) soldiers would be at greater risk for alcohol problems than civilian spouses, and 2) former soldiers would be at greater risk compared to current soldiers. METHODS Data were drawn from Operation: SAFETY, a longitudinal study examining physical and mental health among U.S. Army Reserve and National Guard soldiers and their partners. The analytic sample included male and female participants who completed both the baseline and first follow-up assessments (N = 772). Negative binomial regression models were used to examine differences between military status group on alcohol problems at follow-up, controlling for sex and alcohol consumption at baseline. Interactions between military status and sex were also examined. RESULTS Among current soldiers, males experienced significantly more alcohol problems compared to women (4.47, 3.46; p = 0.005). Likewise, among previous soldiers, males experienced significantly more alcohol problems compared to women (6.69, 2.92; p = 0.002). Male previous soldiers had significantly more alcohol problems compared to both male current soldiers and male civilian spouses (6.69, 4.47, p = 0.04; 6.69, 3.96; p = 0.02). Among women, there were no significant differences by military status. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate that male previous soldiers are at greater risk of alcohol problems than both current soldiers and civilian spouses. Health care and service providers should consider screening and monitoring soldiers who separate from the military, as alcohol use may increase.

Relational Effects on Physical Activity: A Dyadic Approach to the Theory of Planned Behavior.

Twenty-first birthdays are associated with heavier drinking and more negative consequences than any other high-risk drinking event. Friends are the strongest social influence on young adult drinking; however, previous research on college students’ drinking has often only examined individuals’ perceptions of “friends” generally. Unfortunately, this may obscure the positive influence of some friends and the negative influence of others. Using data drawn from a larger intervention study aimed at reducing 21st birthday drinking, this research examined how specific friends (N = 166) who were present at 21st birthday celebrations may have exacerbated or mitigated celebrants’ (N = 166) experience of alcohol-related consequences, as well as how characteristics of that friendship moderate these effects. Controlling for sex, alcohol consumption, and friend prointoxication intentions for the celebrants’ 21st birthday drinking, higher friend prosafety/support intentions predicted the celebrants experiencing fewer alcohol-related consequences. Higher prosafety/support intentions also buffered participants from the negative influence of friend prointoxication intentions. Furthermore, the closeness of the friendship moderated this effect. At high levels of closeness, having a friend with lower prosafety/support intentions was associated with more alcohol-related consequences for the celebrant. Post hoc analyses revealed that this effect may have been driven by discrepancies between celebrants’ and friends’ reports of friendship closeness; celebrants’ perception of closeness that was higher than the friends’ perception was associated with the celebrant experiencing more alcohol-related consequences. Results demonstrate the ways that specific friends can both mitigate and exacerbate 21st birthday alcohol-related consequences. The implications of the present findings for incorporating specific friends into drinking-related interventions are discussed.