Martina Zemp

Role of clarity of other's feelings for dyadic coping: Clarity of feelings and dyadic coping

Dyadic coping has repeatedly been associated with positive outcomes in intimate relationships. However, less is known about the prospective predictors of dyadic coping. This study investigates clarity of others feelings (CoF) as a potential predictor of supportive dyadic coping in a longitudinal study. In a sample of 368 couples, self-reported CoF and supportive dyadic coping perceived by the partner were assessed annually over 3 years. Results revealed that interpersonal differences in men and womens CoF are positively associated with interpersonal differences in supportive dyadic coping. Moreover, interpersonal differences in mens CoF predicted long-term intrapersonal changes in supportive dyadic coping of both partners. Couple intervention programs might strengthen couples dyadic coping skills by targeting mens understanding of their partners feelings.

The role of skin conductance level reactivity in the impact of children’s exposure to interparental conflict on their attention performance

Previous research suggests that undermining of attention performance might be one decisive underlying mechanism in the link between marital conflict and childrens academic maladjustment, but little is known about specific risk patterns in this regard. This study examines, in an experimental approach, the role of childrens history of interparental discord and skin conductance level reactivity (SCLR) as moderators in the link between analogue marital conflict exposure and childrens attention. The attention performance of 57 children, aged 11 to 13 years, was assessed prior to and immediately after a 1-min video exposure to either (a) a couple conflict or (b) a neutral condition. SCLR was measured continuously throughout the stimulus presentation. Results indicated that childrens family background of interparental conflict and their physiological reactivity moderated the influence of the experimental stimulus on childrens short-term attention performance. Lower SCLR served as a protective factor in children from high-conflict homes exposed to the couple conflict. The current study advances the body of knowledge in this field by identifying risk patterns for the development of attention problems in children in relation to marital conflict exposure.

Within-family processes: Interparental and coparenting conflict and child adjustment

Previous studies have found evidence that interparental conflict, parents’ coparenting behavior, and children’s adjustment are reciprocally related. Most prior research, however, has failed to empirically distinguish between-family differences from within-family changes, limiting our understanding of how within-family fluctuations in each construct may be interrelated over time. In the present study, we focused on within-family associations among interparental conflict factors (i.e., verbal aggression and withdrawing), coparenting conflict, and children’s internalizing and externalizing problems. Longitudinal data were drawn from 5 annual waves of survey data from 537 German families (i.e., mothers, fathers, and a focal child) in the German Family Panel (pairfam) study (Brüderl et al., 2015; Huinink et al., 2011). Data were analyzed with random intercept cross-lagged panel models, which partition variance into between- and within-person (or family) components in longitudinal data. Cross-lagged analyses of within-family variance revealed that fluctuations in interparental conflict did not predict child problems, but higher than typical child externalizing problems increased fathers’ withdrawal and coparenting conflict in the future. Higher than average coparenting conflict within a given family predicted reductions in interparental verbal aggression, less maternal withdrawal, and fewer child externalizing problems. The findings demonstrate that analyses of within-family associations may provide new insights on mutual influences that unfold across time within families and are of particular importance for informing practice.

Temporal dynamics of couples’ communication behaviors in conflict discussions: A longitudinal analysis

Negative and positive conflict communication predicts long-term relationship satisfaction. However, some studies show harmful effects and others show beneficial effects of negative conflict communication on long-term relationship satisfaction. One reason for the heterogeneous results might be that most studies focused on aggregated behaviors across a conflict interaction but neglected the temporal dynamics within such an interaction. This study examined whether individual initial levels and temporal trajectories of negative and positive communications predict long-term relationship satisfaction, and whether self-efficacy beliefs about clarity of other’s feelings (CoF) alter initial levels and temporal trajectories of negative and positive communications. Negative and positive communications were measured based on sequentially coded conflict discussions of 365 couples; self-efficacy beliefs about CoF and relationship satisfaction were measured by self-report questionnaires at baseline and at four annual follow-up assessments. Results revealed that women’s initial positive communication predicted higher intercepts of both partners’ relationship satisfaction, and stronger decreases in women’s negative communication predicted a higher intercept of relationship satisfaction in women. Additionally, less steep decreases in women’s trajectories of negative communication predicted greater maintenance in women’s relationship satisfaction over time. Additionally, men’s self-efficacy beliefs about CoF predicted decreases in men’s negative communication, increases in women’s negative communication, and higher initial levels of women’s positive communication. The current study highlights the relevance of dynamic aspects of partners’ communication behaviors.

