Children's oppositional defiant disorder symptoms and neural synchrony in mother-child interactions: An fNIRS study.

Interpersonal neural synchrony (INS) between mothers and children responds to the temporal similarity of brain signals in joint behavior between dyadic partners and is considered an important neural indicator of the formation of adaptive social interaction bonds. Parent-child interactions are particularly important for the development and maintenance of oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) in children, but the underlying neurocognitive mechanisms are unknown. Therefore, in the current study we measured INS between mothers and children in interactions by using simultaneous functional Near-infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS), and explored its association with ODD symptoms in children. Seventy-two mother-child dyads were recruited to participate in the study, including 35 children with ODD and 37 healthy children to be used as a control. Each mother-child dyad was measured for neural activity in frontal, parietal, and temporal lobe regions while completing free-play as well as positive, and negative topic discussion tasks. We used Phase-locked value to calculate the synchrony strength and then used the K-means algorithm and k-space based alignment tests to confirm the specific patterns of parent-child synchrony in different brain areas. The results showed that, in free-play (right MFG and bilateral SFG), positive (left TPJ and bilateral SFGdor), and negative (bilateral SFGmed, right ANG, and left MFG) topic discussions, the mother-child pairs showed different patterns of INS. These specific INS patterns were significantly lower in the ODD group compared to the control group and were negatively associated with ODD symptoms in children. Network analyses showed that these INS patterns were connected to different nodes in the ODD symptom network. Our findings suggest that ODD mother-child dyads exhibit lower neural synchrony across a wide range of parent-child interactions. Neural synchrony in the context of interpersonal interactions provides new insights into understanding the neural mechanisms of ODD and can be used as an indicator of neural and socio-environmental factors in the network of psychological disorder symptoms.

Transmission of depressive symptoms in the nuclear family: a cross-sectional and cross-lagged network perspective.

Children are more likely to develop depressive symptoms in families where parents have depressive symptoms. By conceptualizing the individual depressive symptom network of each family member as a whole, this study proposes a family symptom network model, and explored the mechanisms of transmission of depression within nuclear families at the symptom level. This study used four waves (2012, 2016, 2018, 2020) of data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), which in wave one contained a representative sample of 1963 children (1038 boys; age = 12.60), 4763 mothers and 4614 fathers from China. Children with their parents completed the Center for Epidemiology Studies Depression Scale at each wave. Individual depressive symptom networks among children, fathers, and mothers were highly similar and stable across time. When considering depressive symptoms of all family members as a whole, there was a wide range of associations between child, father, and mother depressive symptom networks. The results of the cross-lagged network model suggest the bidirectional relationships between couples and parent-child depression. The current study provides preliminary validation of the family symptom network model. The model represents a further integration and extension of network theory of mental disorders and family systems theory, and points out the limitations of studying the intergenerational transmission of depression from a latent variable perspective. Thus, the family symptom network model proposed in this study could provide valuable new insights into understanding the intergenerational transmission of depression.

Interplay of Adolescents' and Parents' Mindsets of Socioeconomic Status on Adolescents' Stress-Related Outcomes.

The reciprocity and variation of values and beliefs are dynamic features of the parent-child relationship. Parents and adolescents may hold congruent or incongruent views regarding the malleability of socioeconomic status (mindset of SES), potentially influencing adolescents' psychological and physiological stress outcomes, as reflected in stress perceptions and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis functioning. The current study investigated how patterns of parent-adolescent congruence and incongruence in mindset of SES were associated with adolescents' perceived stress and diurnal cortisol patterns four months later. A total of 253 adolescents (Mage = 12.60, 46.2% girls) and their parents (Mage = 40.09 years, 59.5% mothers) participated in this study. Polynomial regression analyses and response surface analyses showed that adolescents perceived lower levels of stress when they themselves or their parents reported a stronger growth mindset of SES. Additionally, adolescents with a stronger growth mindset of SES also exhibited a steeper diurnal cortisol slope. Moreover, parents' mindset significantly interacted with adolescents' mindset to influence adolescents' diurnal cortisol patterns such that when adolescents hold weaker growth mindset of SES, those with higher parental growth mindsets had significantly higher cortisol awakening response and steeper diurnal cortisol slope. Furthermore, adolescents who showed incongruence with their parents but had averagely stronger growth mindsets of SES reported a significantly steeper diurnal cortisol slope than those who had averagely weaker growth mindsets with their parents. The findings point to the beneficial impacts of the growth mindset of SES on stress-related outcomes among adolescents, as well as the significance of considering both parents' and adolescents' mindsets when exploring these associations.

