Consideration of Future Consequences Influences Involvement in Romantic Partners' Health.

This study examined the influence of people's short-term (e.g., convenience) and long-term (e.g., maintain weight) motives toward their romantic partner's health on their provision of health-related social control and autonomy support for their partner's health behaviors, as well as their indifference toward their romantic partner's health. Data from a sample of cohabiting couples (N = 212) were analyzed using multilevel path models. Results showed having more long-term motives for a partner's health lead to increased provisions of autonomy support and social control, and less indifference toward the partner's health, especially when the partner had lower long-term health motives themselves. In contrast, having more short-term motives for a partner's health was associated with providing less social control and autonomy support and showing more indifference toward the partner's health. Thus, people motivated to improve their partner's long-term health engage in more behaviors meant to improve their romantic partner's health choices, particularly when the partner has low motivation to regulate their own health behaviors.

Spouse confidence in self-efficacy for arthritis management predicts improved patient health.

BACKGROUND: In addition to patient self-efficacy, spouse confidence in patient efficacy may also independently predict patient health outcomes. However, the potential influence of spouse confidence has received little research attention. PURPOSE: The current study examined the influence of patient and spouse efficacy beliefs for arthritis management on patient health. METHODS: Patient health (i.e., arthritis severity, perceived health, depressive symptoms, lower extremity function), patient self-efficacy, and spouse confidence in patients' efficacy were assessed in a sample of knee osteoarthritis patients (N = 152) and their spouses at three time points across an 18-month period. Data were analyzed using structural equation models. RESULTS: Consistent with predictions, spouse confidence in patient efficacy for arthritis management predicted improvements in patient depressive symptoms, perceived health, and lower extremity function over 6 months and in arthritis severity over 1 year. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings add to a growing literature that highlights the important role of spouse perceptions in patients' long-term health.

How sacrifice impacts the giver and the recipient: insights from approach-avoidance motivational theory.

This study investigated how sacrificing for approach versus avoidance goals shapes the giver's and the recipient's emotions and relationship quality. A sample of 80 dating couples participated in a three-part study in which they discussed sacrifice in the laboratory (Part 1), reported on their daily sacrifices for 14 days (Part 2), and completed a follow-up survey 3 months later (Part 3). When partners discussed a sacrifice they had made for approach goals, they experienced greater relationship quality, whereas when they discussed a sacrifice they had made for avoidance goals, they experienced poorer relationship quality. These effects were replicated with outside observer reports. On days when partners sacrificed for approach goals, both partners experienced increased relationship quality, but on days when people sacrificed for avoidance goals, the giver experienced decreased relationship quality. These effects were mediated by positive and negative emotions, respectively. Approach sacrifice goals predicted increases in relationship quality and avoidance sacrifice goals predicted decreases in relationship quality, as reported by both partners 3 months later. Sacrifice per se does not help or harm relationships, but the goals that people pursue when they give up their own interests can critically shape the quality of intimate bonds.

A meta-analytic review of accuracy and bias in romantic partner perceptions.

People's perceptions of their romantic partners are somewhat accurate but also contain biases. In the current meta-analytic review, we sought to examine overall levels of accuracy and bias in romantic partner perceptions and moderators of accuracy and bias. We examined tracking accuracy (k = 157), projection (k = 157), indirect accuracy (k = 69), and mean-level bias (k = 153) in perceptions of a romantic partner across samples that estimated tracking accuracy and projection simultaneously. Gender, relationship length, study design, geographic region, publication year, and judgment type were examined as potential moderators. Results revealed significant mean effect sizes for tracking accuracy (ß = .24), projection (ß = .42), similarity (ß = .22), and indirect accuracy (ß = .11). Overall, people tended to have mean-level accuracy (d = -0.006) even when constructs were coded as conceptually positive or negative (d = -0.03). Men seemed to view their partners more negatively. Publication year and relationship length did not matter for any perceptual process. Tracking accuracy was higher in overall judgments, whereas projection was higher in daily judgments. Positive interaction traits and mind-reading judgments showed a negative bias. Greater projection and positive bias in noninteraction judgments were associated with higher relationship quality. Our results are the first to provide effect sizes for projection, tracking accuracy while controlling for projection, and indirect accuracy, and build on prior research concerning the complex ways in which partners perceive each other. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Perceptions of partner social control: accuracy, bias, and daily experience.

