Robert J. Waldinger

Prospective Associations From Family-of-Origin Interactions to Adult Marital Interactions and Relationship Adjustment

To test the social learning-based hypothesis that marital conflict resolution patterns are learned in the family of origin, longitudinal, observational data were used to assess prospective associations between family conflict interaction patterns during adolescence and offsprings later marital conflict interaction patterns. At age 14 years, 47 participants completed an observed family conflict resolution task with their parents. In a subsequent assessment 17 years later, the participants completed measures of marital adjustment and an observed marital conflict interaction task with their spouse. As predicted, levels of hostility and positive engagement expressed by parents and adolescents during family interactions were prospectively linked with levels of hostility and positive engagement expressed by offspring and their spouses during marital interactions. Family-of-origin hostility was a particularly robust predictor of marital interaction behaviors; it predicted later marital hostility and negatively predicted positive engagement, controlling for psychopathology and family-of-origin positive engagement. For men, family-of-origin hostility also predicted poorer marital adjustment, an effect that was mediated through hostility in marital interactions. These findings suggest a long-lasting influence of family communication patterns, particularly hostility, on offsprings intimate communication and relationship functioning.

The Same Old Song?—Stability and Change in Relationship Schemas From Adolescence to Young Adulthood

Relationship schemas are core elements of personality that guide interpersonal functioning. The aim of this study is to examine stability and change in relationship schemas across two developmental epochs—adolescence and young adulthood—in the stories that people tell about their interactions with others. Using the Core Conflictual Relationship Theme Method, relationship themes were coded from semistructured interviews conducted in adolescence and again at age 25. The sample consisted of 40 participants in a longitudinal study of adolescent and young adult psychological development. There was considerable stability in the frequency with which particular themes were expressed in the narratives of adolescents and young adults. Significant changes from adolescence to young adulthood included a decrease in the perception of others as rejecting and of the self as opposing others. Young adults saw themselves and others more positively, and used a broader repertoire of themes in their relationship narratives than they had as adolescents. The basic continuity and particular changes in relationship schemas found in this study are consistent with knowledge about the adolescent-to-young-adult transition derived from other empirical and clinical findings. Relationship schemas may be rich units of study for learning about the development of interpersonal functioning.

Levels of dissociation and histories of reported abuse among women outpatients

A total of 99 female patients consecutively admitted to an adult psychiatric outpatient clinic were surveyed about their history of physical and sexual abuse. Sixty-five percent of this sample reported having been physically abused, sexually abused, or both during their lifetimes. Scores on the Dissociative Experiences Scale were significantly higher among those reporting a history of sexual abuse than among those reporting a history of physical abuse or no history of abuse, who did not differ from each other. Dissociative Experiences Scale scores were important predictors of histories of sexual abuse among this sample. The implications of these findings for outpatient evaluation are discussed.

ATTACHMENT AND CORE RELATIONSHIP THEMES: WISHES FOR AUTONOMY AND CLOSENESS IN THE NARRATIVES OF SECURELY AND INSECURELY ATTACHED ADULTS

This study examines links between attachment states of mind and relationship schemas in a sample of 40 young adults, half of whom were hospitalized as adolescents for psychiatric treatment. Participants were interviewed about their closest relationships, and, using the Core Contlictual Relationship Theme method, their narratives about these relationships were analyzed for the relative frequency with which they expressed wishes for closeness and for autonomy in relation to others. Participants were also administered the Adult Attachment Interview and were classified with respect to security of attachment. Security of attachment was associated with the relative frequency with which participants expressed wishes for autonomy in their narratives about close relationships, even after accounting for current levels of psychological functioning and his· tory of serious psychopathology in adolescence. Security of attachment was not associated with the relative frequency with which participants expressed wishes for closeness. The study suggests that core relational wishes for autonomy are linked specifically with subtypes of insecure attachment. These findings extend what is known about connections between the representation of early attachment relationships and the wishes and needs expressed in current relationships with significant others.

Links between childhood physical abuse and intimate partner aggression: the mediating role of anger expression

Research linking childhood physical abuse (CPA) and adult intimate partner aggression (IPA) has focused on individuals without sufficient attention to couple processes. In this study, 109 couples reported on histories of CPA, IPA, and anger expression. Actor–partner interdependence model (APIM) was used to examine links between CPA and revictimization and perpetration of IPA, with anger suppression as a potential mediator. Women’s CPA histories were associated with more physical aggression towards and more revictimization by partners. Men’s CPA histories were only associated at the trend level with their revictimization. Anger suppression fully mediated the link between women’s CPA and both revictimization and perpetration of IPA. Findings suggest that women with CPA histories are more prone to suppress anger, which leaves them at greater risk for revictimization and perpetration of IPA.

