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Supportive messages occur within most relationships. Researchers have found strong relationships between social support and various physical and psychological health outcomes, but the specific mechanisms at work have yet to be fully explored. Many factors contribute to whether a supportive interaction is processed as helpful or supportive by the recipient including relational factors, message content, past experiences, etc. For peer dyads, the context and supportive messages individuals provide their peer may inhibit or contribute to their perception of their peer’s supportive behavior. The current study examined the impact of contextual factors (such as family communication patterns and relationship quality) on message content and the perception of social support within peer relationships. Emerging adult dyads (N = 127) were recruited from a large Southern university in the United States to discuss one of four topics (e.g., a stressful life event, risky sexual behavior, loss of a loved one, discuss a traumatic event) with a peer so that the processes among contextual factors, supportive message content, and supportive message processing could be examined. The association between contextual factors on how individuals processed a supportive interaction was mediated by the content of the supportive conversation. Limitations, strengths, and implications were discussed.

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Objective: The empirical study of member-group mutual influence in group therapy is an emerging area of study. However, few replications have tried to generalize prior findings related to mutual influence. The aim of this study is to conceptually replicate the longitudinal group actor-partner interdependence models (LGAPIM) employed by Lo Coco et al. (2019) measuring how mutual influence and other factors affect the codevelopment of the group therapeutic relationships. Method: 343 clients were included in this archival analysis. Group Questionnaire (GQ) main subscales, positive bond (PB), positive work (PW), and negative relationship (NR), were gathered from early, middle, and late timepoints. These timepoints were used to generate intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and LGAPIM models for the GQ subscales. Results: Significant and increasing ICC over time for PB, PW, and NR support codevelopment; however, mutual influence was not significant for PB or PW. There was significant mutual influence between the middle and late stages on the NR subscale. All relationship constructs showed significant similarity, stability, and residual correlation of individual member and the other group member scores. Conclusions: The current findings support codevelopment of group therapeutic relationships, replicating parts of Lo Coco and colleagues' (2019) findings. However, the role of mutual influence was mixed. For PB and PW, we did not find mutual influence, in contrast with Lo Coco et al.'s (2019) findings. With NR, the pattern of mutual influence was different than Lo Coco et al. (2019), partially replicating their results. Our results on similarity, stability, and residual correlations were all significant, in contrast to Lo Coco et al. (2019). This underscores the importance of replication and power when examining mutual influence.

Couples experiencing relationship distress often require professional help, such as counseling and couple and relationship education (CRE). Research recently discovered that among couples in counseling, a circular relationship exists between individual and relationship distress-stress begets stress. Until this study, a similar examination had not been conducted among couples selecting CRE. This study examined the relationship between individual and relationship distress among married couples that had children, were from predominantly low-income and racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds, and selected CRE. A correlational research design was employed and framed in the social interdependence theory. The actor-partner interdependence model was conducted within a three-level hierarchical model. The results confirmed that a circular relationship exists between individual and relationship distress-distress begets distress. Within the circular model of individual and relational functioning, personal individual distress predicted partner individual distress as well as personal and partner relationship distress, and personal relationship distress predicted personal individual distress and partner relationship distress. The extent to which distress begot distress was stronger among women, those with low income, and those who were unemployed. The results also revealed a continuum of individual and relational functioning. Dyad members interact along a continuum from intrapersonal individual functioning to interpersonal relational functioning. The continua meet at the nexus of negotiation or the heart of interpersonal interaction, where dyad members communicate and make decisions, among other actions. Implications related to the findings of this study as well as inspirations for future research are discussed.

<p>  </p> <p>The overarching goal of this dissertation was to understand how between-partner feedback loops facilitate adjustment in the year following a military deployment (i.e., reintegration). Reintegration encompasses a period of family transitions and can be a challenging and turbulent time for couples as they attempt to reconnect and reorganize household dynamics. Couples may experience changes in how they interact, and partners may be able to act as a catalyst for promoting positive change in each other. Guided by Family Systems and Interdependence Theories, this study tested a specific feedback loop of a between-partner mechanism across a period of family stress and transitions. Whereas the demand/withdraw dynamic is one example of a feedback loop that is consequential for relationship well-being, the present study examined an alternative feedback loop where partners may respond to individuals’ withdrawal with a type of constructive partner support that encourages discussions and facilitates effective collaboration (i.e., active engagement). Relationship happiness, an indicator for relationship climate, was considered as a moderator in this proposed feedback loop as it intersects with individuals’ tendencies to withdraw, partners’ attempts at support provision, and global relationship functioning during periods of stress and transition. </p> <p>This study utilized longitudinal dyadic data from 124 couples at three time points in the year following service members’ return from deployment to examine the 1) longitudinal interpersonal dynamics of individuals’ tendencies to withdraw, 2) mediating role of partners’ active engagement in the change in individuals’ withdrawal, and 3) moderating role of relationship happiness in the interpersonal dynamics. Study aims were evaluated with a series of actor-partner interdependence models and path models in a structural equation modeling framework. Results suggest three interpretations. First, whereas this study sought to examine change in individuals’ tendencies to withdraw, the data indicate high levels of within-person stability. Second, this study modeled a possible feedback loop where partners’ attempts at active engagement would result in less individual withdrawal. While I did not find evidence of this feedback loop as proposed, it appeared that (female) significant others’ withdrawal was salient for reductions in (male) service members’ active engagement. Finally, I sought to understand how relationship climate (operationalized by a dyad-level indicator of relationship happiness) was associated with the interpersonal dynamics. Couples defined by a happier relationship climate had a stronger negative association between significant others’ withdrawal and service members’ active engagement. This finding may be evidence of happier couples being more apt to shift between levels of independence and interdependence, which may be especially useful for postdeployment transitions. Taken together, findings from this study suggest that individuals’ tendencies to withdraw are relatively robust to the perturbations of deployment and the utility of flexibility and adaptability in couples’ patterns across reintegration. This dissertation concludes with a discussion of the theoretical implications, avenues for future research, and potential applications of these findings.  </p>