Predicting the Trajectories of Parents' Relationship Well-Being During COVID-19 Lockdowns and Beyond: a Vulnerability, Stress and Adaptation Model Perspective.

Strict lockdowns have been employed by many of the world's nations as a public health response to COVID-19. However, concerns have been expressed as to how such public health responses disturb the human ecosystem. In this paper, we report on findings from a longitudinal study of Australian parents in which we investigated how state differences in government-mandated lockdowns affect the relationship well-being (i.e., relationship satisfaction and loneliness) of parents. We situated the study of the relational effects of strict lockdowns within the Vulnerability Stress Adaptation Model (VSAM, Karney & Bradbury, 1995) that considers the role of parents' pre-existing vulnerabilities (i.e., psychological distress and attachment insecurity), life stressors (pre-pandemic and COVID-19 stressors), and adaptive relationship processes (constructive communication and perceived partner support). A total of 1942 parents completed 14 waves of assessments of relationship satisfaction and loneliness over a 13.5-month period as well as baseline assessments of personal vulnerabilities, life stressors, and adaptive relationship processes. Parents with high relationship adaptations and low vulnerabilities evidenced the highest relationship well-being (i.e., high satisfaction and low loneliness) during changes in lockdown restrictions, while parents with moderate relationship adaptations and vulnerabilities experienced the poorest well-being. Differences in state lockdown restrictions (i.e., Victoria [long and strict lockdown policy] vs all other states) were associated with differences in relationship well-being for parents with high relationship adaptations. Specifically, Victorian parents experienced significant declines in relationship well-being compared to non-Victorian parents. Our findings provide novel insights into how government-mandated social restrictions can disrupt the relational ecology of parents.

The Role of Attachment, Insecurity, and Stress in Partner Maltreatment: A Meta-Analysis.

Negative, destructive, and abusive behaviors in romantic relationships can vary from explicit kinds of abuse and aggression to more subtle and seemingly innocuous slights against or ways of treating a partner. However, regardless of the severity or explicit nature, these behaviors all, to one extent or another, reflect acts of invalidation, disrespect, aggression, or neglect toward a partner, and could be considered maltreatment of a partner. The current paper proposes the term partner maltreatment as a broad overarching concept, which was used to facilitate a meta-analytic synthesis of the literature to examine the associations between attachment insecurity (i.e., attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance) and perpetration of partner maltreatment. Additionally, this paper situated partner maltreatment within an attachment-based diathesis-stress perspective to explore the moderating role of stress. Five databases were systematically searched for published and unpublished studies that examined the direct association between perpetrator's adult attachment orientation and perpetration of partner maltreatment behaviors. We synthesized effect sizes from 139 studies (N = 38,472) and found the effect between attachment insecurity and acts of partner maltreatment varied between r = .11 to .21. Our findings provide meta-analytic evidence to suggest that attachment insecurity is a significant individual vulnerability factor (diathesis) associated with partner maltreatment; and that when individuals with an insecure attachment orientation experience stress, the tendency to perpetrate partner maltreatment is typically heightened. The findings of this meta-analysis provide empirical evidence for the importance of considering and addressing contextual factors, especially stress, for those individuals and couples seeking therapy for partner maltreatment.

Do relationship education programs reduce relationship aggression? A meta-analytic study.

There is an increasing focus on evaluating the effectiveness of Relationship Education (RE) programs on reducing relationship aggression. Nevertheless, there has been little by way of a systematic quantitative synthesis of research to date. The primary aim of this research was to conduct a meta-analysis into the effects of RE programs on relationship aggression and provide a comprehensive assessment as to the moderating effects of various methodological characteristics of studies. A secondary aim was to determine whether RE programs reduce negative aspects of relationship functioning that are known to exacerbate relationship aggression. Thirty-one studies (n = 25,527) were included comprising of pre-post comparison studies and control trials. Overall, RE programs were significantly associated with reductions in relationship aggression (d = 0.11, p = .001). Pre-post studies yielded a significantly larger effect size (d = 0.28, p < .001) than RCT studies (d = 0.05, p = .10). Subgroup analysis revealed that participants who reported moderate to severe relationship aggression upon RE program entry demonstrated large reductions in physical (d = 0.66, p = .01) and psychological (d = 0.85, p < .001) aggression compared to those who reported minimal to low relationship aggression on entry (physical aggression d = 0.07, p = .009; psychological aggression d = -0.04; p = .17). Amongst participants who reported moderate to severe relationship aggression, RE programs were also found to reduce controlling behavior (d = 0.20, p < .01) and conflict behavior (d = 0.40, p < .001). Findings demonstrate the emerging efficacy of RE programs for reducing relationship aggression and conflict behavior, particularly in those with a history of moderate to severe levels of relationship aggression.