Longitudinal relationship between oppositional defiant disorder symptoms and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms in Chinese children: insights from cross-lagged panel network analyses.

Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are two of the most common childhood mental disorders, and they have substantial comorbidity. The developmental precursor model has long been widely used to explain the mechanisms of comorbidity between ODD and ADHD, however whether it is equally effective at the symptomatic level is unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to (a) examine the stability of the ODD and ADHD comorbidity network in a longitudinal sample of high-risk children in China; and (b) examine the longitudinal relationship between the ODD and ADHD symptom networks based on a developmental precursor model. Two hundred sixty-three Chinese children aged 6 to 13 years with ODD and/or ADHD were assessed for symptoms of ODD and ADHD in two surveys conducted 1 year apart. We used data from these two time points to construct two cross-sectional networks and a cross-lagged panel network (CLPN) to explore the symptom network for comorbidity of ODD and ADHD. The analysis shows that: (1) the two cross-sectional networks are highly similar in terms of structure, existence of edges, centrality estimates, and the invariance test shows that there is no significant difference between them. The symptoms "follow through", "interrupts/intrudes", "difficulty playing quietly" and "concentration" had the highest expected influence centrality at both time points. (2) Combined with the results of the cross-sectional and cross-lagged networks, we found that "annoy" and "blame" are potential bridge symptoms between the ODD and ADHD symptom networks. The symptom "annoy" forms a reciprocal predictive relationship with "interrupts/intrudes", while "blame" unidirectionally predicts "close attention". In addition, we found that "vindictive" predicted numerous ADHD symptoms, whereas "angry" was predicted by numerous ADHD symptoms. The findings emphasize the broad predictive relationship between ODD and ADHD symptoms with each other, and that ODD symptoms may lead to activation of the ADHD symptom network and vice versa. These findings suggest that the developmental precursor model at the symptom level may partially explain the comorbidity mechanisms of ODD and ADHD, and future studies should further investigate the underlying multiple mechanisms.

Working memory impairment in children orphaned by parental HIV/AIDS: An event-related potentials study.

A large body of literature has established that children orphaned by HIV/AIDS ('AIDS orphans') face numerous challenges, such as parental death, poverty, disrupted school attendance and stigma. All of these early life adversities can have long-lasting effects on brain function, especially the executive functions. Working memory, as one of the most studied aspects of executive functions, is also reported to be impaired in children with early adversity. However, limited data are available regarding how early life adverse events affect the neural dynamic associated with working memory processing in AIDS orphans. This study applied the electroencephalogram (EEG) technique to investigate the working memory process in 81 AIDS orphans and 62 non-orphan controls with n-back tasks. Results from EEG analysis and time-frequency analysis showed that AIDS orphans displayed smaller N2 and larger P2, P3 activation as well as enhanced theta and attenuated alpha band oscillations compared to the controls. The present findings indicated a deficit in working memory process in AIDS orphans and suggested that this deficit might be due to the impairments in attention allocation, detection and classification of stimuli and updating process in working memory.

Effects of parental care and overprotection on adolescents' diurnal cortisol profiles.

Parental bonding is a strong determinant of children's health. One of the proposed pathways through which parenting impacts children's health is by altering the functioning of stress response systems. The current study aims to investigate the associations between two types of parental bonding (care and overprotection) and functioning of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis (i.e., diurnal cortisol secretion) in a sample of 255 healthy adolescents (46.3% girls; aged 11-14 years). Participants completed the Parental Bonding Instrument and provided eight cortisol samples across two consecutive days to assess patterns of diurnal cortisol secretion. Multilevel modeling and multiple linear regression were utilized to test the main effects and interactive effects of parental care and overprotection on adolescents' wakeup cortisol, cortisol awakening response, cortisol slope, and total cortisol secretion. Results showed that parental care was associated with higher cortisol levels at awakening, while parental overprotection was associated with lower cortisol levels at awakening. Parental overprotection, but not parental care, was associated with flatter cortisol slopes. No interactive effects between parental care and overprotection on cortisol parameters emerged. The current findings add to the existing literature on parenting behavior and HPA functioning by showing that parental care and overprotection differently regulated daily cortisol parameters implicated in health.