Linking hearts and minds in couple interactions: intentions, attributions, and overriding sentiments.

This study examined the role of emotion and relationship satisfaction in shaping attributions about a partners intentions in couple interactions. Using video recall, participants (N = 156 couples) reported on their own and their partners intentions and emotions during affective moments of a discussion about an upsetting event. Links were found between relationship satisfaction and factor-analytically derived intention and attribution scales. Attributions about a partners intentions were weakly to moderately correlated with the partners self-reported intentions. Relationship satisfaction accounted for part of the discrepancy between self-reported intentions and partner attributions. Emotions mediated the links between relationship satisfaction and attributions, suggesting that clinicians working with distressed couples should pay more attention to the emotional climate in which attributions are made.

Smoking trajectories, health, and mortality across the adult lifespan.

This study extends research on the association between smoking behavior and chronic disease by following a cohort from the time of initiation of regular smoking patterns into old age and by examining the association of lifetime smoking trajectories with chronic disease and mortality. Participants consisted of 232 males selected from the Harvard classes of 1942-1944 and followed biennially through 2003. Five distinct smoking trajectories were identified based on the age at which participants quit daily smoking. Participants following smoking trajectories with later cessation had a higher likelihood of developing lung disease and lived shorter lives than those who quit smoking at an earlier age. This study confirms that the earlier a smoker quits, the greater the health benefits, and that these benefits are observed even decades after smoking cessation. Additionally, by showing different survival rates between trajectory groups 25 and 40 years after quitting, the results run counter to previous work that has found no difference in mortality between smokers and non-smokers 15 years after cessation.

Two to tango: a dyadic analysis of links between borderline personality traits and intimate partner violence

Although research has shown links between borderline personality and intimate partner violence (IPV), few studies have examined how each partners personality traits may influence the others behavior (Hines, 2008). This study incorporated dimensional assessments of borderline personality organization (BPO) in both partners into a dyadic model that examined associations with IPV. In a community sample of 109 couples, an Actor-Partner Interdependence Model was used to examine links between BPO traits in each partner and victimization and perpetration of IPV. Mens level of BPO traits was associated with more IPV toward and more victimization by their partners. Womens level of BPO traits was associated with their victimization only. This study is unique in examining links between BPO and IPV in couples using analyses that account for the interdependence of these variables in dyads.

Neural activity, neural connectivity, and the processing of emotionally valenced information in older adults: links with life satisfaction.

This study examines whether differences in late-life well-being are linked to how older adults encode emotionally valenced information. Using fMRI with 39 older adults varying in life satisfaction, we examined how viewing positive and negative images would affect activation and connectivity of an emotion-processing network. Participants engaged most regions within this network more robustly for positive than for negative images, but within the PFC this effect was moderated by life satisfaction, with individuals higher in satisfaction showing lower levels of activity during the processing of positive images. Participants high in satisfaction showed stronger correlations among network regions—particularly between the amygdala and other emotion processing regions—when viewing positive, as compared with negative, images. Participants low in satisfaction showed no valence effect. Findings suggest that late-life satisfaction is linked with how emotion-processing regions are engaged and connected during processing of valenced information. This first demonstration of a link between neural recruitment and late-life well-being suggests that differences in neural network activation and connectivity may account for the preferential encoding of positive information seen in some older adults.

Security of Attachment to Spouses in Late Life Concurrent and Prospective Links With Cognitive and Emotional Well-Being

Social ties are powerful predictors of late-life health and well-being. Although many adults maintain intimate partnerships into late life, little is known about mental models of attachment to spouses and how they influence aging. A total of 81 elderly heterosexual couples (162 individuals) were interviewed to examine the structure of attachment security to their partners; respondents also completed measures of cognition and well-being concurrently and 2.5 years later. Factor analysis revealed a single factor for security of attachment. Higher security was linked concurrently with greater marital satisfaction, fewer depressive symptoms, better mood, and less frequent marital conflicts. Greater security predicted lower levels of negative affect, less depression, and greater life satisfaction 2.5 years later. For women, greater security predicted better memory 2.5 years later and attenuated the link between frequency of marital conflict and memory deficits. Late in life, mental models of attachment to partners are linked to well-being concurrently and over time.