Out of balance? Positivity–negativity ratios in couples’ interaction impact child adjustment.

Parental conflict is a well-established predictor of child maladjustment. Most research, however, has not considered how the couple’s positivity–negativity interaction ratio (i.e., the ability to compensate for negative behaviors with positive) may be linked with child adjustment. We examined interparental positivity–negativity interaction ratios reported by one partner as a predictor of child self-reported internalizing and externalizing problems using 3 waves of survey data gathered from 809 families across 5 years in the German Family Panel (pairfam) study. Latent class analysis revealed 4 distinct classes of parental positivity–negativity ratios evident at all 3 waves: (a) very high positivity–very low negativity, (b) high positivity–moderate negativity, (c) moderate positivity–low negativity, and (d) low positivity–very high negativity. Latent growth curve analyses revealed that children from parents in the low positivity–very high negativity ratio reported higher scores of internalizing problems across all waves compared with children from the other groups. This finding indicates that the impact of negative couple interactions on child internalizing problems is counterbalanced by the amount of positivity also present in parental relations. The study suggests consideration of positive and negative aspects of parental relations simultaneously is warranted in clinical practice or when studying the impact of parental couple dynamics on child development.

Die elterliche Paarbeziehung in Familien mit Kindern mit ADHS: Wechselwirkungen zwischen Partnerschaftsstörungen und kindlicher Symptomatik

The interparental relationship in families with children with ADHD: Interactions between couple distress and childs symptoms Abstract. The impact of the family in the development and maintenance of childhood ADHD is well established. However, previous research in this field focused largely on parenting and the quality of the parent-child relationship, whereas the role of the interparental relationship has been neglected. This review summarizes the current state of research on the interactions between a couple distress and their childs ADHD and discusses interparental conflict as a risk factor for the development of ADHS-related symptoms. Based on the present knowledge, an integrative model is postulated that assumes an interaction of genetic vulnerability for childhood ADHD and a couple distress. It depicts how distress in the interparental relationship may both directly and indirectly affect the etiology, maintenance, and/or amplification of childhood ADHD-related symptoms, which in turn affect the interparental relationship. The review highlights the significance of relationship distress prevention programs for couples to prevent adjustment problems in children, and the adequate consideration of couple conflict in diagnostics and therapy among families with children with ADHD.

The power motive and parenting style—Is incongruence related to inconsistency?

The impact of motive incongruence on psychological and physical well-being has received considerable research attention during the past several years. However, little headway has been made to date in declaring the role of incongruence in the power motive for interpersonal behavior, such as parenting. Parenting is one of the most important domains of social interaction inherently related to the power motive. In this study, we examined incongruence in the implicit (nPower) and the explicit power motive system (sanPower) as predictor of inconsistent parenting in 36 mothers. The results suggest that nPower and sanPower combine to explain variance in mothers’ inconsistent parenting. Specifically, inconsistent parenting of mothers was associated with the interaction of high levels in nPower and low levels in sanPower. Given the nature of this incongruent motive base, their parenting behavior is not consistent over time and situations. The present study extends previous research on motive incongruence and provides potential implications for the family adjustment.

Couple relationship education: A randomized controlled trial of professional contact and self-directed tools.

The aim of this randomized controlled trial was to examine the efficacy of an evidence-based relationship distress prevention program, the Couples Coping Enhancement Training (CCET), in dual well-earning couples and to investigate whether effects vary by (a) hours of professional contact and (b) mode of delivery (face to face vs. self-learning DVD). N = 159 couples were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 intervention conditions: (1) standard CCET (15 hours face to face), (2) compact CCET (12 hr face to face), (3) short CCET (self-learning DVD + 8 hr face to face), or (4) wait-list control group. Relationship satisfaction and dyadic coping skills were assessed by means of questionnaires completed prior to and 2 weeks after completion of the treatment, at 3-month follow-up, and at 6-month follow-up. Baseline latent change models for 2 factors showed that the CCET enhanced relationship satisfaction and dyadic coping skills in couples relative to the wait-list control group, albeit effects were small. The standard format of the CCET was not more effective than the compact or the short format indicating that reduced amount of professional contact did not decrease the treatment’s efficacy and that the self-learning DVD successfully replaced the psycho-educational part of the program. Since dual earner couples usually face multiple stressors, it is a promising finding that they can strengthen their relationship with a relatively short time investment.

