Women and Men are the Barometers of Relationships: Testing the Predictive Power of Women's and Men's Relationship Satisfaction.

There is a longstanding belief in relationship science and popular opinion that women are the barometers in mixed-gender relationships such that their perceptions about the partnership carry more weight than men's in predicting future relationship satisfaction, but this idea has yet to be rigorously tested. We analyze data from two studies to test within-person links between men's and women's relationship satisfaction on their own and their partner's next-day and next-year satisfaction. Study 1 combined nine daily diary datasets from Canada and the United States with 901 mixed-gender couples who provided 29,541 daily reports of relationship satisfaction. Study 2 analyzed five annual waves of data from the German Family Panel (pairfam) that surveyed 3,405 mixed-gender couples who provided 21,115 relationship satisfaction reports. Latent curve models with structured residuals (LCM-SR) revealed that in both studies, men's and women's relationship satisfaction significantly predicted their own and their partner's relationship satisfaction, with no gender differences in the magnitude of these effects. Results underscore the interdependence of romantic partners' satisfaction and indicate that both men and women jointly shape romantic relationship satisfaction.

The landscape of autosomal-recessive pathogenic variants in European populations reveals phenotype-specific effects.

The number and distribution of recessive alleles in the population for various diseases are not known at genome-wide-scale. Based on 6,447 exome sequences of healthy, genetically unrelated Europeans of two distinct ancestries, we estimate that every individual is a carrier of at least 2 pathogenic variants in currently known autosomal-recessive (AR) genes and that 0.8%-1% of European couples are at risk of having a child affected with a severe AR genetic disorder. This risk is 16.5-fold higher for first cousins but is significantly more increased for skeletal disorders and intellectual disabilities due to their distinct genetic architecture.

A tale of two marital stressors: Comparing proinflammatory responses to partner distress and marital conflict.

Marital quality shares ties to inflammatory conditions like cardiovascular disease and diabetes. For decades, research has focused on marital conflict as a primary mechanism given its potential to trigger inflammatory responses. However, longitudinal evidence suggests that marital conflict declines over time, and little attention has been paid to the inflammatory aftermath of other types of marital exchanges. A spouse's emotional distress is an important but overlooked marital context, as partners are exposed to each other's upsetting emotions throughout adulthood. To directly compare reactivity in proinflammatory gene expression to these two marital stressors and to examine differences by age and marital satisfaction, 203 community adults ages 25-90 (N = 102 couples) provided blood samples and rated their negative mood before and after they 1) watched their partner relive an upsetting personal memory and, in a separate visit 1-2 weeks later, 2) discussed a conflictual topic in their relationship. Controlling for age, sex, race/ethnicity, BMI, alcohol use, smoking, and comorbidities, increases in proinflammatory gene expression were significantly larger after the partner's upsetting disclosure than after marital conflict (B = 0.073, SE = 0.031, p = .018). This pattern paralleled emotional reactivity to the tasks, wherein negative mood rose more in response to the partner's disclosure than to marital conflict (B = 4.305, SE = 1.468, p = .004). In sum, proinflammatory and mood reactivity to spousal distress exceeded reactivity to marital conflict, a well-established marital stressor. Findings reveal spousal distress as a novel mechanism that may link marriage to inflammation-related diseases, and even pose risks for both happy and unhappy couples across adulthood.

The experiences of men on active surveillance for prostate cancer and their significant others: A qualitative synthesis.

BACKGROUND: Active surveillance (AS) for prostate cancer (PCa) is a monitoring pathway for men with low-grade, slow growing PCa and aims to delay or avoid active treatment by treating only in the case of disease progression. Experiences of this pathway vary but living with an untreated cancer can have a negative psychological impact on both the patient and their significant other (SO). Literature suggests partners are the primary source of support for men on AS, and therefore it is important to consider SO experiences alongside those of the patient. To the best of our knowledge this is the first UK-based qualitative review looking specifically at experiences of AS for both men with PCa and their SOs. METHODS: MEDLINE (Ovid), EMBASE, PsychINFO, CINAHL and Cochrane Library were searched for literature reporting qualitative experiences of AS for PCa for either men on AS or SOs (or both). 2769 records were identified and screened, with 28 meeting the eligibility criteria. Qualitative data were synthesised and included men on AS (n = 428), and SOs (n = 51). RESULTS: Experiences of the AS pathway vary but reports of uncertainty and anxiety were present in the accounts of both men on AS and SOs. SOs are intertwined throughout every part of the PCa journey, and couples presented as a unit that were on AS together. Both patients and SOs expressed a need for more support, and highly valued peer support. Despite this finding, men expressed a dislike towards 'support groups'. CONCLUSIONS: Increased recognition in clinical practice of SO involvement in AS is needed. Further research is required to explore the specific types of support that would be most acceptable to this population to address the unmet support needs uncovered in this review.

