Collaborative imagination synchronizes representations of the future and fosters social connection in the present.

From close friends to people on a first date, imagining a shared future appears fundamental to relationships. Yet, no previous research has conceptualized the act of imagination as a socially constructed process that affects how connected we feel to others. The present studies provide a framework for investigating imagination as a collaborative process in which individuals cocreate shared representations of hypothetical events-what we call collaborative imagination. Across two preregistered studies (N = 244), we provide evidence that collaborative imagination of a shared future fosters social connection in novel dyads-beyond imagining a shared future individually or shared experience in general. Subjective ratings and natural language processing of participants' imagined narratives illuminate the representational features of imagined events shaped by collaborative imagination. Together, the present findings have the potential to shift how we view the structure and function of imagination with implications for better understanding interpersonal relationships and collective cognition.

Proactive or reactive? Neural oscillatory insight into the leader-follower dynamics of early infant-caregiver interaction.

We know that infants' ability to coordinate attention with others toward the end of the first year is fundamental to language acquisition and social cognition. Yet, we understand little about the neural and cognitive mechanisms driving infant attention in shared interaction: do infants play a proactive role in creating episodes of joint attention? Recording electroencephalography (EEG) from 12-mo-old infants while they engaged in table-top play with their caregiver, we examined the communicative behaviors and neural activity preceding and following infant- vs. adult-led joint attention. Infant-led episodes of joint attention appeared largely reactive: they were not associated with increased theta power, a neural marker of endogenously driven attention, and infants did not increase their ostensive signals before the initiation. Infants were, however, sensitive to whether their initiations were responded to. When caregivers joined their attentional focus, infants showed increased alpha suppression, a pattern of neural activity associated with predictive processing. Our results suggest that at 10 to 12 mo, infants are not routinely proactive in creating joint attention episodes yet. They do, however, anticipate behavioral contingency, a potentially foundational mechanism for the emergence of intentional communication.

The experience of albinism in France: a qualitative study on dyads of parents and their adult child with albinism.

BACKGROUND: To date, almost no research on the psychosocial implications of albinism has been conducted in France and an exploration of albinism-related experiences could be beneficial, in order to better understand this condition. The aim of this study was to examine how French people with albinism and their parents live with and adapt to this condition in all the areas of their lives. METHODS: Semi-structured phone interviews were conducted with 9 parent-child dyads, each participating separately. Participants were recruited by convenience sampling, thanks to the combined efforts of a patient association (Genespoir) and professionals from the partner medical referral centers involved in the project. Dyads in which the individual with albinism had any comorbidity were excluded. The interviews were then transcribed and subjected to in-depth thematic analysis. Two codebooks were constructed in a mirrored process: one for people with albinism; the other for their parents. They were finally merged at the end of the coding step. RESULTS: Four main categories were identified: personal perceptions and social representations of albinism, difficulties and obstacles encountered by people with albinism, resources and facilitators, and the importance of parent-child functioning. The results indicated that experiences of stigmatization during childhood and adolescence are common and that people with albinism face challenges in adapting to certain obstacles related to their visual impairments (VI) (e.g., inability to drive a car; eye strain...). Parents emerged as one, if not as the main, source of support for people with albinism throughout their development. Although external support systems exist to assist them in various aspects of their lives, some of them primarily rely on their own personal resources to cope. CONCLUSIONS: This research highlights the importance of a systemic and transdisciplinary approach to make sure families receive the support that best meets their needs.

Caregiver greeting to infants under 6 months already reflects emerging differences in those later diagnosed with autism.

As infants develop, caregivers adjust their behaviour to scaffold their infant's emerging skills, such that changes in infants' social abilities are expected to elicit changes in caregiver behaviour. We examined whether changes in the probability of infant-directed caregiving behaviour-specifically, greeting, a ubiquitous signal used by caregivers to initiate reciprocal interactions-differ between infant-caregiver dyads with an infant later diagnosed with autism and dyads with a neurotypically developing infant during infants' first 6 months. Using longitudinal data from 163 dyads, we found that caregivers in autism dyads (n = 40) used greeting less and at later infant ages than caregivers with a neurotypically developing infant (neurotypical dyads, n = 83). Caregivers in dyads with infants at elevated familial genetic likelihood for autism who did not receive an autism diagnosis (EL-non-autism dyads, n = 40) showed no differences in greeting compared with neurotypical dyads. Socioeconomic status partially mediated the difference between autism and neurotypical dyads. These findings show that autism and socioeconomic status were associated with the mutually adapted dynamics of dyadic interaction beginning in the first postnatal weeks. Importantly, differences in caregiver greeting observed in autism dyads are not interpreted as suboptimal behaviour from caregivers but rather indicate how early emerging social differences related to autism, years before overt features are present, may alter social learning opportunities elicited by the infant.