OBJECTIVE: We examined accuracy and bias in people's perceptions of their romantic partner's daily social control attempts of daily health behaviours and how misperceptions of partner daily social control are related to both partners' daily experiences. DESIGN: 106 cohabiting couples from the community reported on their own and their partner's daily social control attempts (i.e., persuasion, pressure) and their daily experiences (i.e., positive and negative affect, autonomy, relationship satisfaction) across 14 consecutive days (N = 2377 reports). Multilevel path models examined tracking accuracy, projection, and mean-level bias in perceptions of partner health social control attempts, and associations between mean-level bias and daily experiences. RESULTS: Perceptions of provider influence contained significant tracking accuracy, projection, and mean-level accuracy in provider use of social control. Underperceptions of persuasion were associated with negative outcomes for the perceiver and no outcomes for the provider. Overperceptions of persuasion were associated with negative outcomes for providers and marginally higher positive affect for perceivers. Misperceptions of pressure were associated with negative outcomes for both perceivers and providers. CONCLUSION: Results suggest that social control may have the most benefit and least harm to both partners when people accurately perceive the mean-levels of such influence attempts on their health behaviours.

Daily perceptions of romantic partner autonomy support and undermining of health behavior.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined accuracy and bias in daily perceptions of a romantic partner's autonomy support and undermining of health behaviors and the associations between misperceptions and both partners' daily experiences. DESIGN: A sample of 106 cohabiting couples from the community completed daily reports (N = 2377) of their own and their partner's autonomy support and undermining, and their daily experiences. RESULTS: We found tracking accuracy and projection in perceptions of provider's autonomy support and undermining, and evidence of misperceptions: people over-perceived the provider's undermining and under-perceived the provider's autonomy support. Misperceptions were linked with more negative experiences, indicating support and undermining may have the most benefit and least harm when more accurately perceived. CONCLUSION: Although there is some accuracy in daily perceptions of provider support and undermining of health behaviors, there are also biases at play in perceptions and misperceptions are linked with more negative experiences, indicating that support and undermining have the most benefit and least harm to both perceiving and providing partners when such behaviors are accurately perceived.

Perceptions of a romantic partner's approach and avoidance motives: Accuracy, bias, and emotional cues.

We examined tracking accuracy and bias (mean-level and projection) in people's perceptions of their romantic partner's relationship approach and avoidance motives, similarity in partners' motives, and positive and negative emotions as potential cues used to make judgments about a partner's daily motives and motives during shared activities. Using data from 2 studies, 1 using daily diaries (N = 2,158 daily reports), the other using reports of shared activities (N = 1,228 activity reports), we found evidence of tracking accuracy and projection across samples; we also found evidence of mean-level bias such that people underperceived their partner's approach (daily) and avoidance motives (daily and in shared activities). Partners had similar daily approach and avoidance motives but were not similar in their motives during shared activities. Further, our studies indicated that emotions often serve as relevant, available, and detectable cues for judging a partner's motives. The results demonstrate that accuracy and bias are both present in judgments of a romantic partner's approach and avoidance motives, and that people often, but not always, use their partner's emotions to make such judgments. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Associations between social control, motivation, and exercise: How romantic partners influence exercise during young adulthood.

