Compensatory health motivations and behaviors scale: Development, evaluation, psychometric properties and a preliminary validation.

The "Compensatory Health Beliefs" scale assesses the degree to which one believes that unhealthy behaviours can be compensated through healthier ones. However, no validated scale to assess compensatory weight-related behaviors exists. The study's objective was to develop (Study 1) and validate (Study 2) a questionnaire measuring compensatory health motivations and behaviors (CHMB) and to assess their associations with body mass index (BMI) and psychological weight-related measures. An initial 34-item measure was constructed based on a target sample's (Study 1, n = 158) suggestions and refined based on expert feedback. The measure was then tested in a representative Canadian adult sample (N = 1400, 48.7% male). The sample was stratified by sex and age and then randomly split into two (N = 701 for exploratory factor analysis; N = 699 for confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) cross-validation). Fit indices, standardized Cronbach's alphas and the associations between the CHMB model with cognitive restraint, weight concerns, and BMI were assessed in multiple linear regression models controlling for age and sex. The final CHMB model (n = 17 items) consisted of four subscales: (1) motivation, (2) use on special occasions, (3) general use, (4) compensatory health beliefs. Fit indices (Goodness of Fit Index = 0.922) and Cronbach's alphas were good (α = 0.88). In multiple linear regression models, all CHMB subscales were associated with greater cognitive restraint in eating. Compensatory behavior use on special occasions was associated with greater weight concern (B = 0.12, p < .0001), while general compensatory behavior use was associated with lower weight concern (B = -0.07, p < .05). None of the subscales were associated with BMI. The validated CHMB scale allows for the assessment of compensatory health motivations and behaviors in a Canadian population. Research on whether this scale can predict weight changes and general health is needed.

Dating Violence Trajectories in Adolescence: How Do They Relate to Sexual Outcomes in Canada?

Dating violence during adolescence is a major public health issue: it is highly prevalent and extensive research has documented its physical and psychological consequences, yet very little has focused on its sexual consequences. The present study investigated the longitudinal associations between dating violence victimization (psychological, sexual or physical) and sexual well-being (sexual satisfaction and sexual distress) among 1442 sexually active adolescents aged between 14 and 17 years who completed at least one of three data waves (51.1% girls; 45.7% boys; 0.3% non-binary; 3.0% varying gender identity). The study also examined whether these associations differed by gender identity and sexual minority status. Adolescents completed online questionnaires on electronic tablets during class. The results indicated that psychological, physical (except for boys), and sexual dating violence victimization were all associated with lower sexual satisfaction and greater sexual distress over time. Moreover, the between-level associations between dating violence and poorer sexual outcomes were stronger among girls and gender varying adolescents than among boys. The within-level association between physical dating violence and sexual satisfaction was significant among adolescents with a nonvarying sexual minority status, but not among those with a nonvarying heterosexual status or that varied in sexual minority status. Findings offer cues for dating violence prevention and intervention programs by suggesting the need to examine sexual well-being over time.

Parents' history of childhood interpersonal trauma and postpartum depressive symptoms: The moderating role of mindfulness.

Postpartum depression is the most commonly reported mental health issue among parents welcoming a new child, with long-term impacts on the well-being of their family. Survivors of childhood interpersonal trauma (CIT) appear to be more vulnerable with higher rates of postpartum depressive symptoms. Yet, studies are needed on protective mechanism that can buffer the link between CIT and postpartum depressive symptoms, to identify factors that can promote resilience in CIT survivors as they navigate this demanding period. Studies also need to include both parents to adopt a comprehensive dyadic perspective. This study examined the moderating role of mindfulness, a protective mechanism documented as key for both postpartum mental health and trauma processing, in the association between CIT and postpartum depressive symptoms in parental couples. A randomly selected sample of 843 couples who recently welcomed a new child completed self-reported measures of CIT, dispositional mindfulness and postpartum depression. Path analyses showed that more experience of CIT was associated with higher levels of postpartum depression, but this association was weaker in parents with higher dispositional mindfulness. Exploration of mindfulness facets yielded that higher disposition to act with awareness and observation acted as specific buffers, for fathers and mothers respectively. In addition, more CIT reported by one parent was linked with their partner's higher depressive symptoms. These findings shed light on the protective role of mindfulness during the postpartum period to protect against postpartum depression in parents who are CIT survivors and their partners.

