abstract: Intercultural couples -partners from two different countries- may face increased levels of stress within their relationship (internal stress). Internal stress can negatively impact relationship satisfaction, whereas developing healthy ways to cope (dyadic coping; DC) can lower stress levels and improve relationship satisfaction (e.g., Bodenmann, 2005). Specifically, it may be important for partners to perceive that their partner as supporting them during times of stress through engaging in DC. This study examined whether intercultural couples experience internal stress and what effects, if any, perceived partner engagement in DC had on their reported relationship satisfaction. Cross-sectional data was gathered from 85 couples and was analyzed using Actor-Partner Interdependence Models (APIMs; Kenny & Cook, 1999). Separate APIMs were conducted to examine the association between the independent variables (perceived partner engagement in: positive DC, negative DC, delegated DC, and supportive DC) and the outcome variables of internal stress and relationship satisfaction, while controlling for years each partner lived in their country of birth, average and differences on identification with individualism-collectivism values and behaviors, and if partners did or did not identify as the same race and/or ethnicity. Additionally, APIMs of internal stress on relationship as moderated by perceived partner positive and negative DC were conducted. Results showed significant associations of all independent variables on internal stress and relationship satisfaction. There were no signification interactions between internal stress and DC on relationship satisfaction. Implications for relationship researchers and mental health professionals working with intercultural couples are discussed. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Counseling 2016

Il presente lavoro di ricerca si focalizza sul coping diadico, ovvero sulle modalità con cui partner affrontano come coppia, secondo la prospettiva di Guy Bodenmann (1997, 2000, 2005), le situazioni stressanti quotidiane. Primo obiettivo del presente lavoro di tesi è stato analizzare in un campione italiano (N = 778 partecipanti; cfr. Studio 1) la struttura fattoriale di uno strumento self-report messo a punto da Bodenmann (“Dyadic Coping Questionnaire”, Bodenmann, 1997, 2000) allo scopo di misurare la tendenza dei partner a mettere in atto diverse modalità di coping diadico. I risultati del primo studio confermano la struttura multifattoriale della scala, in linea con la teorizzazione di Bodenmann. In particolare si evince una più fine articolazione delle risposte di coping diadico positivo rispetto a quelle di coping diadico negativo. Nonostante l’importanza del coping per il benessere dei partner e della relazione (Bodenmann, Pihet, & Kaiser, 2006), poco si conosce dei possibili precursori di tale competenza relazionale. Secondo obiettivo del presente lavoro è stato dunque esaminare due delle possibili fonti dell’acquisizione del coping diadico da parte dei partner analizzando, in un campione composto da coppie in procinto di sposarsi e dai loro genitori (N = 764 partecipanti) se e quanto i partner fossero simili 1) ai loro rispettivi genitori e 2) tra loro per ciò che concerne la tendenza ad usare il coping diadico. Tali somiglianze sono inoltre state confrontate tra loro alla luce del processo di riallineamento caratteristico della fase della relazione che la coppia giovane sta attraversando (cfr. Studio 2). Due tipi di somiglianza sono stati presi in considerazione: la somiglianza unica e la somiglianza stereotipica, allo scopo di tenere in considerazione come il comune background culturale dei partecipanti possa influire sulle somiglianze esaminate. Somiglianza unica e stereotipica sono state qui considerate entrambe come portatrici di significato e sono state dunque esaminate parallelamente. Lo Studio 3 infine aveva l’ obiettivo di approfondire le somiglianze tra genitori e figli emerse nello studio precedente alla luce del genere del figlio, dal genere del genitore, e dalla valutazione da parte dei figli dei modelli di vita rappresentati dai loro genitori. I risultati hanno mostrato come sia le somiglianze tra figli e genitori sia tra i partner nella tendenza al coping diadico siano significative e come le somiglianze tra genitori e figli varino in funzione della dimensione di coping diadico considerata, del genere del figlio e del tipo di modello di coping diadico che i genitori rappresentano per i propri figli. Quanto emerso è stato inoltre discusso alla luce delle piste future di ricerca e implicazioni per l’intervento. / The present work is focused on dyadic coping, that is the way partners manage as a couple the stress they encounter in their everyday life (Bodenmann, 1997, 2000, 2005). The first objective of the present research was to examine in a sample of Italian couples (N = 778 participants) the factorial structure of a self-report instrument designed to measure partners’ dyadic coping tendency (Dyadic coping Questionnaire by Bodenmman, 1997, 2000). Findings from the first study of the present work confirmed the multidimensional nature of the scale, in line with Bodenmnann’s theory. In particular, it emerged a more detailed definition of positive dyadic coping responses, as compared to negative ones. Despite the importance of dyadic coping for the well-being of the relationship as well as of the partners themselves, little is known on how this competence originates. The second objective of the present research was then to explore two possible sources of dyadic coping acquisition by examining whether and how young adults prior to marriage were similar to 1) their parents and 2) their partners in their dyadic coping tendency (N = 764 participants). Moreover, similarities with parents and with partners were compared in light of the specific stage of the relationship partners were living (cfr. Study 2). Similarity was computed adopting an idiographic approach via intraclass correlations and stereotype adjustment was performed in order to take into account the impact of partners and parents shared cultural background on similarity. For the purpose of the present work both stereotypical and unique similarities were considered meaningful and then examined simultaneously. Study 3 was aimed at further exploring the parent-child similarities emerged from study 2 by assessing whether and how parent-child similarity in dyadic coping differed as a function of parents and children’s gender and whether they were associated with children’s perceptions of the kind of models their parents represented for their lives. Results highlight that both parent-child and partners’ similarities were significant and differently modulated as a function of the different dimensions of dyadic coping considered, children’s gender as well as the kind of dyadic coping models parents represented for their children. Future paths of research and implications for intervention were discussed.

