Most couples eagerly anticipate the birth of their first child. However, the transition to parenthood is also associated with significant lifestyle changes and approximately 50% of couples report a moderate to severe decline in relationship satisfaction and quality. Low relationship satisfaction is associated with increased couple conflict, individual psychological distress, negative parent-child relationships and poor child outcomes. Despite our increasing knowledge of the factors that predict enhanced couple adjustment, few evidence-based programs are available to assist couples' adjustment to parenthood. In this first randomized controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of a flexible delivery psycho-education program, entitled 'Couple CARE for Parents', 71 pregnant couples were assessed on self-report and observational measures of couple relationship and individual functioning and then randomized into either the Couple CARE for Parents program (n = 35) or a comparison program (n = 36). Couple CARE for Parents was a six unit program, comprising of an antenatal workshop, two home visits and three telephone support calls, and included skill-training in key relationship processes that are predictive of couple relationship quality, with the addition of parenting and baby care information. Among intervention couples the typical decline in female relationship satisfaction was prevented, with only 13% of intervention females reporting a decline in relationship satisfaction from pregnancy to 5 months postpartum, compared to 42% of females in the comparison program. Observed couple communication also improved as a result of the intervention, with Couple CARE for Parents couples showing reliably lower rates of negative speaker and listener skills at post-intervention relative to comparison couples. Couples were highly engaged in Couple CARE for Parents and there was a low drop out rate across the 7 month intervention period. These findings are promising and add to the early intervention studies showing positive effects of couple-focused psycho-education during the transition to parenthood by demonstrating that flexible delivery programs are feasible and attractive to couples. Providing cost-effective couple relationship education to expectant and new parent couples opens another window of opportunity for health professionals and governments to minimize the rates of relationship distress and divorce and their associated negative effects on individual, couple and family functioning.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of gender, age, duration of relationship, self concept clarity and personal agency in predicting romantic relationship satisfaction of emerging adults. Participants were consisted of 344 (70.3% female, 29.7% male) volunteered undergraduate students from one of the state universities in Central Anatolia. Age of the participants ranged from 18 to 25 with the mean of 20. 85 (SD = 1.65). The data was gathered using four instruments namely, Relationship Assessment Scale (RAS), Self Concept Clarity Scale (SCCS), Multi-Measure Agentic Personality Scale- Short Form (MAPSSF), and personal information form. In order to analyze the data, hierarchical regression analysis was conducted. Results revealed that gender, age and duration of relationship were not significant predictors of romantic relationship satisfaction / whereas self concept clarity and purpose in life dimension of personal agency were significant predictors which explained the 12% of the total variance in romantic relationship satisfaction scores of emerging adults. Results of the study are discussed in the light of the relevant literature. Finally implications of the study and recommendations for further research are presented.