The roles of negative emotion intensity, negative emotion differentiation, and self-compassion in loss of control eating.

OBJECTIVE: Negative affect intensity is robustly related to binge eating, but the relationship between negative emotion differentiation (i.e., the ability to differentiate negatively-valenced emotions) and binge eating is unclear. Further, little is known about factors that might reduce emotion intensity and/or enhance emotion differentiation, thereby reducing binge eating. Self-compassion is consistently linked to less binge eating, which may be due to decreased negative affect and/or an enhanced ability to differentiate emotions. The current study examined the roles of negative emotion intensity, negative emotion differentiation, and self-compassion in binge eating using ecological momentary assessment. METHOD: Participants were 201 university students (52.2% female) who completed questionnaires assessing affect seven times a day, and engagement in loss of control (LOC) eating episodes at the end of each day, for 10 days. The average of sadness, fear, guilt, and hostility subscales represented negative emotion intensity; intraclass correlations across negative affect subscales defined negative emotion differentiation. Both daily (i.e., within-person) and trait (i.e., between-person) emotion variables were examined as predictors. RESULTS: Between-person negative emotion intensity, but not negative emotion differentiation, significantly predicted LOC eating occurrence. Self-compassion had a significant effect on LOC eating frequency, and this relationship was partially mediated via negative emotion intensity, but not via negative emotion differentiation. DISCUSSION: Lower levels of negative emotion intensity partially account for the relationship between greater self-compassion and less frequent LOC eating. These findings highlight the importance of cultivating self-compassion to down-regulate negative emotions and to reduce LOC eating. PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Our findings suggest that university students who approach their limitations compassionately experience fewer negative emotions in daily life and engage in less loss of control eating. Lower levels of negative affect partially explain this relationship between self-compassion and loss of control eating. These results highlight the importance of cultivating an understanding and a compassionate attitude toward oneself for reducing eating pathology.

A Pilot Study on In-Task Affect Predicting Free-Living Adherence to HIIT and MICT.

Purpose: To report pilot test findings on whether in-task affect during a supervised exercise program, where participants were randomized to either moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) or high-intensity interval training (HIIT), predicts changes in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA-Total and MVPA10+ in bouts of ≥ 10 min) at 1- and 6-month post-intervention. Method: This experimental study design randomized 32 inactive adults with prediabetes to complete a 2-week supervised MICT or HIIT plus behavioral counseling exercise intervention and objectively assessed free-living physical activity post-intervention. The Feeling Scale (FS) was used to assess the in-task effect. FS was measured in the middle of four, 1-min intervals in the HIIT condition, corresponding to ~20%, ~50%, ~75%, and ~85% of work out time. For the MICT condition, FS was assessed at similar exercise duration percentage times as HIIT. Accelerometer data evaluated MVPA at 1- and 6-month post-intervention. Results: 32 adults were included in the analyses. Pilot findings indicated in-task affect between the conditions did not predict changes in MVPA-Total from baseline to 1 and 6 months. For MVPA10+, in-task affect negatively predicted MVPA10+ over time in the MICT condition only. Conclusion: This study provides preliminary evidence that affect during MICT negatively predicts MVPA10+ over time, and that there is no difference of in-task affect's utility in predicting MVPA-Total between HIIT and MICT. Larger studies are required to confirm these findings.

Variation in the µ-opioid receptor gene (OPRM1) and experiences of felt security in response to a romantic partner's quarrelsome behavior.