Long-Term Trajectories of Depressive Symptoms Among Children Affected by Parental HIV: A 12-Year Follow-Up Study.

The present study explored the trajectories of depressive symptoms over 12 years spanning from childhood to emerging adulthood and the between-trajectory differences in psychosocial adjustment among Chinese children (N = 492, 52.8% boys, aged 6 to 18 years at baseline) affected by parental HIV. Rebounding (12.6%), resilient (64.8%), and improving  (22.6%) trajectories were identified. Individuals in the rebounding trajectory reported the highest levels of psychological distress and the lowest levels of subjective well-being, positive self-regard, and personal strengths in adulthood. Individuals in the resilient trajectory reported lower levels of psychological distress and negative affect than those in the improving trajectory. The findings support the development of programs by policymakers and practitioners to improve the psychosocial adjustment of children who have been affected by parental HIV while considering individual differences in the trajectories of depressive symptoms.

Gender congruence and mental health problems among Chinese transgender and gender non-conforming individuals: A process model involving rumination and stigma consciousness.

OBJECTIVE: The present study examined the roles of gender identity rumination and stigma consciousness in the relationship between gender congruence (comfort with one's gender identity and external appearance) and mental health problems (anxiety and depression). METHODS: Three hundred and fourteen Chinese individuals identified as transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) individuals were recruited through the Internet and answered an online questionnaire (Mage = 24.34 years, standard deviation = 5.80). RESULTS: Gender congruence was associated with anxiety and depression through three indirect pathways: rumination, stigma consciousness, and sequentially through rumination and stigma consciousness. CONCLUSION: Gender congruence is an intrapersonal resource that reduces mental health problems through its positive impacts on the TGNC identity process. A more consistent feeling of gender, a lower level of rumination, and a reduced level of consciousness about stigma could be potential working points for interventions in the TGNC community to help alleviate their mental health problems.

Relationship difficulties and "technoference" during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has touched many aspects of people's lives around the world, including their romantic relationships. While media outlets have reported that the pandemic is difficult for couples, empirical evidence is needed to test these claims and understand why this may be. In two highly powered studies (N = 3271) using repeated measure and longitudinal approaches, we found that people who experienced COVID-19 related challenges (i.e., lockdown, reduced face-to-face interactions, boredom, or worry) also reported greater self and partner phone use (Study 1) and time spent on social media (Study 2), and subsequently experienced more conflict and less satisfaction in their romantic relationship. The findings provide insight into the struggles people faced in their relationships during the pandemic and suggest that the increase in screen time - a rising phenomenon due to the migration of many parts of life online - may be a challenge for couples.

Affective Profiles and Psychosocial Adjustment among Chinese Adolescents and Adults with Adverse Childhood Experiences: A Person-Centered Approach.

Purpose: Two studies were conducted to explore the patterns of positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA) while considering collectivist cultural specificity (dialecticism) and to examine the associations of affective profiles with psychosocial adjustment. Methods: We used two Chinese samples, one comprising adults with adverse childhood experiences (N = 488) and one comprising ordinary adolescents (N = 635). The participants completed scales on PA, NA, and psychosocial adjustment, including mental health problems (depressive symptoms, anxiety), personal strengths (self-esteem, gratitude, resilience), and life satisfaction. Results: Three profiles were identified through latent profile analysis: well-adjusted (high PA, low NA), low affective (low PA, low NA), and moderate affective (moderate PA, moderate NA). Participants in the well-adjusted profile had the fewest mental health problems (depressive symptoms, anxiety) and scored highest on personal strengths (self-esteem, gratitude, resilience) and life satisfaction. Participants in the low affective profile had fewer mental health problems than those in the moderate affective profile. Conclusion: Individual differences and cultural variations should be considered when exploring affective profiles. Future interventions aimed at promoting affective well-being should accommodate dialecticism and individual differences in the target population. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10902-022-00566-7.