This study aimed to verify the propositions regarding the application procedures indicated in the cinematherapy literature. Moreover it was also aimed to frame the rationale of cinematherapy on a theoretical basis by integrating the procedures of cinematherapy intervention technique into Transtheoretical Model (Prochaska &amp / Norcross, 2003) and to discover the mechanisms that the applications function through. Finally, it was also aimed to apply cinematherapy intervention technique to the domain of relationship problems. For this study, university students who were in an on-going relationship and were in need of professional help due to their relationship problems were included. Content analyses were conducted for reaching the aims of the study. According to these results, in viewing stage the four-stage process was not attained by all participants, while all stages, except catharsis, were reached in one movie during discussion stage. These results suggest that viewing alone does not induce change, but discussions lead to attaining the stages that would expected to induce change. Moreover, the results revealed that during movie discussions a three-phase process was followed / namely identification, awareness, and solution. Based on the results, it could be assumed that the first phase functions through projection processes / whereas the second phase functions through metaphors and the final stage functions as the projections resolved by using metaphors. Furthermore, according to the outcome monitoring results two participants were grouped in &ldquo / meaningful outcome&rdquo / category, three participants were grouped in &ldquo / ambivalent outcome&rdquo / category, and one participant was grouped in &ldquo / negative outcome&rdquo / category. The results were discussed in accordance with the Transtheoretical Model.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of gender, relationship status, romantic relationship satisfaction, and career commitment in three components of subjective well-being, namely life satisfaction, negative affect, and positive affect among senior university students. The sample of the study was composed of 400 (172 females, 228 males) fourth grade students from five faculties of Middle East Technical University. The participants were administered four instruments, namely Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), Relationship Assessment Scale (RAS), and Commitment to Career Choices Scale (CCCS). Three separate simultaneous multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to examine the predictive power of the independent variables that are relationship status, romantic relationship satisfaction, the dimensions of career commitment that are vocational exploration and commitment and tendency to foreclose on the independent variables that are positive affect, negative affect, and life satisfaction. The results of the multiple regression analysis revealed that gender, relationship satisfaction, and vocational exploration and commitment significantly predicted life satisfaction of the students. In addition, results yielded that romantic relationship satisfaction, vocational exploration and commitment, and tendency to foreclose significantly predicted negative affect of the students. Finally, vocational exploration and commitment and relationship status were significant predictors of positive affect of students.

The major aims of the present study have been to investigate the predictive role of communication patterns and sexual satisfaction on relationship satisfaction / and to investigate the moderating role of sexual satisfaction on this relationship for married individuals both with and without children and for cohabiting individuals. In order to evaluate these, the Communication Pattern Questionnaire (CPQ), the Golombok-Rust Sexual Satisfaction Inventory (GRISS), the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS), and Demographic Information Form were administered to 74 married individuals with children, 68 married individuals without children, and 66 cohabiting individuals. To examine relationship statuses differences on communication patterns, sexual and relationship satisfaction, analysis of variance was performed. The results showed that relationship statuses do not differ on these variables. After controlling for the effects of age and duration of relationship, the main and interaction effects of communication patterns and sexual satisfaction on relationship satisfaction were assessed with a hierarchical regression analysis. The results revealed that a lower level of destructive communication, a higher level of constructive communication, and sexual satisfaction were separately associated with greater relationship satisfaction for all relationship status. However, emotional-logical communication was positively associated with relationship satisfaction only among married individuals with children and that aggressive communication was negatively associated with relationship satisfaction among married individuals without children and cohabiting individuals. Moreover, the interaction effect was found that sexual satisfaction moderated the effect of destructive communication on relationship satisfaction only among married individuals without children. Results are discussed with reference to related literature together with implications and the limitations of the study.

Finn (2007) recently outlined procedures for applying Therapeutic Assessment (TA) techniques to work with couples. The current study used a time-series design to follow three heterosexual couples as they took part in a TA intervention. Participants were couples who were involved in ongoing couples therapy at the time of the study, but who felt they were not making satisfactory progress in therapy. Participants completed brief, daily measures of relationship satisfaction before, during, and after the TA. In addition, couples completed longer, standardized measures of relationship satisfaction, psychological symptomatology, and therapy progress. Qualitative feedback about the TA was also elicited from couples and their therapists. A time-series analysis revealed that all six participants reported significant improvement on at least some daily measures of relationship satisfaction, and that many of these improvements were sustained over a four-week follow-up period. In addition, four of the six participants reported fewer psychological symptoms at follow-up. Finally, qualitative feedback from participants revealed that all three couples and their couples therapists found the TA intervention to be a largely positive, useful experience. / text

Few studies have examined the relationships between recreational physical activity, body image and sexuality simultaneously. Research has demonstrated that females experience poor body satisfaction to a greater degree than men (Faith & Schare, 1993; Feingold & Mazzella, 1998), however, studies focusing on male body image and sexuality are lacking (Lavender, 2011). The objective of the current study was to investigate the relationships between recreational physical activity, body image and sexual function and satisfaction in 849 emerging adult, heterosexual men. Results indicated that engagement in recreational physical activity predicted better body image but not sexual functioning or satisfaction. Better body image predicted greater sexual function and satisfaction, and sexual function predicted greater sexual satisfaction. Implications and future research are discussed.