Research suggests that endogenous opioids play a key role in the creation and maintenance of attachment bonds. Opioids acting at the µ-opioid receptor mediate reward and analgesia and are thus thought to underlie feelings of comfort and warmth experienced in the presence of close others. Disruption of µ-opioidergic activity increases separation distress in animals, suggesting that low opioid states may contribute to social pain. Accordingly, a functional µ-opioid receptor (OPRM1) polymorphism (C77G in primates, A118G in humans) affecting opioidergic signaling has been associated with separation distress and attachment behavior in nonhuman primates, and social pain sensitivity in humans. However, no research has examined the effects of this polymorphism on socioemotional experience, and specifically felt security, in daily interactions between romantic partners. Using an event-contingent recording method, members of 92 cohabiting romantic couples reported their felt security and quarrelsome behavior in daily interactions with each other for 20 days. Consistent with prior work, findings suggested that, relative to AA homozygotes, G allele carriers were more sensitive to their partners' self-reported quarrelsome behaviors (e.g., criticism), showing a greater decline in felt security when their partners reported higher quarrelsome behavior than usual. This is the first study to link variation in OPRM1 with felt security toward romantic partners in everyday social interactions. More generally, this research supports the theory that the attachment system incorporated evolutionarily primitive pain-regulating opioidergic pathways. We also discuss implications of this work for understanding of differential vulnerability to health risks posed by social stress.

Interpersonal perception and interpersonal spin.

INTRODUCTION: Interpersonal spin is an indicator of intraindividual variability in social behavior. Spin is positively related to Neuroticism and is maladaptive, with well-documented deleterious effects on social functioning. The perceptual processes associated with spin and how spin emerges are less well-understood. The present research examines the interpersonal perception of individuals with higher spin and tests whether these perceptual processes explain the association of spin with Neuroticism. METHOD: 267 students participated in a 20-day event contingent recording procedure, reporting on social interactions via mobile application. Participants' perceptions of others' behavior, their own affect, and their own behavior were measured within and across interactions. RESULTS: We examined the affective and behavioral responses of individuals with higher spin to perceptions of others' behaviors. Individuals with higher spin showed greater affective and behavioral reactivity to perceptions of others' communal (agreeable-quarrelsome) behavior. Neuroticism predicted greater affective reactivity (i.e., steeper slopes between event-level perceived communion and negative affect), which in turn predicted higher spin. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with higher spin may have an interpersonal style characterized by greater reactivity to perceptions of others' communal behavior. These individuals' behavioral lability may reflect underlying emotional dysregulation. These processes may ultimately interfere with the formation and maintenance of social bonds.

CD38 is associated with communal behavior, partner perceptions, affect and relationship adjustment in romantic relationships.

Given the significance of close relationships for human survival, it is thought that biological mechanisms evolved to support their initiation and maintenance. The neuropeptide oxytocin is one such candidate identified in non-human animal research. We investigated whether variation in CD38, a gene involved in oxytocin secretion and attachment behavior in rodents, predicts romantic relationship dynamics in daily life. Community couples participated in an event-contingent recording (ECR) study in which they reported their social behavior, perception of their partner's behavior, and affect during their interactions with one another over a 20-day period; couples also completed various measures of relationship adjustment. Out of the 111 couples (N = 222 individuals) who provided either ECR and/or relationship adjustment information, we had information on CD38 for 118 individuals. As hypothesized, variation in rs3796863, a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) identified in prior work, predicted communal behaviors (e.g., the expression of affection), as well as overall relationship adjustment, such that individuals with the CC (vs. AC/AA) allele reported higher levels of communal behavior across their daily interactions with their romantic partner, as well as higher levels of relationship adjustment. Individuals with the CC (vs. AC/AA) allele of rs3796863 also reported less negative affect and felt insecurity in their interactions with their romantic partner. Notably, we found that variation in the romantic partner's rs3796863 SNP was related to the person's outcomes, independent of the person's rs3796863 genotype. These findings support the role of oxytocin in the interpersonal processes implicated in the maintenance of close relationships.