Project period: Improving period product provision in a large inner city hospital.

BACKGROUND: BMA guidance recommends all hospitals provide suitable, comfortable and convenient period products. In 2018, none of Scotland's health boards had policies on sanitary product provision. AIM: Establish current provision at Glasgow Royal Infirmary.Improve provision for staff and patients.Improve working experience for staff while menstruating. METHODS: Cycle 0: A pilot survey was circulated to assess current provision, availability and impact on working environment.Cycle 1: The survey was circulated to all hospital staff. Suppliers were contacted for donations. Two menstrual hubs were established in the medical receiving unit.Cycle 2: Polling confirmed the preferred mode of downstream product distribution, with products supplied to each ward. Menstrual hub use was monitored.Cycle 3: Staff were resurveyed following the interventions. Findings were presented to hospital and board managers. RESULTS: Cycle 0: 95% felt current provision for staff was not appropriate. 77% felt provisions were inappropriate for patients (n=22).Cycle 1: 97% felt hospital period product provisions were not appropriate. 84% of menstruators had no access to products when required: 55% asked colleagues for products; 50% used makeshift products and 8% used hospital pads. Overall, 84% did not know where to access period products within the hospital (n=968).Cycle 2: 91% preferred ward-based provisions (n=46).Cycle 3: 95% agreed that project period products were suitable for their needs (n=71). 82% felt access to period products had improved for personal use and 47% for patients. 58% were able to locate products for staff and 49% for patients. CONCLUSION: Project period highlighted a need for menstrual product provision in hospitals. It increased knowledge, suitability and availability of period products, and created a robust model of provision which may be easily replicated.

The Development and Validation of the Pornography Use in Romantic Relationships Scale.

Recent reviews of the pornography literature have called for the development of valid and reliable measures that assess multiple facets of pornography use. Moreover, despite pornography use having important implications for romantic relationships, there are currently no self-report assessments of pornography use specifically within the context of romantic relationships. To address these limitations, the current paper reports on two studies regarding the development and psychometric evaluation of a 38-item multidimensional measure of pornography use within the context of romantic relationships: the Pornography Use in Romantic Relationships Scale (PURRS). Study 1 (n = 739) reports on an Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analytic approach to determine the factor structure of the PURRS. Study 2 (n = 765) reports on the cross-validation of the factor structure of the PURRS, before assessing the criterion validity of the measure. The PURRS exhibited good internal consistency, construct validity, and criterion validity. The findings suggest that the PURRS is best modeled by 13 first-order factors, though a higher-order factor structure comprising four broad factors may also be used. The PURRS significantly extends on past assessments of pornography use, and in particular, advances the assessment and study of pornography use within the context of romantic relationships.

One year on: What we have learned about the psychological effects of COVID-19 social restrictions: A meta-analysis.

This article reports on the first meta-analysis of studies on the association between government-imposed social restrictions and mental health outcomes published during the initial year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thirty-three studies (N = 131,844) were included. Social restrictions were significantly associated with increased mental health symptoms overall (d = .41 [CI 95% .17-.65]), including depression (d = .83 [CI 95% .30-1.37]), stress (d = .21 [CI 95% .01-.42]) and loneliness (d = .30 [CI 95% .07-.52]), but not anxiety (d= .26 [CI 95% -.04-.56]). Subgroup analyses demonstrated that the strictness and length of restrictions had divergent effects on mental health outcomes, but there are concerns regarding study quality. The findings provide critical insights for future research on the effects of COVID-19 social restrictions.

Psychological Factors Associated With Ultramarathon Runners' Supranormal Pain Tolerance: A Pilot Study.