The School-Ladder Effect: Subjective Socioeconomic Status and Diurnal Cortisol Profile Among Adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: Subjective socioeconomic status (SES) is a well-established psychosocial determinant of adolescents' self-report health. However, whether low subjective SES is associated with stress-related physiological risks (e.g., dysregulations in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity) remains uncertain. This study examined the impact of subjective SES with different reference groups (i.e., perception of family SES relative to other students in the school versus other people in the city) on adolescents' diurnal cortisol profiles. METHODS: A sample of 255 adolescents (aged 11-14 years; 53.7% boys) completed a battery of psychological scales, including school-referenced subjective SES and city-referenced subjective SES. Diurnal cortisol was assessed by collecting saliva samples four times a day across two consecutive days. Four cortisol parameters (cortisol at awakening, cortisol awakening response [CAR], cortisol slope, and total cortisol secretion [area under the curve with respect to ground {AUCg}]) were derived. RESULTS: Higher levels of school-referenced subjective SES were associated with higher cortisol levels at awakening (ß = 0.0483, standard error [SE] = 0.0219, p = .028), steeper cortisol slopes (ß = -0.0036, SE = 0.0017, p = .034), and higher cortisol AUCg (b = 0.50, SE = 0.24, p = .036), but not with CAR (p = .77), after adjusting for covariates. In contrast, city-referenced subjective SES was not associated with any of the cortisol parameters (cortisol at awakening [p = .90], CAR [p = .74], cortisol slope [p = .84], and cortisol AUCg [p = .68]). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight the importance of the reference group for subjective SES and provide a further understanding of socioeconomic disparities in adolescents' stress physiology.

Chinese perceive upward social mobility: How future mobility is influenced, but not limited by past mobility.

Perceptions of social mobility vary across countries. However, past studies have mostly focused on populations in Western developed countries. Little is known about perceptions of social mobility in non-Western developing countries. The current paper focuses on Chinese perceptions of social mobility using a large-scale nationally representative sample. We found that, overall, Chinese believed in upward social mobility. Moreover, different patterns of perceptions of social mobility were identified, which suggest that respondents experienced either upward or downward social mobility in the past, but all of them thought that they can move up in the future. Perceptions of social mobility were also linked to important sociodemographic and economic factors. We discuss these findings in relation to the Chinese economic context.

Teachers' quality of work life and attitudes toward implementing a psychosocial intervention for children affected by parental HIV/AIDS: roles of self-efficacy and burnout.

ABSTRACT Several studies have highlighted that facilitators' attitudes toward interventions are crucial for implementing innovative psychosocial interventions. However, in the emerging implementation science field, little research has examined how organizational and individual factors may influence teachers' positive attitudes and readiness toward evidence-based interventions. The current study investigated the association between teachers' quality of work life and their attitudes toward an innovative psychosocial intervention for children affected by parental HIV/AIDS; the study also probed the potential indirect roles of self-efficacy and burnout. A total of 157 teachers with different levels of involvement in the intervention study were recruited from 47 schools. Our results revealed that teachers' quality of work life was positively associated with their attitudes toward the intervention directly and indirectly through enhanced self-efficacy and reduced burnout. The findings highlight the importance of organizational and individual factors in successfully implementing innovative psychosocial interventions for vulnerable children in organizations such as schools. Researchers should work with organizations to provide the necessary quality of work life and sufficient training to semi-professionals in order to boost their self-efficacy, reduce their burnout, and improve their attitudes toward innovative intervention programs to achieve the expected effectiveness of the interventions, particularly in resource-limited regions.

EEG oscillation evidences of altered resting-state brain activity in children orphaned by parental HIV/AIDS.

Early life adverse events in children orphaned by parental HIV/AIDS can have long-lasting effects on brain function. However, data are limited regarding the brain activation during resting state in these children. The current study aims to investigate the brain oscillation at rest in children orphaned by HIV/AIDS using resting-state EEG data. Data were derived from a larger neurodevelopmental study in which 90 children aged 9-17 years orphaned by AIDS and 66 matched controls were recruited through the local communities and school system. Children (63 orphans and 65 controls) who had resting-state EEG data and completed the Teacher-Child Rating Scale (T-CRS) were included in the current analysis. EEG results showed that children orphaned by HIV/AIDS had increased theta activity in the midline region, decreased beta activity in left hemisphere and overall increased theta/beta power ratio. Furthermore, the theta/beta ratio is positively correlated with learning problem and acting out scores, and negatively correlated with task orientation and peer social skill activities. Findings support that children orphaned by HIV/AIDS demonstrate different brain activity compared to non-orphan controls and also suggest that the EEG activities in resting state may serve as useful indicators of children's behavioral problems.