Lebensgemeinschaften, Familie und soziale Netze

Die herausragende Rolle der sozialen Unterstutzung fur die Gesundheit gilt als wissenschaftlich unbestritten. Sie stellt eine primare Bedingung fur die Lebenszufriedenheit dar und ist nachweislich ein robuster Schutzfaktor gegen psychische und korperliche Erkrankungen. Ermutigend ist der Befund, dass die Mehrheit der Schweizer Bevolkerung sozial gut integriert und zufrieden ist mit der erhaltenen sozialen Unterstutzung. Jedoch existieren Personengruppen, die ein erhohtes Risiko fur soziale Isolation oder mangelhafte soziale Unterstutzung aufweisen, wie beispielsweise altere Frauen, Alleinerziehende oder Paare im Ubergang zur Elternschaft. Vor diesem Hintergrund bedarf es professioneller Angebote zur Starkung der personalen Ressourcen (z. B. soziale Kompetenzen, verfugbare Zeit, Wissen und Aufklarung) und gunstige Rahmenbedingungen (z. B. Orte des sozialen Zusammenkommens, Vereinbarkeit mit beruflichen Anforderungen, Finanzierbarkeit und Erreichbarkeit von Hilfsangeboten), welche der Mobilisierung sozialer Unterstutzung und der sozialen Verbundenheit zutraglich sind.

Zum Wohle des Kindes – Negative Folgen von Partnerschaftsstörungen vorbeugen

Zu jeder Partnerschaft gehoren Konflikte dazu. Sie sind wichtig fur eine vitale Beziehung und das Funktionieren des familiaren Alltags. Paarkonflikte sind nicht kategorisch problematisch fur das kindliche Befinden, ausschlaggebend ist die Qualitat der Konfliktaustragung. Sowohl im konstruktiven als auch im destruktiven Fall sind die Eltern wichtige Lernmodelle fur Kinder, wobei die Forschung erwiesen hat, dass sich konstruktive Konfliktmuster sogar forderlich auf das kindliche Sozialverhalten auswirken (McCoy et al., Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 50(3):270–279, 2009). Denn die Eltern nehmen eine Vorbildfunktion ein fur das soziale Handeln der Kinder in der Schule, bei Freizeitaktivitaten mit Freunden und masgeblich auch in ihren zukunftigen eigenen Partnerschaften. Kinder lernen durch das Erfahren einer positiven Streitkultur der Eltern, dass Konflikte produktiv angegangen und gemeinsam bewaltigt werden konnen. Beispielsweise deuten mehrere Untersuchungen auf die Bedeutung der Konfliktlosung fur die Kinder hin. In der Studie von Cummings, Ballard, El-Sheikh und Lake (1991) zeigten Kinder die starksten negativen Reaktionen auf einen videobasierten Konflikt, der ungelost endete im Vergleich zu Konflikten, die vollstandig oder sogar nur teilweise gelost wurden. Dies bedeutet, dass eine Problemlosung – und bereits jeder Teilschritt in diese Richtung – die negativen Folgen auf Kinder zu entscharfen vermag, und dies proportional zum Grad der Losung. Eine andere Studie bestatigte, dass ein geloster Konflikt weniger Traurigkeit bei Kindern auslost verglichen mit einem ungelosten Streit. Interessanterweise profitierten die Kinder aber auch bereits, wenn sie nur horten, dass der Konflikt gelost wurde. Ebenfalls waren die Kinder (ab 5 Jahren) in der Lage implizit aus der Situation zu erkennen, dass eine Losung erfolgte, wenn das streitende Paar fur 15 s den Raum verlies und anschliesend in versohnter Laune wieder auftauchte (Cummings et al., Developmental Psychology 29:978–985, 1993).