A Dyadic Nosology for Osteogenesis Imperfecta and Bone Fragility Syndromes 2024.

In 2023 following extensive consultation with key stakeholders, the expert Nosology Working Group of the International Skeletal Dysplasia Society (ISDS) published the new Dyadic Nosology for Genetic Disorders of the Skeleton. Some 770 entities were delineated associated with 552 genes. From these entities, over 40 genes resulting in distinct forms of Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) and Bone Fragility and/or Familial Osteoporosis were identified. To assist clinicians and lay stake holders and bring the considerable body of knowledge of the matrix biology and genomics to people with OI as well as to clinicians and scientists, a dyadic nosology has been recommended. This combines a genomic co-descriptor with a phenotypic naming based on the widely used Sillence nosology for the OI syndromes and the many other syndromes characterized in part by bone fragility.This review recapitulates and explains the evolution from the simple Congenita and Tarda subclassification of OI in the 1970 nosology, which was replaced by the Sillence types I-IV nosology which was again replaced in 2009 with 5 clinical groups, type 1 to 5. Qualitative and quantitative defects in type I collagen polypeptides were postulated to account for the genetic heterogeneity in OI for nearly 30 years, when OI type 5, a non-collagen disorder was recognized. Advances in matrix biology and genomics since that time have confirmed a surprising complexity both in transcriptional as well as post-translational mechanisms of collagens as well as in the many mechanisms of calcified tissue homeostasis and integrity.

Interpersonal Process of Dyadic Coping in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Perspective From the Australian Rheumatology Association Database.

OBJECTIVE: Dyadic coping, the process of coping that transpires between couples challenged by one partner's illness, is an important predictor of disease adjustment and patient well-being. However, the extent of dyadic coping in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remains unclear. This study examines the effect of dyadic coping on psychological distress and relationship quality from the perspectives of both participants with RA and their spouses. METHODS: Participants and their spouses were invited to participate in an online survey study if they were aged ≥ 18 years and had lived together for more than a year. The survey included the Chronic Pain Grade Scale, Dyadic Coping Inventory, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, and Dyadic Adjustment Scale. Participants and spouses completed the survey independently. The actor-partner interdependence model was used to analyze the dyadic data. RESULTS: One hundred sixty-three couples participated. Our findings showed that participants who reported higher supportive dyadic coping reported lower depression, anxiety, and stress, and higher relationship quality, whereas participants who reported higher negative dyadic coping reported higher depression, anxiety, and stress, and lower relationship quality. Spouses who reported higher supportive dyadic coping reported higher relationship quality, but no effect on depression, anxiety, and stress was observed. In contrast, spouses who reported higher negative dyadic coping reported higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress, and lower relationship quality. CONCLUSION: Participants' and spouses' perceptions of supportive and negative dyadic coping closely influenced their psychological distress and relationship quality. Further, having a partner with RA also seemed to affect the spouse, especially when there was a negative dyadic coping pattern.

Desirability of outcome ranking for obstetrical trials: illustration and application to the ARRIVE trial.