Main Partner Relationships and the HIV Care Cascade: Examining the Predictive Utility of Sexual Agreements, Partner Concordance, and Drug Use Among Sexual Minority Men Living With HIV in the USA.

BACKGROUND: The past 15 years have seen increasing attention to relationship factors among sexual minority male (SMM) couples at high risk for HIV infection. Research has largely focused on HIV prevention outcomes. Outcomes relevant to SMM living with HIV have received relatively less attention. PURPOSE: This study evaluated associations between relational covariates (relationship status, sexual agreements, and seroconcordance) and HIV care cascade outcomes (having a current antiretroviral therapy [ART] prescription, ART adherence, viral load (VL) testing, and VL detectability) above and beyond cannabis and stimulant drug use. METHODS: Adult SMM (n = 36,874) living with HIV in the USA were recruited between November 1, 2017 and March 15, 2020 through social networking applications. They completed a cross-sectional survey online. RESULTS: Nonmonogamous SMM with serodiscordant partners were most likely to have an ART prescription. Those with seroconcordant partners (regardless of sexual agreements) were least likely to be adherent. While relational covariates were not associated with VL testing, SMM in nonmonogamous relationships with serodiscordant partners were significantly more likely to have an undetectable VL. Those in monogamous relationships with seroconcordant partners were significantly less likely to have an undetectable VL. CONCLUSIONS: SMM with seroconcordant partners and monogamous sexual agreements may experience diminished interpersonal motivation for HIV care engagement. HIV care cascade retention messages that emphasize the prevention of onward transmission may have limited relevance for these SMM. Novel intervention strategies are needed to enhance HIV care outcomes in this population, ideally ones that incorporate attention to drug use.

The majority of people living with HIV in the USA are sexual minority men (SMM). Whereas substantial work has examined HIV prevention in male couples, relatively little has examined relationship factors associated with HIV care outcomes. This study examined whether relationship status, main partner serostatus (seroconcordant vs. serodiscordant), and sexual agreements (monogamous vs. nonmonogamous) were associated with HIV care cascade outcomes (having a current antiretroviral therapy [ART] prescription, ART adherence, viral load testing, and viral load detectability) above and beyond cannabis and stimulant drug use. We surveyed adult SMM (n = 36,874) living with HIV in the USA between November 2017 and March 2020. Across outcomes where significant between-group differences were observed, results generally indicated partnered SMM with serodiscordant partners­particularly those in nonmonogamous relationships­were more likely to be retained in the HIV care cascade; meanwhile, SMM with seroconcordant partners­particularly those in monogamous relationships­were most vulnerable to attrition in the HIV care cascade. Given this pattern of findings, it is conceivable that efforts to motivate linkage and retention along the HIV care cascade have emphasized the prevention of onward transmission while failing to capitalize on or acknowledge health enhancement as an additional (and coequal) source of motivation.