Athletes seem to have higher pain tolerance than the normally active population. It is unknown whether psychological factors contribute to their supranormal pain tolerance. The aim of this pilot study was to examine pain-related psychological processes in ultramarathon runners ('ultrarunners') and to explore whether psychological factors mediate the elevated pain tolerance displayed by ultrarunners. Forty participants took part in the study: 20 ultrarunners and 20 age- and gender-matched controls. Participants underwent the cold pressor test using water cooled to 0.1 to 0.5°C and completed the Pain Catastrophizing Scale, Pain Anxiety Symptoms Scale-20, Pain Vigilance and Awareness Questionnaire, and Pain Resilience Scale. Immersion time on the cold pressor test was significantly longer for the ultrarunners (P = .007) and they also had lower scores on all Pain Anxiety Symptoms Scale-20 subscales (P ≤ .030). The 2 groups did not differ significantly on the other questionnaires. Mediation analysis revealed that reduced pain-related escape and avoidance behaviors accounted for 40% of the difference in immersion time between the groups (P = .020). Our results suggest that ultrarunners have lower levels of pain-related anxiety than the general population and that their supranormal pain tolerance is partially mediated by reduced pain-related escape and avoidance behaviors. PERSPECTIVE: This study investigated whether psychological factors contribute to the supranormal pain tolerance displayed by ultrarunners. It found that ultrarunners have lower levels of pain-related anxiety than nonrunning controls and that reduced pain-related escape and avoidance behaviors partially mediate their elevated pain tolerance.

A pilot study of bed nucleus of the stria terminalis deep brain stimulation in treatment-resistant depression.

BACKGROUND: Studies are increasingly investigating the therapeutic effects of deep brain stimulation (DBS) applied to a variety of brain regions in the treatment of patients with highly treatment refractory depression. Limited research to date has investigated the therapeutic potential of DBS applied to the Bed Nucleus Of Stria Terminalis (BNST). OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore the therapeutic potential of DBS applied to the BNST. METHOD: Five patients with highly treatment resistant depression underwent DBS to the BNST in an open label case series design. RESULTS: BNST DBS resulted in sustained remission of depression in two of the five patients, provided substantial therapeutic improvement two further patients, and had minimal antidepressant effect for the final patient. There were no operative complications and stimulation related side effects were limited and reversible with adjustment of stimulation. However, the time to achieve and complexity of programming required to achieve optimal therapeutic outcomes varied substantially between patients. CONCLUSION: DBS applied to the BNST as therapeutic potential in patients with highly refractory depression and warrants exploration in larger clinical studies.

Shur-clens: an agent to remove silicone gel after breast implant rupture.

Removal of silicone gel from surrounding tissues after implant rupture is difficult. Local inflammation, infection, and silicone granulomas warrant thorough removal of the silicone gel. Shur-Clens (20% solution of the surfactant poloxamer 188), povidone-iodine, and saline are agents that are used to aid in the removal of silicone gel from tissue. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of silicone gel removal by these three agents in vitro. Shur-Clens, povidone-iodine, and saline were compared as solvents for silicone gel. Four weight increments of silicone gel (0.02 g, 0.04 g, 0.06 g, and 0.08 g) were placed on glass slides. These slides were placed in separate beakers containing 40 ml test solution. The slides were soaked for 1 minute with gentle agitation. The slides were removed, rinsed gently with de-ionized water, and placed in a vacuum desiccator to dry. The slides were weighed to determine the amount of silicone removed after soaking in the solution. Analysis of variance was used to determine the significance between the three solvents. The percentages of silicone gel removed for the four weight increments (0.02 g, 0.04 g, 0.06 g, and 0.08 g) in saline were 5.6%, 2.9%, 2.1%, and 5.8%, respectively. In povidone-iodine solution, the percentages were 18.9%, 25.4%, 28.8%, and 51.9%. In Shur-Clens, the percentages were 31.3%, 43.0%, 63.5%, and 79.9%. The greater percentage of silicone gel removed by Shur-Clens was significant compared with the other solutions (p < or = 0.05). Shur-Clens was shown to be a more effective solvent for removal of silicone gel in vitro. This enhanced efficacy is a result of the fact that Shur-Clens contains 20% of the surfactant poloxamer 188. The authors' clinical experience with 7 patients who underwent ruptured silicone breast implant removal demonstrated the superiority of Shur-Clens. Shur-Clens is a surfactant cleanser that is widely available, is inexpensive, and has a good safety profile. They propose the use of Shur-Clens to clean silicone gel spillage to decrease local complications resulting from residual silicone gel.