Parenting Stress and Depressive Symptoms Among Chinese Parents of Children With and Without Oppositional Defiant Disorder: A Three-Wave Longitudinal Study.

Parents of children with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) experience greater stress in parenting and more parental depressive symptoms. The study examined the longitudinal and bidirectional associations between three dimensions of parenting stress (i.e., parental distress, parent-child dysfunctional interaction, and difficult child) and parental depressive symptoms from a sample of Chinese parents of children with or without ODD. The sample included 256 parents of children with ODD and 265 parents of children without ODD, along with children's teachers. Using a three wave, cross-lagged design, results showed that parents of children with ODD suffered higher levels of parenting stress across three dimensions. For both groups, the links between parental depressive symptoms and subsequent parental distress and difficult child were unidirectional, whereas the relation between parental depressive symptoms and parent-child dysfunctional interaction was bidirectional. Multi-group analysis found that there was no significant difference in the relations between parenting stress and depressive symptoms between the ODD and non-ODD groups. The findings indicated that children with ODD require comprehensive services to address the stress of their parents. The study also provided support for the dynamic and longitudinal relations between specific dimensions of parenting stress and depressive symptoms among parents of children with or without ODD.

Actor-Partner Interdependence of Compassion toward Others with Qualities of Marital Relationship and Parent-Child Relationships in Chinese Families.

Considering the nature of compassion and cultural and times characteristics of Chinese families, individuals' general dispositional compassion toward others may have potential benefits for relationship qualities in Chinese families. In this study, we explored how men's and women's compassion related to their own (actor effects) and the partners' (partner effects) marital relationship and parent-child relationships, respectively, using the Actor-Partner Interdependent Model. Participants were from a cross-sectional sample of 534 Chinese heterosexual married couples (females' mean age = 37.20, SD = 4.28; males' mean age = 40.29, SD = 5.39) whose biological children were pupils (mean age = 9.28, SD = 1.11). Results revealed that: (a) within marital relationships, couple members' actor effects and partner effects were found both significant; but (b) within parent-child relationships, couple members' actor effects were significant, whereas only mothers' partner effect of compassion on father-child relationship was significant. These findings support the benefits of couple members' individual compassion with respect to family relationship quality in contemporary China. Limitations, implications, and future directions are discussed.

Teniendo en cuenta la índole de la compasión y de las características culturales y temporales de las familias chinas, la compasión disposicional general de una persona hacia las demás puede tener posibles beneficios para la calidad de la relación en las familias chinas. En este estudio, analizamos cómo la compasión de los hombres y de las mujeres está relacionada con la relación conyugal y las relaciones entre los padres y los hijos, tanto propias (efectos del actor) como de la pareja (efectos de la pareja), respectivamente, utilizando el modelo de interdependencia actor-pareja. Los participantes fueron de una muestra transversal de 534 parejas chinas heterosexuales casadas (edad promedio de las mujeres = 37.20, Desviación Típica = 4.28; edad promedio de los hombres = 40.29, Desviación Típica = 5.39) cuyos hijos biológicos eran pupilos (edad promedio = 9.28, Desviación Típica = 1.11). Los resultados revelaron que: (a) dentro de las relaciones conyugales, se descubrió que los efectos del actor y los efectos de la pareja de los integrantes de la pareja fueron ambos significativos; pero (b) dentro de las relaciones entre padres e hijos, los efectos del actor de los integrantes de la pareja fueron significativos, mientras que solo el efecto de la pareja relativo a la compasión de las madres por la relación padre e hijo fue significativo. Estos resultados respaldan los beneficios de la compasión individual de los integrantes de la pareja con respecto a la calidad de la relación familiar en la China contemporánea. Se explican las limitaciones, las implicancias y las futuras direcciones.

Economic Inequality is Associated with Long-Term Harm on Adolescent Well-Being in China.