Daily Relationship Functioning and Disordered Eating Behaviors Among Sexual Minority Women in Same-Sex Relationships.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The present study aimed to examine associations between different types of relationship functioning and disordered eating behaviors (DEBs) in the everyday lives of sexual minority women in same-sex relationships-an at-risk population that has not been assessed in this context. METHODS: Participants included 321 young sexual minority women (Mage = 27.56, SD = 3.67) in same-sex relationships who completed surveys assessing their daily relationship functioning and DEB use each day for a 14-day daily diary period. Multilevel structural equation modeling was used to examine daily-, person-, and couple-level associations among women's daily relationship functioning (general relationship functioning, positive and negative relational behaviors they and, separately, their partners engaged in) and DEBs (overeating, loss of control eating, emotional eating, and dietary restriction). RESULTS: Results generally indicated that more positive and less negative daily relationship functioning across all assessed constructs was associated with less same-day emotional eating. In contrast, associations between all daily relationship functioning constructs and loss of control eating were not significant, nor were any relationship functioning-DEB associations at the couple level. More circumscribed patterns of association were identified for associations between the relationship functioning constructs, and overeating and dietary restriction. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, these findings provide insight into how aspects of daily relationship functioning map onto sexual minority women's daily engagement in DEBs that are linked to poor health long-term, and directions for future research and clinical practice that may warrant consideration moving forward to help advance the evidence-base and care for this historically overlooked and underserved population.

The present study examined associations between different types of relationship functioning (e.g., general relationship functioning, positive and negative relational behaviors that participants and their partners engaged in during their interactions with one another) and disordered eating behaviors (DEBs) in the everyday lives of sexual minority women in same-sex relationships. Results generally indicated that on days when women reported more positive and less negative daily relationship functioning, they also reported less emotional eating that day. In contrast, associations between different types of daily relationship functioning and loss of control eating were not significant. Furthermore, associations between different types of daily relationship functioning relative to overeating and dietary restriction varied based on the type of relationship functioning and DEB under consideration. Collectively, these findings provide insight into how different types of daily relationship functioning map onto sexual minority women's daily engagement in DEBs that are linked to poor health long-term. These findings also provide directions for future research and clinical practice that may warrant consideration moving forward to help advance the evidence base and care for this historically overlooked and underserved population.

HPV positivity status in males is related to the acquisition of HPV infection in females in heterosexual couples.

PURPOSE: Few studies have focused on the impact of human papillomavirus (HPV) positivity in male partners on female HPV infection and cervical lesions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of the HPV infection status of husbands on wives' cervical HPV infection and lesions. METHODS: We surveyed 251 monogamous couples who attended the outpatient department of Fujian Maternity and Child Health Hospital from 2013 to 2021. HPV type analysis was performed on exfoliated cells of the females' cervix and males' urethra by the PCR-reverse dot blot method. We analyzed the prevalence and consistency of HPV types in 251 couples. Subsequently, the risk of HPV infection in females with HPV-positive male partners was analyzed. SPSS version 26 (IBM, Chicago, USA) was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: In 251 couples, the most commonly detected high-risk HPV (HR-HPV) genotypes were 52, 51, 16, and 58 for males and 16, 52, 18, and 58 for females. Wives with HPV-positive husbands had higher infection rates for most HR-HPV genotypes. HR-HPV positivity in husbands was a risk factor for the development of cervical lesions in wives (OR = 2.250, P = 0.014). Both single-type (OR = 2.085, P = 0.040) and multiple-type (OR = 2.751, P = 0.036) infection in husbands will contributed to an increased risk of non-HR-HPV infection and cervical lesions in wives. CONCLUSION: Husbands' HPV positivity increases the burden of non-HR-HPV infection and increases the risk of cervical lesions developing in wives. It is hoped to provide a reference value for cervical cancer prevention in females and HPV vaccination in males.

ReACH2Gether: Iterative Development of a Couples-Based Intervention to Reduce Alcohol use Among Sexual Minority Men Living with HIV and Their Partners.

Unhealthy alcohol use, which encompasses heavy episodic drinking to alcohol use disorder, has been identified as a modifiable barrier to optimal HIV care continuum outcomes. Despite the demonstrated efficacy of couples-based interventions for addressing unhealthy alcohol use, there are no existing couples-based alcohol interventions designed specifically for people living with HIV. This study presents the development and refinement of a three-session couples-based motivational intervention (ReACH2Gether) to address unhealthy alcohol use among a sample of 17 sexual minority men living with HIV and their partners living in the United States. To increase potential population reach, the intervention was delivered entirely remotely. Throughout an original and a modified version, results indicated that the ReACH2Gether intervention was acceptable and there were no reports of intimate partner violence or adverse events. Session engagement and retention were high. In pre-post-test analyses, the ReACH2Gether intervention showed trends in reducing Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test scores and increasing relationship-promoting dynamics, such as positive support behaviors and goal congruence around alcohol use. Results support the need for continued work to evaluate the ReACH2Gether intervention.