BACKGROUND: In randomized trials, 1 primary outcome is typically chosen to evaluate the consequences of an intervention, whereas other important outcomes are relegated to secondary outcomes. This issue is amplified for many obstetrical trials in which an intervention may have consequences for both the pregnant person and the child. In contrast, desirability of outcome ranking, a paradigm shift for the design and analysis of clinical trials based on patient-centric evaluation, allows multiple outcomes-including from >1 individual-to be considered concurrently. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to describe desirability of outcome ranking methodology tailored to obstetrical trials and to apply the methodology to maternal-perinatal paired (dyadic) outcomes in which both individuals may be affected by an intervention but may experience discordant outcomes (eg, an obstetrical intervention may improve perinatal but worsen maternal outcomes). STUDY DESIGN: This secondary analysis applies the desirability of outcome ranking methodology to data from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network ARRIVE trial. The original analysis found no substantial difference in the primary (perinatal composite) outcome, but a decreased risk of the secondary outcome of cesarean delivery with elective induction at 39 weeks. In the present desirability-of-outcome-ranking analysis, dyadic outcomes ranging from spontaneous vaginal delivery without severe neonatal complication (most desirable) to cesarean delivery with perinatal death (least desirable) were classified into 8 categories ranked by overall desirability by experienced investigators. Distributions of the desirability of outcome ranking were compared by estimating the probability of having a more desirable dyadic outcome with elective induction at 39 weeks of gestation than with expectant management. To account for various perspectives on these outcomes, a complementary analysis, called the partial credit strategy, was used to grade outcomes on a 100-point scale and estimate the difference in overall treatment scores between groups using a t test. RESULTS: All 6096 participants from the trial were included. The probability of a better dyadic outcome for a randomly selected patient who was randomized to elective induction was 53% (95% confidence interval, 51-54), implying that elective induction led to a better overall outcome for the dyad when taking multiple outcomes into account concurrently. Furthermore, the desirability-of-outcome-ranking probability of averting cesarean delivery with elective induction was 52% (95% confidence interval, 51-53), which was not at the expense of an operative vaginal delivery or a poorer outcome for the perinate (ie, survival with a severe neonatal complication or perinatal death). Randomization to elective induction was also advantageous in most of the partial credit score scenarios. CONCLUSION: Desirability-of-outcome-ranking methodology is a useful tool for obstetrical trials because it provides a concurrent view of the effect of an intervention on multiple dyadic outcomes, potentially allowing for better translation of data for decision-making and person-centered care.

Common dyadic coping and its congruence in couples facing breast cancer: The impact on couples' psychological distress.

OBJECTIVE: Psychological distress is prevalent in couples facing breast cancer. Couples often deal with breast cancer as a unit instead of as individuals. Couple's dyadic coping is important for their adjustment to breast cancer; however, little is known about how couple's coping congruence influences their distress. This study examined how common dyadic coping (CDC) and coping congruence impact psychological distress in couples facing breast cancer. METHODS: Baseline data were analyzed from 343 women with recently diagnosed early-stage breast cancer and their partners who participated in a randomized clinical trial. Psychological distress was indicated by depressed mood and state anxiety. Common dyadic coping was measured by a self-report scale. Coping congruence was assessed by the absolute difference between a woman's and her partner's CDC scores. RESULTS: Higher CDC scores were associated with lower psychological distress in both women and partners. In the CDC subscales, women who suffered less scored higher on open communication, sharing a positive outlook, and lower on avoidance coping. Partners who suffered less scored higher on open communication, sharing a positive outlook, spending time talking, and lower on avoidance coping. Greater congruence in CDC was associated with lower psychological distress in women and their partners. Congruence in sharing a positive outlook benefited both members of the dyad; congruence in avoidance coping significantly benefited patients; congruence in open communication significantly benefited partners. CONCLUSIONS: CDC and its congruence in specific areas have potential benefit to couple's psychological distress when facing breast cancer. Health care providers could consider enhancing couple's CDC and coping congruence to improve their adjustment.

Conflicting patterns of cardiovascular reactivity, self-report, and behavior associated with social anxiety during a conversation with a close friend.

Social anxiety (SA) is characterized by anxious symptomology and fear during social situations, but recent work suggests that SA may not necessarily be associated with negative interpersonal and intrapersonal outcomes in support contexts. The current research investigates the discrepancies between self-perceptions, behavior, and physiological responses associated with SA in social support conversations with close friends. Specifically, we examined the associations between SA and positive and negative affect, perceptions of demands and resources, and responsiveness. Additionally, we used the biopsychosocial model of challenge and threat to understand the physiological responses associated with SA. Participants (79.9% White, 9.8% Black or African American, 10.3% Multiple races or other; 78.7% Female), totaling 172 undergraduate friend dyads, completed self-report measures and had physiological responses recorded while they discussed a problem unrelated to the friendship. Trained coders rated responsive behaviors exhibited during the conversation. Results revealed that greater SA was associated with greater negative perceptions of social interactions (greater negative affect, fewer perceived resources, and greater perceived demands). However, cardiovascular reactivity and behavioral responses within the conversation, as well as perceptions of partners' behavior after the conversation, contrasted with these negative perceptions. Indeed, greater SA was associated with greater sympathetic arousal (indicative of greater task engagement), but not with greater challenge or threat, and SA was not associated with perceived partner responsiveness or responsive behaviors. These results add to the growing body of research that suggests people with greater SA show inconsistencies between their conscious appraisals of social situations and their physiological responses.