The effects of if-then plans on weight loss: results of the 24-month follow-up of the McGill CHIP Healthy Weight Program randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Current evidence suggests that some of the most effective weight loss approaches are changes in dietary and physical activity behaviors through lifestyle modification programs. The Group Lifestyle Balance (GLB) program is a group-based behavior modification program aimed at changing diet and physical activity for weight loss. It was developed to be more cost-effective and easier to disseminate than its individually administered parent program, the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP). However, the average weight loss following participation in the GLB is only approximately 3.5%, with low long-term weight loss maintenance. PURPOSE: We aimed to optimize the weight loss outcomes of the GLB to increase the efficacy already afforded by its cost-effectiveness and ease of dissemination. We did this by integrating the habit formation tool of if-then plans into the program. This program is called the enriched GLB or the McGill Comprehensive Health Improvement (CHIP) Healthy Weight Program. Results at 3 and 12 months of participation have already been published elsewhere. They showed no between-group differences between the standard and enriched GLB but higher weight loss in both groups compared to the DPP. This paper reports the long-term weight loss maintenance data following participation in the program. METHODS: Of the 172 participants enrolled at the beginning of the study, data from 110 participants were available and analyzed at 24 months, i.e., 12 months after the end of the 12-month intervention. RESULTS: No between-group difference in weight loss maintenance was observed. Pooled results showed a significant weight regain from 12 to 24 months, i.e., an average of 7.85 lbs. of the 20.36 lbs. lost. However, participants from both groups were still 12.51lbs or 6.13% lighter at 24 months than at baseline. CONCLUSION: If-then plans did not result in a higher percentage of weight loss at 24-month follow-up compared to the standard GLB. However, at 24 months, both groups did show a maintenance of a significant portion of the weight lost at the end of intervention. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02008435, registered 6 December 2013.

Maternal oxytocin predicts relationship survival during the perinatal transition period: Preliminary evidence.

It is well-known that the neuropeptide oxytocin plays a critical role regulating the formation of adult-adult pairbonds in non-human animals, and recent work suggests oxytocin may similarly play an important role in romantic bonding in humans. Specifically, endogenous oxytocin is predictive of a host of relationship-enhancing behaviors, relationship quality, and even relationship survival amongst newly dating couples. This work suggests that oxytocin can buffer romantic relationships, possibly during especially difficult transition periods. One challenge that many couples face is the birth of a child: a joyous event, but one that is recognized as a major life stressor nonetheless. We aimed to investigate whether maternal oxytocin buffers the parent-partner relationship during the perinatal transition period. To test this, we analyzed data from a longitudinal study of child-bearing women (N = 269) in which endogenous oxytocin was measured in blood plasma during the 1st and 3rd trimesters and at 7-9 weeks postpartum; relationship status was assessed at the outset and 2.5 years postpartum. As predicted, lower maternal oxytocin was associated with greater risk for relationship dissolution by the time the child was a toddler (p < .05). These findings directly replicate research showing that endogenous oxytocin predicts relationship survival in dating couples, but in a novel interpersonal context. That said, only a very small number (N = 7) of couples separated; this, of course, is unsurprising given that the perinatal transition period is not a time when couples typically choose to terminate their relationship. Nonetheless, these findings must be considered preliminary until replicated in future research.

The Effects of If-Then Plans on Weight Loss: Results of the McGill CHIP Healthy Weight Program Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: The NIH-developed Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) is successful in achieving clinically significant weight loss in individuals with overweight/obesity when delivered one-on-one. The group-based DPP is less effective, with average weight losses of only 3.5%. The objective of this study was to increase weight loss outcomes of the group-based DPP by integrating habit formation tools (i.e., if-then plans). This two-arm randomized controlled trial tested the efficacy of the habit formation-enhanced group-based DPP compared with the standard group-based DPP on changes in body weight (primary outcome). This study presents the 3- and 12-month results of this 24-month trial. METHODS: A total of 208 participants were randomly assigned to the standard or enhanced DPP, and 172 participated. Participants were men and women with overweight/obesity who self-reported less than 200 min/wk of exercise. RESULTS: Both groups achieved high weight losses at 3 (5.76%) and 12 (9.98%) months, with no differences between groups (χ2 < 1). Both groups improved in blood pressure and physical activity. CONCLUSIONS: If-then plans did not result in higher weight loss. Both program versions resulted in higher weight loss than the group-based DPP. This may suggest that cognitive behavioral therapy skills of the coaches (clinical psychology doctoral students) was a key factor in treatment outcome.

Alcohol Consumption and Trait Anger Strengthen the Association Between Perceived Quarrelsomeness and Quarrelsome Behavior via Feeling Angry.