RESUMEN: El consumo no saludable de alcohol, que abarca episodios intensos de consumo hasta llegar a causar trastornos de alcohol, se ha identificado como una barrera modificable para los resultados óptimos continuos de la atención del VIH. A pesar de la eficacia demostrada de las intervenciones basadas en parejas para abordar el consumo no saludable de alcohol, no existen intervenciones de alcohol basadas en parejas diseñadas específicamente para personas que viven con el VIH. Este estudio presenta el desarrollo y perfeccionamiento de una intervención motivacional basada en parejas de tres sesiones (ReACH2Gether) para abordar el consumo no saludable de alcohol entre una muestra de 17 hombres de minorías sexuales que viven con el VIH y sus parejas que viven en los Estados Unidos. Para aumentar el alcance de la población potencial, la intervención se realizó de forma totalmente remota. A lo largo de una versión original y modificada, los resultados indicaron que la intervención ReACH2Gether era aceptable y no hubo informes de violencia de pareja o eventos adversos. El compromiso y la retención de la sesión fueron altos. En los análisis previos y posteriores a la prueba, la intervención ReACH2Gether mostró tendencias en la reducción de las puntuaciones de la prueba de identificación del trastorno por consumo de alcohol y en el aumento de las dinámicas que promueven las relaciones, como comportamientos de apoya positivas y congruencia de objetivos en torno al consumo alcohol. Los resultados respaldan la necesidad de un trabajo continuo para evaluar la intervención ReACH2Gether.

Dyadic Moderators of the Minority Stress-HIV Risk Association in Male Couples.

Minority stressors have been linked to HIV risk behaviors among gay, bisexual, queer, and other men who have sex with men (MSM). Committed partnerships are a key context for new HIV infections and coping with minority stress among MSM, but very little work has tested the minority stress-HIV risk link among male couples, and little is known about how processes within one's relationship may exacerbate or buffer this association. The present study examined links between minority stress (i.e., internalized stigma, microaggressions) and HIV transmission risk behaviors (i.e., condomless anal sex with outside partners, breaks in relationship agreements) among male couples, as well as relationship-based moderators (i.e., social support, dyadic coping) of these associations. An analytic sample of male couples from a large cohort study (analytic N = 410 individuals, 205 dyads) completed self-report measures of minority stress, relationship-based moderators, and HIV transmission risk behaviors which were submitted to moderated actor-partner interdependence models (APIMs). In many cases, coping with stress with one's partner buffered the minority stress-HIV transmission link risk. However, findings also suggested situations in which partners may overburden one another with coping, thus exacerbating HIV-related risk behaviors.

A Qualitative Analysis of Shared Values and Motivation for Change Expressed by Sexual Minority Men in Relationships: Use of the Personal Values Card Sort Activity During Motivational Interviewing Sessions Addressing Drug Use and Sexual Health.

The development of tailored interventions that address drug use and sexual risk taking among sexual minority men (SMM) in relationships has garnered increasing interest over the past 20 years. Motivational interviewing (MI) has demonstrated promise in both individual and couples-based applications. The Personal Values Card Sort activity is commonly employed in these interventions; however, relatively little is known about the content of client responses evoked by this intervention task. This study examined how SMM in relationships characterize their values; how their relationship partners influence value attainment; and how they situated drug use and sexual risk taking in the context of their values and primary relationships. A qualitative analysis of intervention transcripts from sessions with 47 SMM aged 18 to 34 was conducted. All respondents were HIV negative and indicated recent (past 30 days) drug use and sexual risk behavior. Participants' high priority values reflected a focus on clarifying personal identity and interpersonal relationships. Values manifested as realized, aspirational, or transformed. Participants described their partners as supporting goal attainment and as a companion with whom they cope with goal-related stressors. Consistent with interdependence theory, participants' responses indicated consideration of their partner and relationship when these aligned with and supported goal-attainment. Conversely, when partners were described as a barrier to realizing their values, participants characterized their relationship as being of lower quality. Implications of this content for the activation of motivation for health behavior are discussed with specific emphasis on applications with SMM in relationships.