Dyadic coping experiences of parents of children with vascular anomalies.

BACKGROUND: Vascular anomalies (VAs) are a spectrum of rare pediatric disorders that require coordinated care from multiple subspecialists. Parents often struggle to coordinate care for their child's complex rare disorder. Even when they do access expert care, parents of children with VAs report high levels of stress and uncertainty. While previous research has explored parents' experiences navigating care for VAs, we know very little about how parents cope with stress together. Given the effect that dyadic coping can have on individual, couple, family, and child outcomes, we aimed to gain a better understanding of dyadic coping in the context of VAs. PROCEDURES: We collected data using semi-structured interviews with 27 parents (13 dyads and one individual parent). Data were analyzed using dyadic thematic analysis. RESULTS: Parents experienced stress related to medical, personal, logistical, and financial aspects of their child's healthcare. They relied on eight coping strategies: active coping, seeking emotional support, seeking informational support, cognitive avoidance, distraction, cognitive reframing, acceptance, and internalization. When analyzed together, we found evidence of five dyadic coping dynamics: collaborative, supportive, delegated, separate, and negative. CONCLUSION: Dyadic coping is complex and multilayered for parents of children with VAs. While the child's diagnosis is considered a shared stressor, both parents may not share preferred coping strategies. Parents of the same child may also be coping with different medical, relational/social, personal, or logistical stressors altogether. Psychosocial interventions designed to facilitate parental coping should address these complex coping dynamics.

Coping with sexual violence as a post-assault formed couple: A dyadic phenomenological interview analysis.

Increasing evidence shows that survivors of sexual violence frequently experience relationship difficulties following their victimization. Little is known regarding how couples which formed post-assault cope with the impact of the prior assault. Hence, the aim of the current study was to gain insight into post-assault formed couples' experiences in coping with the impact of sexual violence. To this end, an interview study was conducted with five female survivors and their male partners who began their romantic relationship post-assault. A dyadic phenomenological interview analysis revealed that sexual victimization is a dyadic stressor but is not always considered as such by the couple. In addition, disclosure is described as a potential bonding experience. Flexibility and creativity from both partners are required as they adapt to the post-assault impact. In addition, meaningful communication and considering the perspective of one's partner seemed to be key to dyadically cope successfully. The current study also identified challenges couples had to manage, including caregiver burden and role confusion. Results suggest that interventions supporting couples in their continuous efforts toward mutual understanding can foster trust and growth.

Relationship between dyadic communication and body image among women with breast cancer.

PURPOSE: Dyadic communication positively affects marital relationships, good relationships help restore body image, and this study explores the relationship between dyadic communication and body image of breast cancer patients. METHODS: Cross-sectional correlation design with convenience sampling was used to recruit participants from two outpatient medical centers. Demographic information, medical records, and two questionnaires, dyadic communicative resilience scale (DCRS) and body image scale (BIS), were administered. Participants comprised women with breast cancer and their partners. Multiple regression analysis was performed to control related factors to understand the association between the DCRS of the women with breast cancer and their partners and the women's body image. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to analyze between three categories of couple's communication status (consistent and good, consistent and poor, and inconsistent) and body image of women with breast cancer. RESULTS: Data were obtained from 162 women with breast cancer and 90 partners. The study found (1) significant correlation between the women's perception of their communication and body image, (2) humor in partner's perception of their communication was significantly associated with women's body image, and (3) dyadic communication that both patients and partners were consistent and good in the domain of keeping pre-cancer routines and attractiveness was associated with women's body image. CONCLUSION: The correlation between dyadic communication and the body image of women with breast cancer is significant. Improving communication specific on keeping pre-cancer routines and attractiveness between women with breast cancer and their partners could enhance the women's body image.

Illness perception and intimate relationships in patients with cervical cancer: the mediating role of dyadic coping.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: A good intimate relationship (IR) can relieve the psychological distress of patients with cervical cancer and promote a sense of well-being during stressful times. Researchers have found that IR is related to illness perception (IP) and dyadic coping (DC). Therefore, this study aimed to (1) describe the IR of patients with cervical cancer, (2) identify the relationships and pathways among IP, DC and IR in patients with cervical cancer and (3) explore the mediating role of DC between IP and IR in cervical cancer patients. METHODS: A total of 175 patients with cervical cancer were recruited at a tertiary hospital in China from September 2021 to January 2023. The data were collected through a general demographic and disease-related information questionnaire, the Locke-Wallace Marriage Adjustment Test, the Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire of Cervical Cancer and the Dyadic Coping Inventory. RESULTS: The mean score for intimate relationships was 107.78 (SD = 23.99, range 30-154). Pearson's correlation analysis revealed that intimate relationships were positively correlated with IP (personal control) and DC (stress communication, supportive DC, delegated DC and common DC) and were negatively correlated with IP (consequence, timeline acute/chronic, timeline cyclical and emotional representation) and negative DC. As for the results of the structural equation model, DC fully mediated the influencing effects of both positive and negative IP on IR. CONCLUSIONS: The level of IR of patients with cervical cancer in China should be improved. DC has a significant mediating effect on the link between the IP and IR.

