Silvia Donato

Dyadic coping responses and partners’ perceptions for couple satisfaction: An actor–partner interdependence analysis

Applying the actor–partner interdependence model to 114 couples’ data, we examined the link between partners’ change in reported dyadic coping responses from 6 months before marriage to 12 months after marriage and change in the perceptions of the other’s dyadic coping responses, the role of these associations for partners’ change in relationship satisfaction, and the role of gender in these relations. Results highlighted both accuracy and projection effects in partners’ perceptions. Moreover, one’s perceptions of the other’s dyadic coping responses mediated the effect of both one’s own and the others’ reported dyadic coping behaviors on one’s satisfaction. Findings are discussed in light of the implications for the study of dyadic coping and partner support as well as for intervention.

When good things happen: Explicit capitalization attempts of positive events promote intimate partners’ daily well-being

Sharing good news with the partner improves individual and relational well-being. While prior research has confirmed the benefits of such capitalization processes, knowledge on how the type of events that are shared, and the way they are shared, affects individuals and relationships is limited. We investigated diary data from 49 married couples to examine associations between the explicitness in the disclosure of events that were either internal or external to the couple, and individual and relational well-being, above and beyond the effects of the events and their disclosure. Multilevel analyses suggested that self-esteem and relationship quality increased as a function of women’s and men’s reports of internal and external positive events, but not as a function of the mere disclosure of the event. Being explicit when disclosing a positive event to the partner, however, was positively associated with individual and relational well-being in women and in men, beyond the effects of the event and its disclosure. We discuss how the current research contributes to the understanding of the capitalization process and its contribution to well-being, underscoring the importance of communication skills.

Engaged patients, engaged partnerships: Singles and partners dealing with an acute cardiac event

A few studies examine patients’ (and partners’) individual and relational functioning after an acute cardiac event and no research focuses on the individual and relational factors associated with the patient’s engagement in his/her disease management. The present study aimed at exploring these variables in male and female patients as well as their partners. We pursued our objectives by taking advantage of a dyadic research design that involved both partners in the data collection, when present, and by including women patients in the sample. Findings showed that patients in a couple, compared to single patients, perceive that their illness had less serious consequences for their life and they were more engaged in their health care; that patients and partners showed comparable levels of distress; and that less depressed, more confident, and better informed patients were more likely to actively engage in their treatment. Findings are discussed in light of their implications for clinical practice.

Preferred Interpersonal Distances: A Global Comparison

Human spatial behavior has been the focus of hundreds of previous research studies. However, the conclusions and generalizability of previous studies on interpersonal distance preferences were limited by some important methodological and sampling issues. The objective of the present study was to compare preferred interpersonal distances across the world and to overcome the problems observed in previous studies. We present an extensive analysis of interpersonal distances over a large data set (N = 8,943 participants from 42 countries). We attempted to relate the preferred social, personal, and intimate distances observed in each country to a set of individual characteristics of the participants, and some attributes of their cultures. Our study indicates that individual characteristics (age and gender) influence interpersonal space preferences and that some variation in results can be explained by temperature in a given region. We also present objective values of preferred interpersonal distances in different regions, which might be used as a reference data point in future studies.

Investigating the relation between shared stressors and marital satisfaction: The moderating effects of dyadic coping and communication

This study examined the role that communication and coping skills play in moderating the relation between shared stressors and marital satisfaction in a community sample of 119 married, heterosexual couples in Italy. Hierarchical regression models examined communication and coping skills as potential moderators of the association between two indicators of shared relationship stressors (sexual dissatisfaction and dissatisfaction with children) and overall relationship satisfaction. Findings showed there was a significant interaction effect of communication skills and sexual dissatisfaction on relationship satisfaction for both husbands and wives. There was also a significant interaction effect of coping skills and sexual dissatisfaction on relationship satisfaction for wives. For both husbands and wives, there were no significant interaction effects of communication skills nor dyadic coping and dissatisfaction with children on relationship satisfaction. Implications of these findings for prevention and intervention strategies for relationship distress and for further research are discussed.