Economic inequality has been found to be detrimental to psychological well-being. However, previous studies were mostly based on cross-sectional data, drew exclusively on adults, and confined to Western developed countries. To address these shortcomings, the current study investigated the longitudinal association of income inequality with adolescent psychological well-being in a non-Western developing economy (i.e., China). We used the China Family Panel Studies data set with a representative sample of 3,042 adolescents (Mage  = 12.59) from 20 provinces in China. Analyses showed that adolescents in more unequal provinces had lower happiness and more psychological distress. The associations between economic inequality and well-being varied across adolescents from different socioeconomic strata.

Effects of psychosocial interventions on children affected by parental HIV/AIDS: a meta-analysis on depression and anxiety.

BACKGROUND: Children orphaned by parental AIDS or those of parents with HIV infection demonstrate many negative mental health outcomes. Different types of psychosocial interventions have been conducted to improve the psychological well-being of these children. The efficacy of these psychosocial interventions has been reviewed and synthesized recently (Skeena et al., Vulnerable Child Youth Stud 12:91-116, 2017), but not quantified. METHOD: This study therefore adopted meta-analytic approach to quantify the efficacy of the existing psychosocial interventions on depressive and anxiety symptoms in children affected by parental HIV/AIDS. Eight intervention studies-four randomized controlled trials (RCT) and four pre-post intervention trials-were included. RESULT: In general, psychosocial interventions could effectively reduce anxiety or depressive symptoms in children of parents with HIV/AIDS. The overall intervention effect size (Cohen's d) was 1.298 and 1.100 for depressive and anxiety symptoms, respectively. Publication bias and exploratory moderating effects of study design (RCT vs. pre-post intervention trials), study location, and intervention levels were also analyzed. CONCLUSION: Future studies reporting the detailed outcome data, which could be used for research integration, are warranted. Further research should also focus on the implementation of evidence-based interventions sensitive to the target population in a developmentally appropriate manner.

Within-couple configuration of gender-related attitudes and its association with marital satisfaction in Chinese marriage: A dyadic, pattern-analytic approach.

OBJECTIVE: This study seeks to understand the ways in which spouses' gender-related attitudes are configured within couples and how such configurations are linked to marital satisfaction in Chinese marriage. METHOD: Latent profile analysis was conducted using dyadic data from a nationwide large sample of Chinese couples from the China Family Panel Studies (N = 7,257 couples; Myears of marriage = 28.36, SD = 12.84; Mage for wives = 52.38, SD = 12.63; Mage for husbands = 50.51, SD = 12.37). RESULTS: Four profile groups were identified: the "modern female and traditional male" group (MFTM); the "traditional female and modern male" group; the "child-oriented" group; and the "traditional female and traditional male" group. Husbands' and wives' marital satisfaction varied across groups in different patterns (yet all relevant effect sizes were modest). In general, husbands in the congruent group reported higher satisfaction than did those in the incongruent groups, whereas wives in the "MFTM" group reported lower satisfaction than did those in the other groups. CONCLUSIONS: Such findings shed light on the understudied heterogeneity that inherently exists in the within-couple patterning of gender-related attitudes and its implications for marital well-being in a Chinese cultural context.

Intrapersonal and interpersonal facilitators of forgiveness following spousal infidelity: A stress and coping perspective.

OBJECTIVE: Forgiveness includes processes that involve a decision to stop bitterness and thoughts of revenge (i.e., decisional forgiveness), which further motivates the forgiver towards the restoration of positive emotions (i.e., emotional forgiveness). Using stress and coping framework, this study investigated intrapersonal and interpersonal facilitators of decisional and emotional forgiveness in a Chinese marital context. METHOD: Participants were 154 respondents who had experienced or were experiencing spousal infidelity. RESULTS: Solidarity-oriented personality and perceived partner's reconciliation motivation facilitated benign attributions and empathy, then facilitated higher levels of decisional forgiveness, which promoted emotional forgiveness. Strength of marital bond before the infidelity directly predicted higher levels of emotional forgiveness. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide evidence for the differentiated decisional and emotional forgiveness processes after spousal infidelity and delineate different coping mechanism that triggers them, thus lending culturally appropriate evidence for clinicians who work with clients facing spousal infidelity.