Pilot Trial Results of Mlambe: An Economic and Relationship-Strengthening Intervention to Address Heavy Drinking and Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy in Malawi.

We evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of an economic and relationship-strengthening intervention to reduce heavy alcohol use among couples living with HIV in Malawi (Mlambe). Mlambe consisted of training on financial literacy and relationship skills, combined with 1:1 matched savings accounts to invest in an income-generating activity. In a randomized controlled trial, we compared Mlambe to enhanced usual care (EUC). We enrolled 78 married couples having a partner on antiretroviral therapy (ART) who reported heavy alcohol use based on the AUDIT-C. Using targets of 75%, primary outcomes included retention rates at 10 and 15-months, session attendance rates, and satisfaction with Mlambe. Exploratory outcomes were heavy alcohol use (AUDIT-C and/or PEth positive), number of drinking days in the past month, AUDIT-C score, optimal adherence to ART (95% or higher), and viral suppression. We exceeded our targets for feasibility and acceptability metrics. Retention rates were 96% at 15-months. Session attendance and satisfaction levels were both 100%. From baseline to 15-months, Mlambe participants reported decreases in mean number of drinking days (from 6.8 to 2.1) and AUDIT-C scores (from 7.5 to 3.1); while ART adherence rates improved across the same period (from 63.2 to 73.9%). Participants in Mlambe, as compared to those in EUC, had lower rates of heavy alcohol use (89.5% vs. 97.2%) and higher rates of viral suppression (100% vs. 91.9%) at 10-months. Differences between arms were not statistically significant in this small pilot study. Mlambe was highly feasible and acceptable, and shows promise for reducing heavy alcohol use and viral non-suppression among couples with HIV in a larger efficacy study.

Two-way associations between relationship quality and uptake of couples health screening including HIV testing and counselling together: quantitative analysis of a couples cohort in rural South Africa.

In the context of a couples cohort established to evaluate an optimised couples-focused behavioural intervention in rural South Africa, we examined: (1) Is couples' relationship quality (RQ) associated with couples HIV testing and counselling (CHTC) uptake? (2) Does CHTC uptake or the intervention components uptake improve subsequent RQ? Enrolled couples, (n = 218), previously naïve to couples HIV testing, were invited to two group sessions and offered four couples counselling sessions (CS1-CS4), as part of the intervention and administered a questionnaire individually at baseline, four weeks, and four months, which included item-scales to measure RQ: satisfaction, intimacy, dyadic trust, conflict, and mutual constructive communication. Logistic models indicated that no baseline RQ measures were significantly associated with CHTC uptake. Linear regression models showed that CHTC uptake before four weeks assessment significantly improved couples' satisfaction and trust at four weeks, and intimacy at four months. Attending at least one CS was associated with increased satisfaction, intimacy, and decreased conflict within couples at four weeks; the improvement in intimacy was sustained at four months. Consistent with the theoretical interdependence model, our findings suggest that CHTC and CS seemed to strengthen aspects of relationship quality, possibly leading to further collaboration in managing lifestyle changes and treatment adherence.

Genetic epidemiology of thalassemia in couples of childbearing age: over 6 years of a thalassemia intervention project.