BACKGROUND: Alcohol intoxication facilitates interpersonal aggression, but this effect depends on person and situation characteristics. Using the Alcohol Myopia Model, we examined the joint influence of alcohol, trait anger, and state anger on the association between perceived quarrelsomeness in an interaction partner and quarrelsome behavior in naturally occurring interpersonal interactions. METHODS: Using an event-contingent recording method over a 20-day period, community adults reported their perception of an interaction partner's quarrelsome behavior, their own anger and quarrelsome behavior, and the number of alcohol drinks consumed up to 3 hours prior to an interpersonal interaction. RESULTS: Results revealed that alcohol consumption and trait anger jointly moderated the association between perceived quarrelsomeness and quarrelsome behavior indirectly via state anger. Heightened anger experience accounted for increased quarrelsome behavior in response to perceived quarrelsomeness among higher trait anger individuals who reported increased alcohol consumption. When no alcohol was consumed, no such difference in quarrelsome behavioral response was found between low and high trait anger individuals. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that alcohol consumption may strengthen the influence of perceived quarrelsomeness on a person's own quarrelsome behavior among individuals with a readiness to experience anger. Intense anger experience may undermine these individuals' ability to inhibit aggressive behaviors when under the influence of alcohol.

Intra- and Interindividual Variability in the Behavioral, Affective, and Perceptual Effects of Alcohol Consumption in a Social Context.

BACKGROUND: We examined the influence of interindividual differences in alcohol use on the intraindividual associations of drinking occurrence with interpersonal behaviors, affect, and perceptions of others during naturally occurring social interactions. METHODS: For 14 consecutive days, 219 psychology freshmen (55% female; Mage  = 20.7 years, SD = 2.18) recorded their behaviors, affect, and perceptions in social interactions soon after an interpersonal event occurred. Interpersonal behaviors and perceptions were assessed in terms of dominance-submissiveness and agreeableness-quarrelsomeness. Participants also reported the number of alcoholic drinks consumed within 3 hours of each interaction. We considered the intraindividual associations of (i) having a drinking episode and (ii) the number of drinks during an episode with behaviors, affect, and perceptions and examined interindividual differences in drinking frequency and intensity during social interactions as potential moderators of these associations. RESULTS: Social drinking frequency and intensity moderated the associations between drinking episode and behaviors, affect, and perceptions in social interactions. During a drinking episode, more frequent social drinkers perceived others as more dominant than less frequent social drinkers. During a drinking episode in which more alcohol was consumed than usual, more frequent social drinkers also reported behaving more dominantly and experiencing less pleasant affect. CONCLUSIONS: As more frequent social drinkers had different interpersonal responses to drinking than less frequent social drinkers, including when they had consumed larger amounts of alcohol than usual, our results suggest a differential susceptibility to the effects of alcohol during naturally occurring social interactions among drinkers with varying drinking frequency.

Daily Mindful Responding Mediates the Effect of Meditation Practice on Stress and Mood: The Role of Practice Duration and Adherence.

OBJECTIVE: Although meditation practice is an important component of many mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs), empirical findings of its effects on psychological functioning are mixed and the mechanisms for the effects remain unclear. Responding with mindfulness (i.e., returning one's attention back to a nonjudgmental, present-oriented awareness) is a fundamental skill practiced in meditations. With repeated meditation practice, this skill is thought to become internalized and be applied to one's daily life. We thus hypothesized that the extent to which individuals responded to daily events with mindfulness would mediate the effects of meditation practice (instance, duration, and adherence to instructions) on psychological well-being. METHOD: Using a daily diary methodology, we tracked the meditation practice, use of mindful responding during the day, and psychological outcomes (perceived stress, negative and positive affect) of 117 mindfulness-based stress reduction program participants. RESULTS: We found that on days when participants meditated, they responded with greater mindfulness to daily events, which accounted for the beneficial effects of meditating on psychological outcomes. Furthermore, findings suggest that on meditation days, longer and more closely adhered meditation practices were independently associated with increases in mindful responding, which in turn were associated with better psychological outcomes. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that regular, longer, and more closely adhered meditation practice is an important component of MBIs, in part because it leads to responding more mindfully in daily life, which promotes well-being.