Motivations for sex have an impact on sexual desire, and relationship and sexual satisfaction. However, it is not known whether motivations for pretending orgasm similarly impact these constructs. In three studies, North American men and women (N = 525) in committed relationships between the ages of 18 and 29 were recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk to complete an online survey. In Study 1, exploratory factor analysis revealed that motives for feigning orgasm could be organized into six categories: Intoxication, Partner Self-Esteem, Poor Sex/Partner, Desireless Sex, Timing, and Insecurity, which together comprise the Motives for Feigning Orgasms Scale (MOFO). Motives were found to affect women’s satisfaction, but not their desire, while motivations were not found to be impactful among men. In Study 2, confirmatory factor analysis was performed on the MOFO and, in Study 3, its test-retest reliability was assessed. The findings of this research support and inform current sexual scripts.

This study examines psychological distress and relationship satisfaction in cancer patients and their partners. It is widely recognized that spouses coping with a cancer diagnosis are at risk of psychological distress, and changes in relationship satisfaction. Debate exists within the literature regarding the level of distress and satisfaction experienced by patients, and to what extent they are influenced by their partners. Twenty six couples coping with a breast or prostate cancer diagnosis, completed two questionnaires over six months assessing: psychological distress, relationship satisfaction, attachment style, self -esteem and matching of partner ideal standards. The cross-sectional results indicate that higher patient distress was associated with their own lower levels of self esteem, less secure, and more anxious attachment styles. Patient relationship satisfaction was increased in those with a less anxious attachment style and in patients who perceived their partner as matching more closely their own ideal standards and perceptions of the patients on vitality and attractiveness. Longitudinal results show an increase in patient distress was also predicted by their partner’s perceiving lower matching between their own ideal standards and perceptions of the patients on warmth and trustworthiness. Unexpectedly, higher relationship satisfaction over time, was also predicted by lower matching of their own ideal standards and perceptions of their partners on warmth and trustworthiness, as measured initially. An increase in patient satisfaction was also predicted over time when patient distress was low, self esteem high and they had higher matching between their own ideal standards and partner perceptions of the patient partner on both warmth and trustworthiness as well as vitality and attractiveness. Explanations for the results, together with clinical and research implications are discussed.

Aim: The objective of the study was to create knowledge on how supply chain management (SCM) can generate and impact satisfaction related to dealer - original equipment manufacturer (OEM) relationships. In this context, the after-sales market was investigated since it became the cash cow of the automotive industry after the financial crisis in 2008. The aims were to design comprehension of: Impact/importance of satisfaction Interrelations of SCM/relationship elements Recommendations for SCM strategies Method: The qualitative research focused on dealers and experts, who were questioned via structured interviews. Thereby relational content analysis was used to detect and categorize 15 codes, condensing the findings in a context model. Result & Conclusions: The research identified commitment, trust and communication to be substantial important within relationships. The OEM has to ensure a sustainable, transparent, adaptive and open relationship while guaranteeing satisfying experiences. The outcome is a “Relationship-Satisfaction Model”, where each element is placed in different importance groups, including adjustment recommendations. As a supporting concept for strategy adaptation, the “4S” model of SCM was deduced. Suggestions for future research: The limitations are related to the examination of a single industry sector and the derivation of theory from dealer experiences in one culture solely. Here diversification of the generated model will support and extend the findings. Contribution of the thesis: The model suggests different focus areas of SCM to improve future-orientated strategies for OEM’s. This conception can create competitive advantage in SCM, while contributing innovative knowledge to the current theories on satisfaction within dealer-OEM relationships.