BACKGROUND: Shenzhen is one of the most populated metropolises in southern China where thalassemia is highly prevalent. The prevention of thalassemia inheritance is an ambition of child-bearing couples. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 22,098 peripheral blood samples were collected from 11,049 potentially at-risk couples of childbearing age from Shenzhen. Thalassemia mutations were determined by PCR-based flow-through hybridization. The results identified 45.02% of the participants (9948 out of 22,098) as harboring globin gene mutations, distributed into 18 α-thalassemia alleles detected in 71.48% (7111 out of 9948) and 15 ß-thalassemia alleles detected in 32.68% (3252 out of 9948) of all mutant individuals, among which 415 individuals carried both α- and ß-thalassemia alleles. The most frequent phenotypes for α-globin variations were --SEA/αα (63.37%), -α3.7/αα (18.66%), and -α4.2/αα (7.31%), and those for ß-globin variations were ß41-42/ßN (34.96%), ß654/ßN (28.11%), and ß17/ßN (13.84%). A total of 970 high-risk couples who could possibly give birth to offspring with thalassemia intermedia or major were identified. In addition, the hematological indices were compared among thalassemia genotypes. Significant differences in MCH, MCV, Hb A, and Hb A2 levels among α-thalassemia minor (α+), trait (α0), and intermediate phenotypes (P < 0.05) and between ßE/ßN and the other ß-thalassemia phenotypes (P < 0.05) were found. Moreover, GAP-PCR and next-generation sequencing further identified 42 rare mutations, 13 of which were first reported in the Chinese population. A novel mutation in the ß-globin gene (HBB: c.246 C > A (rs145669504)) was also discovered. CONCLUSIONS: This study presented a comprehensive analysis of thalassemia variations in a population from Shenzhen and may offer valuable insights for thalassemia control and intervention strategies in this area.

Affective or cognitive interpersonal emotion regulation in couples: an fNIRS hyperscanning study.

Sadness regulation is crucial for maintaining the romantic relationships of couples. Interpersonal emotion regulation, including affective engagement (AE) and cognitive engagement (CE), activates social brain networks. However, it is unclear how AE and CE regulate sadness in couples through affective bonds. We recruited 30 heterosexual couple dyads and 30 heterosexual stranger dyads and collected functional near-infrared spectroscopy hyperscanning data while each dyad watched sad or neutral videos and while the regulator regulated the target's sadness. Then, we characterized interbrain synchronization (IBS) and Granger causality (GC). The results indicated that AE and CE were more effective for couples than for strangers and that sadness evaluation of female targets was lower than that of male targets. CE-induced IBS at CH13 (BA10, right middle frontal gyrus) was lower for female targets than for male targets, while no gender difference in AE was detected. GC change at CH13 during CE was lower in the sad condition for male targets than for female targets, while no gender difference in AE was discovered. These observations suggest that AE and CE activate affective bonds but that CE was more effective for regulating sadness in female targets, revealing different neural patterns of cognitive and affective sadness regulation in couples.

Intimacy Promotes Couples' Sexual Well-Being on a Daily Basis and Over One Year: The Role of Positive Sexual Cues.

There is growing interest in identifying factors that promote sexual well-being in romantic relationships. One such factor is intimacy-a process involving self-disclosure and empathic response that is positively associated with sexuality outcomes. However, most work among community couples examined cross-sectional associations in mixed-sex/gender couples using a single sexual outcome, which may not capture daily variations in intimacy and different dimensions of sexual well-being among a diversity of unions over time. Additionally, potential mediating mechanisms of the intimacy-sexual well-being association, such as attention to positive sexual cues (i.e., sexual thoughts and feelings), have been neglected. Adopting daily diary and longitudinal designs, the present study examined whether greater intimacy was associated with higher levels of positive sexual cues and, in turn, higher sexual well-being (sexual desire, satisfaction and distress). A convenience sample of 211 couples (Mage = 30.2 years; SD = 8.3; 75 sexually diverse couples) completed a survey on days of sexual activity with their partner, over a 35-day period and 12 months later. Daily results showed that intimacy was related to greater attention to positive sexual cues for both partners, which in turn was associated with their greater sexual desire and satisfaction and lower sexual distress. Longitudinal results showed that a person's greater daily intimacy was linked to their own greater sexual desire and satisfaction 12 months later via their own higher positive sexual cues, but not to their partner's cues or well-being. Findings extend interpersonal models of sexual well-being and support the role of intimacy and positive sexual cues therein.

Associations Between Pornography Use Through Different Media and Sexual and Relationship Satisfaction Among Cohabiting Couples.