What's interpersonal in interpersonal perception? The role of target's attachment in the accuracy of perception.

OBJECTIVE: We examined the influence of attachment orientation on the accuracy of perception of negative affect in close relationships. We hypothesized that tracking accuracy of perceiving negative affect (a) would be lower among perceivers and targets with higher attachment avoidance and (b) would be lowest when both the target and perceiver were high on attachment avoidance. Tracking accuracy would be (c) higher among perceivers and targets with higher attachment anxiety and (d) highest when both the target and perceiver were high on attachment anxiety. METHOD: We collected data from 92 couples who reported their negative affect and perception of their partner's negative affect in interactions with each other on 20 days. RESULTS: Results supported the hypotheses for attachment avoidance and tracking accuracy. Tracking accuracy of perceived negative affect was low when the target was high on attachment avoidance; accuracy was lowest when both the target and the perceiver were high on attachment avoidance. CONCLUSIONS: Lower "readability" of high avoidantly attached targets' emotions may inhibit intimacy and sensitive responding, which thereby may contribute to poor relationship outcomes.

Shame, Catastrophizing, and Negative Partner Responses Are Associated With Lower Sexual and Relationship Satisfaction and More Negative Affect in Men With Peyronie's Disease.

Peyronie's disease (PD) has a negative impact on men's sexual functioning and quality of life, but little is known about why some men cope better than others and what the effects of PD are on their relationships. The aims of the present study were to describe negative affect, pain, and relationship and sexual satisfaction in men with PD, and to explore their psychosocial correlates. Participants were 110 men diagnosed with PD. All men completed questionnaires. The main outcome measures were as follows: Global Measure of Sexual Satisfaction, Dyadic Adjustment Scale, McGill Pain Questionnaire, and Negative Affect Scale. The predictor variables were the following: Experience of Shame Scale, Body Esteem Scale, Body Image Self-Consciousness Scale, Index of Male Genital Image, a modified Pain Catastrophizing Scale, and a modified Multidimensional Pain Inventory. Although men with PD had mean sexual/relationship satisfaction and negative affect scores indicating mild impairment, there was a wide range of variation, with 42% to 52% scoring in the clinical range. Catastrophizing was significantly associated with reduced sexual satisfaction and increased negative affect and pain. Shame was also associated with increased negative affect. The significant associations of relationship satisfaction were partner responses and shame. Given the lack of curative treatment in PD, understanding why some men cope better than others may guide therapy. Shame, catastrophizing, and partner responses may be important therapeutic targets.

Female Partners of Men With Peyronie's Disease Have Impaired Sexual Function, Satisfaction, and Mood, While Degree of Sexual Interference Is Associated With Worse Outcomes.

INTRODUCTION: Peyronie's disease (PD) causes penile deformity and can result in sexual dysfunction and psychological distress. Currently, nothing is known about the psychosexual impact on the partners of men with PD. Research carried out on the partners of men with other chronic illnesses suggests that the partners of men with PD might have increased rates of sexual dysfunction and decreased sexual satisfaction. AIMS: To examine (i) sexual functioning, sexual satisfaction, negative affect, and relationship satisfaction of men with PD and their female partners and (ii) the effect of male-perceived sexual interference on partners' outcomes. METHODS: Forty-four men diagnosed with PD and their female partners completed a questionnaire package. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Each partner filled out the Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale, the Positive and Negative Affect Scale, the Global Measure of Sexual Satisfaction, and the Female Sexual Function Index (women) or the International Index of Erectile Function (men). RESULTS: Overall, partners of men with PD were found to have decreased sexual function, sexual satisfaction, and mood compared with population-based norms. Men and their partners showed non-distressed levels of relationship satisfaction. The degree to which PD interfered with sexual activity was an important correlate of outcomes. Increased sexual interference was associated with lower sexual function and satisfaction for the person experiencing interference. Sexual interference also was associated with negative affect and relationship satisfaction in partners and the person experiencing interference. CONCLUSION: PD is associated with negative psychosexual and psychosocial effects on those with the disease and their partners. As a result, assessment and intervention should include the two members of the couple.

Conceptualizing and Measuring Self-Criticism as Both a Personality Trait and a Personality State.