This study investigated whether positive and negative romantic partner social control attempts (persuasion and pressure, respectively) were related to approach-avoidance motives and exercise among young adults (N = 98), using daily reports. Daily persuasion was linked to higher daily approach motives. At the person level, persuasion was associated with higher approach and avoidance motives in addition to more frequent, longer exercise. Pressure was associated with higher daily relationship stress, which was associated with higher daily avoidance motives. At the person level, pressure was related to less frequent, shorter exercise. Thus, romantic partners' social control use correlates with exercise motives and behavior.

Broadening your horizons: Self-expanding activities promote desire and satisfaction in established romantic relationships.

In the early stages of romantic relationships, sexual desire is often intense, but over time, as partners get to know each other, desire tends to decline. Low sexual desire has negative implications for relationship satisfaction and maintenance. Self-expansion theory suggests that engaging in novel activities with a long-term romantic partner can reignite feelings of passion from the early stages of a relationship. Across 3 studies using dyadic, daily experience, longitudinal, and experimental methods, we find evidence for our central prediction that engaging in self-expanding activities with a partner is associated with higher sexual desire. In turn, we found that higher desire fueled by self-expansion is associated with greater relationship satisfaction. Self-expansion, through sexual desire, is also associated with an increased likelihood that couples will engage in sex, and when they do engage in sex, they feel more satisfied with their sexual experiences. We also demonstrate that the benefits of self-expansion for relationship satisfaction are sustained over time, and that the effects cannot be attributed solely to increases in positive affect, time spent interacting with the partner or closeness during the activity. Implications for self-expansion theory and sexual desire maintenance in relationships are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

An examination of accuracy and bias in perceptions of a partner's motives for health behaviour regulation.

OBJECTIVES: This study assessed accuracy and bias in people's perceptions of their romantic partner's adoption of short-term (avoid conflict) and long-term (later health) motives for interpersonally regulating their health behaviours. DESIGN: A cross-sectional Web-based survey of 114 cohabiting romantic couples (N = 228 individuals) living in the United States. METHODS: Romantic partners separately completed measures of their short-term and long-term motives for self-regulation and partner regulation of health behaviours, as well as their perceptions of partner regulation of their own health behaviours. Dyadic path analyses were conducted using the truth and bias model of judgement. RESULTS: Targets of interpersonal regulation perceived their romantic partner's short-term and long-term motives for influencing their (the target's) health behaviour with significant accuracy. However, targets' perceptions of their partner's motives simultaneously contained about the same amount of projection of the target's own short- and long-term motives for self-regulation. There was no similarity between the target's motives for self-regulation and their partner's motives for interpersonal regulation. Targets also tended to underestimate their partner's long-term motives for interpersonal regulation. CONCLUSIONS: Although people are somewhat accurate in their perceptions of their romantic partner's motives for attempting to influence their health behaviours, their perceptions are also contaminated by biases. This suggests that people's judgements about their partner's motives could be substantially improved. Statement of contribution What is known about this subject? Romantic partners use social influence tactics to improve each other's health behaviours. People who perceive their partner's influence attempts positively often make healthy changes. Misperceptions of a partner's motives for influence attempts may have health and relationship implications. What does this study add? People are aware of whether partner influence attempts are motivated by convenience or concern. People also project their own motives for self-regulating health behaviours onto their partner.

Investigating the work-family conflict and health link: Repetitive thought as a mechanism.

Research is needed to investigate mechanisms linking work-family conflict to poor health in working adults. We took a novel approach to build on extant studies by testing a potential mechanism in these associations - repetitive thought. Data came from a sample of 203 partnered working adults. There were significant direct effects of work-family conflict with lower life satisfaction, positive affect, and perceived health as well as greater fatigue. As for total effects, work-family conflict was significantly associated with all health outcomes - life satisfaction, positive affect, negative affect, fatigue, perceived health, and chronic health conditions - in the expected directions through repetitive thought. This study provides support that repetitive thought is one potential mechanism of how work-family conflict can take a toll on psychological and physical health. Findings are discussed in relation to improving workplace policies to improve the health of working adults managing work-family conflict.