Pornography can be used through multiple media and its associations with couples' relationship and sexual satisfaction are mixed. The aims of this study were to examine the proportion of use of different pornographic media (i.e., videos, pictures, audio material, and written material), including different contents (i.e., sexual activities and nudity), gender-based differences in the frequency of use of these media, and the associations between an individual's frequency of use of different pornographic media and their own and their partner's sexual and relationship satisfaction, considering potential gender differences. A sample of 706 adult couples (1368 participants; Mage = 32.19 years) completed online self-report questionnaires. Results of actor-partner interdependence models indicated that video use was associated with lower relationship and sexual satisfaction, and partners' lower sexual satisfaction. Picture use was associated with lower relationship satisfaction and partners' lower sexual satisfaction. Written material use was associated with lower sexual satisfaction. Cisgender women's audio use was associated with their own higher sexual satisfaction, whereas cisgender men's audio use was associated with their partner's lower sexual satisfaction. These findings suggest different associations with sexual and relationship satisfaction depending on the pornographic media.

What Does a Pregnancy Loss Mean for Sex? Comparing Sexual Well-Being Between Couples With and Without a Recent Loss.

It is unclear whether sexual well-being, which is an important part of individual and relational health, may be at risk for declines after a pregnancy loss given the limits of prior work. Accordingly, in a cross-sectional study, we used structural equation modeling to (1) compare sexual well-being levels-satisfaction, desire, function, distress, and frequency-of both partners in couples who had experienced a pregnancy loss in the past four months (N = 103 couples) to their counterparts in a control sample of couples with no history of pregnancy loss (N = 120 couples), and (2) compare sexual well-being levels of each member of a couple to one another. We found that gestational individuals and their partners in the pregnancy loss sample were less sexually satisfied than their control counterparts but did not differ in sexual desire, problems with sexual function, nor sexual frequency. Surprisingly, we found that partners of gestational individuals had less sexual distress than their control counterparts. In the pregnancy loss sample, gestational individuals had lower levels of sexual desire post-loss than their partners but did not differ in sexual satisfaction, problems with sexual function, nor sexual distress. Our results provide evidence that a recent pregnancy loss is associated with lower sexual satisfaction and greater differences between partners in sexual desire, which may be useful information for clinicians working with couples post-loss. Practitioners can share these findings with couples who may find it reassuring that we did not find many aspects of sexual well-being to be related to pregnancy loss at about three months post-loss.

Implications of perceived empathy from spouses during pregnancy for health-related quality of life among pregnant women: a cross-sectional study in Anhui, China.

BACKGROUND: Empathy is a critical component of nursing care, impacting both nurses' and patients' outcomes. However, perceived empathy from spouses during pregnancy and its impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) are unclear. This study aimed to examine pregnant women's perceived empathy from their spouses and assess the relation of perceived empathy on HRQoL. METHODS: This cross-sectional study, performed in the obstetric clinics or wards of four well-known hospitals in Anhui Province, China, included 349 pregnant women in the second or third trimester; participants were recruited by convenience sampling and enrolled from October to December 2021. A general information questionnaire, the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), a purpose-designed empathy questionnaire and the Medical Outcomes Study 12-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12) were used to evaluate the pregnant women's general information, perceptions of empathy and HRQoL. Data were analysed using SPSS 22 at a threshold of P < 0.05. Descriptive analysis, Pearson correlation analysis, Student's t test, ANOVA, and multiple regression analysis were used for analysis. RESULTS: The pregnant women's total empathy, physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) scores were 41.6 ± 9.0, 41.6 ± 7.6, and 47.7 ± 9.1, respectively. Correlation analysis revealed that the purpose-designed empathy questionnaire items were significantly positively correlated with perspective taking and empathic concern but were not correlated with the personal distress dimension and were only partially correlated with the fantasy dimension. Maternal physical condition during pregnancy, planned pregnancy, and occupational stress were predictors of the PCS score (ß = 0.281, P < 0.01; ß = 0.132, P = 0.02; ß = -0.128, P = 0.02). The behavioural empathy item of our purpose-designed empathy questionnaire and empathic concern were important predictors of the MCS score (ß = 0.127, P = 0.02; ß = 0.158, P < 0.01), as well as other demographic and obstetric information, explaining 22.0% of the variance in MCS scores totally (F = 12.228, P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Pregnant women perceived lower empathy from their spouses and reported lower HRQoL. Perceived empathy, particularly behavioural empathy, may significantly impact pregnant women's MCS scores but has no effect on their PCS scores. Strategies that foster perceived empathy from spouses among pregnant women are essential for facilitating healthy pregnancies and potentially improving maternal and child health.