Blatt's ( 2004 , 2008 ) conceptualization of self-criticism is consistent with a state-trait model that postulates meaningful variation in self-criticism both between persons (traits) and within person (states). We tested the state-trait model in a 7-day diary study with 99 college student participants. Each evening they completed a 6-item measure of self-criticism, as well as measures of perceived social support, positive and negative affect, compassionate and self-image goals during interactions with others, and interpersonal behavior, including overt self-criticism and given social support. As predicted, self-criticism displayed both trait-like variance between persons and daily fluctuations around individuals' mean scores for the week; slightly more than half of the total variance was between persons (ICC = .56). Numerous associations at both the between-persons and within-person levels were found between self-criticism and the other variables, indicating that individuals' mean levels of self-criticism over the week, and level of self-criticism on a given day relative to their personal mean, were related to their cognitions, affect, interpersonal goals, and behavior. The results supported the construct validity of the daily self-criticism measure. Moreover, the findings were consistent with the state-trait model and with Blatt's theoretical analysis of self-critical personality.

Intimacy, sexual satisfaction, and sexual distress in vulvodynia couples: An observational study.

OBJECTIVE: Vulvodynia is a prevalent idiopathic pain condition with deleterious consequences for the sexuality of affected women and their spouses. Intimacy has been identified as a facilitator of adjustment to health difficulties in couples. Two components of intimacy were examined among couples with vulvodynia-empathic response and disclosure-in relation to their sexual satisfaction and sexual distress. METHOD: Using an observational design, 50 women (Mage = 24.50 years, SD = 4.03) diagnosed with vulvodynia and their spouses (Mage = 26.10 years, SD = 5.70) participated in a filmed discussion focusing on the impact of vulvodynia on their lives. Empathic response and disclosure were assessed by a trained observer and self-reported by participants after engaging in the discussion. The actor-partner interdependence model guided the data analyses. RESULTS: Women's and spouses' higher observed and perceived empathic responses were associated with their own and their partners' greater sexual satisfaction. Women's and spouses' higher perceived disclosures were associated with their own and their partners' greater sexual satisfaction. Women's and spouses' higher observed empathic responses were associated with their own lower sexual distress. Women's higher observed empathic responses were associated with their spouses' lower sexual distress. Women and spouses' perceived greater empathic responses were associated with their own lower sexual distress. Women's and spouses' greater perceived disclosures during the discussion were associated with their own and their partners' lower sexual distress. CONCLUSION: Promoting empathic response and disclosure through couple interventions may buffer against the sexual distress and sexual dissatisfaction of couples coping with vulvodynia. (PsycINFO Database Record

Daily Associations Among Male Partner Responses, Pain During Intercourse, and Anxiety in Women With Vulvodynia and Their Partners.

UNLABELLED: Vulvodynia is a prevalent vulvovaginal pain condition that disrupts the sexual and psychological health of affected women and their partners. Cross-sectional and daily experience studies suggest that partner responses to this pain influence the psychological and sexual sequelae of affected couples. However, their daily impact on pain and anxiety remain unknown. Using a daily diary method, 69 women (M age = 28.12, SD = 6.68) diagnosed with vulvodynia and their cohabiting partners (M age = 29.67, SD = 8.10) reported on male partner responses to women's pain and anxiety symptoms on sexual intercourse days (M = 6.54, SD = 4.99) over 8 weeks. Women also reported their pain during intercourse. Results indicated that women reported greater pain on days when they perceived higher solicitous and negative male partner responses, and on days when their male partner reported greater solicitous and lower facilitative responses. Women indicated higher anxiety symptoms on days when they perceived more negative male partner responses; men's anxiety symptoms were greater on days when they reported higher negative male partner responses. Targeting partner responses may enhance the quality and efficacy of interventions aimed at reducing pain in women with vulvodynia and couples' psychological distress. PERSPECTIVE: This article examines the daily associations among male partner responses, women's pain during intercourse, and anxiety in couples coping with vulvodynia. Targeting male partner responses may enhance the quality of interventions aimed at reducing women's pain and the psychological distress of couples coping with vulvodynia.