Fertilizing a patient engagement ecosystem to innovate healthcare: Toward the first Italian Consensus conference on patient engagement

Currently we observe a gap between theory and practices of patient engagement. If both scholars and health practitioners do agree on the urgency to realize patient engagement, no shared guidelines exist so far to orient clinical practice. Despite a supportive policy context, progress to achieve greater patient engagement is patchy and slow and often concentrated at the level of policy regulation without dialoguing with practitioners from the clinical field as well as patients and families. Though individual clinicians, care teams and health organizations may be interested and deeply committed to engage patients and family members in the medical course, they may lack clarity about how to achieve this goal. This contributes to a wide “system” inertia—really difficult to be overcome—and put at risk any form of innovation in this filed. As a result, patient engagement risk today to be a buzz words, rather than a real guidance for practice. To make the field clearer, we promoted an Italian Consensus Conference on Patient Engagement (ICCPE) in order to set the ground for drafting recommendations for the provision of effective patient engagement interventions. The ICCPE will conclude in June 2017. This document reports on the preliminary phases of this process. In the paper, we advise the importance of “fertilizing a patient engagement ecosystem”: an oversimplifying approach to patient engagement promotion appears the result of a common illusion. Patient “disengagement” is a symptom that needs a more holistic and complex approach to solve its underlined causes. Preliminary principles to promote a patient engagement ecosystem are provided in the paper.

Introduction to special section on the bright side of the couple relationship: Pro-relationship processes in response to positive and negative events

Partners in couple relationships inevitably encounter positive and negative events in their everyday lives: the ways they respond to such events have relevant effects on their personal and relational well-being. Within partners’ responses to positive and negative events, this special section focuses on partners’ pro-relationship processes regarded as those processes aimed at promoting partners’ relational well-being. Such a focus responds to recent calls to examine the ‘bright side’ of the couple relationship to come to a more complete understanding of how relationships resist to adversities as well as how they strive and flourish. In this special section, we equated the ‘bright side’ of the couple relationship not just with the positive (vs. negative) events couples might face, and not even with the inherent quality of the process responding to such events (positive vs. negative processes), but with the pro-relationship effects that each process might have in the specific context examined. In this special section of Family Science, nine articles analyze innovative aspects of processes traditionally studied in the close relationship literature (i.e. communication, disclosure, support, commitment, and conflict) as well as the role of newer individual processes (i.e. savoring and self-forgiveness) examined in their effects on the couple relationship. Findings are discussed in terms of the understanding of pro-relationship processes in response to positive and negative events as well as in terms of the implications for couple relationship interventions.

Keeping calm when riding the rapids: Optimism and perceived partner withdrawal

Partners often encounter situations in which their needs and preferences diverge. Partners sometimes prefer to be on their own and withdraw from interactions, and these situations can cause distress. We hypothesized that optimists may navigate such situations more adaptively. Using momentary assessment and questionnaire data from 103 couples, we examined how spouses responded to perceived partner withdrawal and whether optimism moderated these responses. When spouses perceived the partner to withdraw, they reported less positive and more negative behaviors. Optimism moderated this effect beyond the effects of positive expectations, suggesting that optimists are less reactive to withdrawal. Partners with more positive expectations reported more benevolent behaviors, although they reported less benevolent behaviors on days of partner withdrawal than on other days.

A qualitative evaluation of a preventive intervention for parents: The Groups for Family Enrichment_Parent version (GFE_P)

ABSTRACT The traditional objective of parenting enrichment programs is to train parents’ abilities and specific competences, but less attention is paid to promoting participants’ reflection on their parental identity. These programs are generally delivered to groups of parents, though the group is rarely considered a specific tool to promote changes in participants’ relational functioning. The Groups for Family Enrichment_Parent version (GFE_P; Iafrate, Donato, & Bertoni, 2010; Iafrate & Rosnati, 2007) focus on parental identity in addition to parental competences and skills and purposely use the group of parents as an educational tool, adopting a semistructured format. In this article, we first introduce the characteristics of GFE_P, then we present the results of a qualitative evaluation of an application of this intervention to a group of Italian parents. Findings from the process evaluation showed that participants actively contributed to the development of themes during the intervention. Result evaluation suggested that the recognition of key aspects of parental identity can be an important prerequisite to the acquisition of better parenting skills. Implications for parenting programs design are discussed.

Free to love? The role of intrusive parenting for young adult children’s romantic relationship quality

ABSTRACT Intrusive parenting is a form of boundary disturbance in the parent-child relationship which has been consistently associated with children’s maladjustment. The present study examines the role of intrusive parenting for young adult children’s romantic relationship quality. Relying on data from a two-wave longitudinal study among young couples in transition to marriage in Italy, we investigated the link between young adults’ perceived intrusive parenting and change in their romantic relationship quality from 6 months before marriage to 18 months after marriage, as well as the mediating role of change in the capacity to include the partner in the self. Data were analyzed using actor-partner interdependence modeling. Perceived intrusive parenting negatively predicted change in inclusion of the other in the self and change in romantic relationship quality for both partners. For females, change in their capacity of inclusion of the other in the self fully mediated the association between their perceived intrusive parenting and change in their own and partner’s relationship quality. Limitations and implications for practice are discussed.