Factors effecting on health-promoting behaviors in iranian pregnant women and their husbands: the actor-partner interdependence model (APIM).

INTRODUCTION: Pregnancy is an important period of life for women and their husbands as the couple's health is essential. The present study evaluated the impact of some factors (marital adjustment with depressive symptoms) on health-promoting behaviors in pregnant women and their husbands based on the actor-partner interdependence model (APIM). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This descriptive study examined 211 couples (pregnant women and their husbands) in pregnancy clinics of Babol University of Medical Sciences using a convenience sampling method. The participants completed Spanier's Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS) (1979), Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) (1987), and Walker's Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile II (HPLPII) questionnaire (1997). The relationships between women and their husbands were also evaluated using structural equation modeling with R software according to the Lavaan (latent variable analysis) package based on APIM-SEM. RESULTS: The pregnant women's marital adjustment positively affected their health-promoting behaviors (ß = 0.456, 95% Cl: 0.491-0.998, p < 0.001) and their husbands' (ß = 0.210, 95% Cl: 0.030-0.726, p = 0.048). Pregnant woman's depressive symptoms also negatively affected their health-promoting behaviors (ß=-0.088, 95% Cl: -0.974-0.074, P = 0.236) and their husbands' health-promoting behaviors (ß=-0.177, 95% Cl: -0.281 - -0.975, P = 0.011). Furthermore, the husband's marital adjustment only positively affected his studied behaviors (ß = 0.323, 95% Cl: 0.0303-0.895, P < 0.001) but did not affect the pregnant woman's health behaviors. The husband's depressive symptoms had a negative impact on his studied behaviors (ß = 0.219, 95% Cl: -0.122 - -0.917, P = 0.001) and did not affect the pregnant woman's depressive symptoms. Our findings confirmed the mediating role of depressive symptoms in pregnant women and their husbands on the association of marital adjustment and health-promoting behaviors. According to the actor-partner study, a pregnant woman's marital adjustment scores positively affected her studied behaviors and her husband (ß = 0.071, 95% Cl: 0.042-0.278, P = 0.015) by decreasing her depression score. Therefore, the husband's marital adjustment score positively affected his studied behaviors by decreasing his depression score (ß = 0.084, 95% Cl: -0.053 -0.292, P = 0.005), and it did not affect his wife's health-promoting behaviors. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: These findings suggest healthcare providers, obstetricians, and psychologists evaluate the husbands' symptoms of depression and health-promoting behaviors in the routine pregnancy care of pregnant women. They also pay great attention to marital adjustment as a determinant of reducing depressive symptoms in pregnant women and their husbands.

Spousal collaboration mediates the relation between self-rated health and depressive symptoms of Chinese older couples: an actor-partner interdependence approach.

BACKGROUND: Dyadic coping resources have been considered a potential explanatory mechanism of spousal interdependence in health, but the mediation of spousal collaboration for the relationship between self-rated health and depressive symptoms has yet to be examined. This study aimed to investigate the within- (actor effect) and between-partner effects of self-rated health on depressive symptoms in community-dwelling older couples facing physical functioning limitations and to examine the role of spousal collaboration in mediating the actor and cross-partner effects of self-rated health on depressive symptoms. METHOD: Data from 185 community-dwelling older Chinese married couples were analyzed using the actor-partner interdependence mediation model (APIMeM). Couples were interviewed through trained research assistants using the 5-item common dyadic coping subscale of the Dyadic Coping Inventory (DCI), the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) of the QoL questionnaire EQ-5D and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). RESULTS: Husbands' self-rated health had an actor effect on their own depressive symptoms and a partner effect on their wives' depressive symptoms. Wives' self-rated health had an actor effect on their own depressive symptoms. The actor effects between self-rated health and depressive symptoms were partially mediated by their own perception of spousal collaboration. Furthermore, husbands' self-rated health not only affects wives' depressive symptoms directly but also indirectly by influencing wives' perceptions of spousal collaboration. DISCUSSION: The findings from this study underscored the importance of viewing couples' coping processes from a dyadic and gender-specific perspective, since more (perceived) collaborative efforts have beneficial effects on both partners' mental health outcomes.