Persuader-receiver neural coupling underlies persuasive messaging and predicts persuasion outcome.

Opportunities to persuade and be persuaded are ubiquitous. What interpersonal neural pathway in real-world settings determining successful information propagation in naturalistic two-person persuasion scenarios? Hereby, we extended prior research on a naturalistic dyadic persuasion paradigm (NDP) using dual-fNIRS protocol simultaneously measured the neural activity from persuader-receiver dyads while they engaged in a modified "Arctic Survival Task." Investigating whether neural coupling between persuaders and receivers underpinning of persuading and predict persuasion outcomes (i.e., receiver's compliance). Broadly, we indicated that the persuasive arguments increase neural coupling significantly compared to non-persuasive arguments in the left superior temporal gyrus-superior frontal gyrus and superior frontal gyrus-inferior frontal gyrus. G-causality indices further revealed the coupling directionality of information flows between the persuader and receiver. Critically, the neural coupling could be a better predictor of persuasion outcomes relative to traditional self-report measures. Eventually, temporal dynamics neural coupling incorporating video recording revealed neural coupling marked the micro-level processes in response to persuading messages and possibly reflecting the time that persuasion might occurs. The initial case of the arguments with targeted views is valuable as the first step in encouraging the receiver's compliance. Our investigation represented an innovative interpersonal approach toward comprehending the neuroscience and psychology underlying complex and true persuasion.

Functional neural network connectivity at 3 months predicts infant-mother dyadic flexibility during play at 6 months.

Early functioning of neural networks likely underlies the flexible switching between internal and external orientation and may be key to the infant's ability to effectively engage in social interactions. To test this hypothesis, we examined the association between infants' neural networks at 3 months and infant-mother dyadic flexibility (denoting the structural variability of their interaction dynamics) at 3, 6, and 9 months. Participants included thirty-five infants (37% girls) and their mothers (87% White). At 3 months, infants participated in a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging session, and functional connectivity (FC) within the default mode (DMN) and salience (SN) networks, as well as DMN-SN internetwork FC, were derived using a seed-based approach. When infants were 3, 6, and 9 months, infant-mother dyads completed the Still-Face Paradigm where their individual engagement behaviors were observed and used to quantify dyadic flexibility using state space analysis. Results revealed that greater within-DMN FC, within-SN FC, and DMN-SN anticorrelation at 3 months predicted greater dyadic flexibility at 6 months, but not at 3 and 9 months. Findings suggest that early synchronization and interaction between neural networks underlying introspection and salience detection may support infants' flexible social interactions as they become increasingly active and engaged social partners.

Associations between dyadic communication and dyadic coping of patients with cervical cancer and their spouses: a study utilizing the actor-partner interdependence model.

There is a growing focus on exploring dyadic interactions and outcomes between couples undergoing cervical cancer (CC). The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to figure out how dyadic communication influences both CC patients' and spouses' coping abilities. A sample of 286 CC dyads completed questionnaires assessing dyadic communication and dyadic coping. The actor-partner interdependence model was used to analyze the interaction effect between the dyads. Dyadic communication among cervical cancer (CC) patients has a predictive effect on their own negative dyadic coping (ß = - 0.141, P = 0.034) and on their spouses' delegated dyadic coping (ß = 0.133, P = 0.044). In contrast, dyadic communication among CC spouses is negatively associated with their own supportive dyadic coping (ß = - 0.237, P < 0.001), delegated dyadic coping (ß = - 0.156, P = 0.018), common dyadic coping (ß = - 0.148, P = 0.026) and also with CC patients' supportive dyadic coping (ß = - 0.153, P = 0.022). Dyadic communication between CC patients and their spouses affect their own and each other's dyadic coping. Exploring interventions focused on the CC couples' communication strategies to enhance their positive dyadic coping should be considered.