The Effects of Lack of Joint Goal Planning on Divorce over 10 Years.

Given the negative consequences of divorce on health and well-being, it is important to try to identify its predictors. In the current study we used data from the National Survey of Midlife Development (N = 2801) to examine the longitudinal effects of lack of joint goal planning with a romantic relationship partner on divorce over a 10-year period. Multilevel regression analyses showed that lack of joint planning with the relationship partner was associated with a 19% increase in the odds of divorce, even when controlling for various demographic (i.e., age, gender, relationship length, number of children in the household), individual (i.e., neuroticism, positive affect, negative affect, physical symptoms, planning), and relationship (i.e., marital empathy, partner strain, partner disagreement, marital satisfaction, commitment). These results demonstrate the importance of considering one's partner when making decisions and plans for the future, given that it has clear implications for relationship dissolution.

The burden of empathy: Partners' responses to divergence of interests in daily life.

Empathy has often been discussed as a beneficial process from which favorable individual and interpersonal experiences may be derived. The present work investigates whether empathy may sometimes be a burden rather than a benefit, under certain interpersonal circumstances. Specifically, we hypothesized that encountering situations of divergence of interests with a partner may cause discomfort, and that empathizing with one's partner would exacerbate this discomfort, resulting in higher levels of negative mood and stress that can affect relationship satisfaction. We tested these hypotheses using innovative experience sampling methodology in which both partners reported on their experiences in their natural environments. In support, we found that when people encountered divergence of interests with one's partner, as compared with when they did not, they experienced higher negative mood and stress and, consequently, lower relationship satisfaction. These effects were intensified, rather than reduced, by empathy. (PsycINFO Database Record

The validity of well-being measures: a multiple-indicator-multiple-rater model.

In the subjective indicators tradition, well-being is defined as a match between an individual's actual life and his or her ideal life. Common well-being indicators are life-satisfaction judgments, domain satisfaction judgments, and measures of positive and negative affect (hedonic balance). These well-being indicators are routinely used to study well-being, but a formal measurement model of well-being is lacking. This article introduces a measurement model of well-being and examines the validity of self-ratings and informant ratings of well-being. Participants were 335 families (1 student with 2 parents, N = 1,005). The main findings were that (a) self-ratings and informant ratings are equally valid, (b) global life-satisfaction judgments and averaged domain satisfaction judgments are about equally valid, and (c) about 1/3 of the variance in a single indicator is valid. The main implication is that researchers should demonstrate convergent validity across multiple indicators by multiple raters.

The independent contributions of social reward and threat perceptions to romantic commitment.

Although separate literatures have emerged on effects of social threats (i.e., rejection and negative evaluation) and rewards (i.e., connection and intimacy) on the process of commitment to a romantic relationship, no research has examined the influence of both simultaneously. Using an attachment framework, we examined the relation of social threats and rewards to investment model constructs (i.e., commitment, satisfaction, investment, quality of alternatives) in 3 studies. Study 1 (N = 533) and Study 2 (N = 866) assessed attachment styles, reward and threat perceptions, and investment model constructs, and data were analyzed using structural equation models. In Study 3 (N = 358), reward and threat perceptions were experimentally manipulated followed by measurement of investment model constructs. Results showed that attachment avoidance was uniquely associated with lower perceptions of reward, whereas attachment anxiety was uniquely associated with stronger perceptions of threat. Stronger reward perceptions were associated with higher commitment, investment, and satisfaction, as well as lower quality of alternatives in all studies. Stronger threat perceptions were associated with lower satisfaction in all 3 studies. Stronger threat perceptions were also correlated with higher levels of investment and commitment, although these effects did not replicate in our experimental study. Thus, perceptions of reward appear unambiguously associated with higher levels of all facets of commitment, whereas perceptions of threat are most strongly associated with lower satisfaction. These results underscore the importance of considering the effects of rewards and threats simultaneously in commitment processes.