Posttraumatic stress symptoms in parents of children with newly diagnosed cancer: 1-year trajectories and relationship variables as predictors.

OBJECTIVE: The way in which parental posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) unfold in the first year after a cancer diagnosis in their child is poorly understood. The aims of this study were to identify parental PTSS trajectories and to examine couple-related predictors (dyadic coping and we-disease appraisals), sociodemographic predictors (education and sex), and medical predictors (child's physical impairment) of trajectory membership. METHOD: A 1-year prospective study was conducted, and 157 parents of children newly diagnosed with cancer were assessed. PTSS was measured with the Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale for DSM-5 (PDS-5) at 3-6 weeks (T1), 6 months (T2), and 12 months (T3) after the diagnosis. The trajectories were identified with Latent Class Growth Analysis, the predictors were explored with binomial logistic regression. RESULTS: Two distinct trajectories were found. The majority of parents (86.0%) followed a low PTSS trajectory, characterized by initially low scores that slightly decreased over 12 months. In contrast, 14.0% of parents displayed a stable, high PTSS trajectory. A high trajectory of child's physical impairment and low scores in parental dyadic coping were significantly associated with the likelihood of a high parental PTSS trajectory. CONCLUSIONS: The findings provide new insights into the critical period of the first year after a child's cancer diagnosis. While most parents display a resilient, low PTSS trajectory, a minority consistently experience high PTSS levels. Child's physical impairment and dyadic coping should be considered as predictors for early identification of vulnerable parents. Incorporating dyadic coping in parental support following a childhood cancer diagnosis could be beneficial for parental mental health.

The Association Between Sexual Initiation and Membership in Dyadic Profiles of Perceived Shared Power.

There is scarce empirical evidence examining whether sexual initiation and power are associated with each other. Utilizing latent profile analyses, we examined in a nationally representative sample of US newlywed heterosexual couples (N = 1,948 couples) whether wives' and husbands' sexual initiation patterns and satisfaction with these patterns were associated with membership in different profiles of wives' and husbands' perceptions of shared relational power while accounting for both partner's satisfaction with sexual frequency. We found four profiles of wives' and husbands' perceptions of power. The most common profile was when both wives and husbands perceived high levels of power compared to other profiles, but wives had significantly higher reports of perceived power than husbands (High Power, Wife Higher; 40.8%). Husbands' sexual initiation patterns were not associated with profile membership. Wives who reported equal sexual initiation patterns had a higher probability of being in the High Power, Wife Higher profile compared to the Wife Low Power, Husband Moderate Power profile. Both wives' and husbands' satisfaction with sexual initiation patterns were associated with profile membership. Wives and husbands that were satisfied with sexual initiation patterns had a higher probability of being in the High Power, Wife Higher profile compared to the profile where both wives and husbands had high perceptions of shared relational power compared to other profiles, but their scores were not significantly different from each other (High Power, Equal).

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.

Dyadic practice for the acquisition of laparoscopic skills (DALS)-A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic simulation is integral to surgical education but requires significant resources. We aimed to compare the effectiveness of dyadic practice (DP), involving two individuals working together, to individual practice (IP) for novices acquiring laparoscopic skills and assess their learning experience. METHODS: We conducted a Randomized Controlled Trial comparing DP and IP for novice medical students who completed a laparoscopic simulation workshop. Participants were assessed individually pre-course (test 1), post-course (test 2), and 8-week retention (test 3) using a validated quantitative method. A post-course questionnaire and interview, analyzed with thematic analysis, assessed the learning experience. RESULTS: In total, 31 DP and 35 IP participants completed the study. There was no difference in mean scores between DP and IP groups in all three tests: test 1 (p = 0.55), test 2 (p = 0.26), test 3 (p = 0.35). In trend analysis, the DP group improved post-course (test 1 vs. 2: p = 0.02) and maintained this level at the retention test (2 vs. 3: p = 0.80, 1 vs. 3: p = 0.02). Whilst the IP group also improved post-course (test 1 vs. 2: p < 0.001), this improvement was not retained (2 vs. 3: p = 0.003, 1 vs. 3: p = 0.32). Thematic analysis revealed that DP participants valued peer support, peer feedback and observation time, but also acknowledged the limitations of reduced practical time and issues with teamwork. CONCLUSION: DP is non-inferior to IP for novices learning laparoscopic skills, is well received and may lead to superior long-term skill retention.