The present study examined the effect of family of origin characteristics on current marital satisfaction, within a sample of newlywed couples, using dyadic and mixed methods approaches to conceptualization, data collection, and data analysis.The data used to investigate this process--sometimes called intergenerational transmission--was collected in two phases. First, quantitative data in the form of close-ended questions was collected separately from each member of 190 newlywed couples via hard-copy questionnaires. These questionnaires included measures of family of origin characteristics (e.g., interparental conflict), current marital processes (e.g., conflict resolution style), and marital outcomes (e.g., marital satisfaction). Second, in-depth and open-ended questions were asked of 18 couples in semi-structured couple interviews. The 18 couples who were interviewed in phase two of the data collection represent a purposive sub-sample of the original 190 couples from phase one of data collection.Results of structural equation modeling of a conceptual model based on the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM; Cook & Kenny, 2005) indicated that the family or origin characteristics measured predicted a decrease in marital satisfaction, especially for wives. In addition, mixed evidence was found for the potential meditational role of conflict resolution style. Results of thematic coding of the interview data revealed that: a) families of origin serve as marriage role models in complex and multifaceted ways; b) there are other important models of marriage, aside from families of origin, that influence marital outcomes; c) it is likely that couples use a combination of different marriage role models to form their ideas of marriage (and therefore their marital outcomes); and d) it is possible that in some cases families of origin do not provide a marriage role model at all.Finally, results of a configural comparative analysis utilizing both the quantitative and qualitative data revealed that couples negotiate the pathway from their families of origin to their own marriages in diverse ways. Three distinct pathways were identified, including a "modeling" pathway, a "modified modeling" pathway, and a "compensation" pathway. Interpretations and implications of these findings are discussed. In addition, future directions for research in this area are suggested.

Thesis advisor: Sara M. Moorman / There is much prior research on the benefits of marriage for adults, including for mental and physical health (Carr and Springer 2010). Further research has demonstrated that the quality of one’s marriage provides benefits, and not merely the status itself (see Carr and Springer 2010; Proulx, Helms, and Buehler 2007). A close, salient relationship such as marriage is not experienced in isolation, but is rather an interpersonal system, where the characteristics, feelings, and opinions of each partner can influence the other (Berscheid and Ammazzalorso 2001; Carr et al. 2014; Moorman 2016). However, less research has been performed that takes advantage of dyadic data to determine whether and how a partner’s marital quality may affect one’s own well-being (Carr et al. 2014; Kenny 1996). Moreover, emotional experiences rarely remain truly private; individuals unconsciously signal and express their feelings to others, and can even transmit these emotional experiences to close social partners (Christakis and Fowler 2013; Hatfield, Cacioppo, and Rapson 1994). The present dissertation examines the associations among older husbands’ and wives’ marital quality and well-being, using two sources of dyadic data, a range of measures of marital quality and well-being, and advanced analytic strategies appropriate for longitudinal and cross-sectional data. Older couples can differ from their younger and midlife counterparts, as both men and women trim their broader social networks in later life and increasingly focus on their closest and most rewarding relationships, such as marriage (Carstensen, Isaacowitz, and Charles 1999; Mancini and Bonanno 2006). Gendered roles may shift in later life, as well, as older adults cease activities such as child-rearing and full-time employment (Bookwala 2012). Thus, potential differences according to gender are also explicitly tested. The results of this dissertation will shed greater light on how older couples’ perceptions of marital quality influence various aspects of spouses’ well-being, cross-sectionally and over time. Mutual Influence and Older Married Adults’ Anxiety Symptoms: Results from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing analyzes cross-sectional dyadic data from 1,114 married older couples surveyed in the initial wave of The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA; Kenny 2014), 2009-2011. Dyadic structural equation models (SEM) examined the direct and indirect associations between husbands’ and wives’ reports of marital strain and generalized anxiety symptoms in later life. Findings revealed that perceptions of marital strain were related with husbands’ and wives’ own generalized anxiety symptoms. Further, husbands’ anxiety symptoms were significantly related with wives’ anxiety symptoms, and vice versa, illustrating bi-directional feedback. Lastly, husbands’ and wives’ perceptions of marital strain were significantly indirectly related with their partners’ anxiety symptoms, with these associations being mediated by spouses’ own anxiety symptoms. These results suggest that emotional contagion may be the pathway for partner effects of marital strain on spouses’ well-being. Findings also suggest that efforts to reduce anxiety symptoms may be most effective when taking marital context and quality into account. Two-Wave Dyadic Analysis of Marital Quality and Loneliness in Later Life: Results From The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing analyzes dyadic reports of marital quality and loneliness over a two-year period, using longitudinal dyadic data collected from 932 older married couples who participated in both of the first two waves of The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA), collected from 2009-2013. Two-wave lagged dependent variable (LDV) models tested the cognitive perspective on loneliness, emotional contagion theory, and actor-partner interdependence by examining whether husbands’ and wives’ reports of marital quality and loneliness at baseline predicted both spouses’ loneliness two years later. Results indicated that one’s own perceptions of negative marital quality at baseline were related with greater loneliness after two years, supporting the cognitive perspective on loneliness. Further, both spouses’ reports of loneliness at baseline were related with loneliness two years later, supporting emotional contagion theory. Partners’ reports of marital quality were not related with future loneliness, failing to support actor-partner interdependence. Do “His” and “Her” Marriage Influence One Another? Older Spouses’ Marital Quality Over Four Years uses two-wave longitudinal data from the Disability and Use of Time (DUST) supplement to the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) to examine associations between husbands’ and wives’ reports of marital quality over a four-year period. The sample consisted of 209 older married couples who participated in both the 2009 and 2013 waves of DUST. Lagged dependent variable (LDV) models tested whether older husbands’ and wives’ perceptions of marital quality are themselves subject to emotional contagion, by examining whether baseline reports of marital quality were related with one’s own and a partner’s marital quality after four years. Results indicated that (a) husbands reported better marital quality than their wives in both 2009 and 2013, (b) for both husbands and wives, baseline marital quality was significantly related with both one’s own and one’s partner’s marital quality four years later, and (c) there were no differences in effects according to gender. These findings offer support for the framework of “his” and “her” marriage, as well as emotional contagion theory. Together, these papers examine whether and how older spouses’ reports of marital quality and well-being are associated with one another, with a particular emphasis on assessing emotional contagion as a potential explanation and mechanism for dyadic partner effects. The results of these articles contribute empirically and theoretically to the literature(s) on marital quality and well-being; spousal interdependence; and emotional contagion. I discuss the implications of these articles for theory and future research concerning marriage and well-being in later life.

A diagnosis of cancer, regardless of type or site, raises much fear and loss of control for patients and their spouses. While being married is associated with lower mortality from a wide range of illnesses, including cancer, the quality of marital interactions and the relationship is the stronger predictor of health outcomes, rather than marital status. When people are faced with their greatest life challenges, they attach great importance to the behavior of their intimate partner, with trust being a key component of relationship quality, thus lending stability, and emotional and practical support. The purpose of this study was to examine vulnerable cancer patients with pain and their partners. The quality of the patient/partner relationships and the partners' coping styles were evaluated as mediators in a Structural Equation Model (SEM) latent path analysis with the outcome measures of quality of life for the individuals. Stress, coping and outcome theory guided the questions for the study. Much of the previous dyadic research that has been done on couples when one member has a diagnosis of cancer has centered on disease specific populations. This study was the first to examine the couples' relationships from a symptom defining population. Therefore, a broad range of ages, patients with different cancer diagnoses and both genders in the roles of patients and caregivers was the population studied. Coping was explored as a dyadic process that includes transactional appraisal of stressors that mediates the subsequent effects on quality of life outcomes. Multivariate analysis was used to determine covariates to be included in the SEM based on a review of the literature. There was no evidence of coping as a mediator. The participants in this study had good quality relationships, and this did serve as a positive mediator on the outcomes for the patient. Recommendations for future research and nursing practice, including the use of a single item global assessment of relationship quality, that nurses can incorporate in their practice is discussed.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2006. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file viewed on (April 25, 2007) Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Background:  As enterprises focus on their core competence, outsourcing other activities other firms can do better, the necessity of managing supplier relationships and upgrading the inter-firm relationships become evident. Supplier development as a potential attempt, tries to fill the gap between ideal criteria and the particular suppliers’ actual capabilities and performance in the supply chain. The buying firms initiate the supplier development efforts in order to increase their abilities to create and deliver a superior value to their own customers. In this respect, it is essential to investigate the practices and story of what the buyer and the supplier do in relation to supplier development and what factors contribute to the success of the program and benefits of the dyad. Furthermore, acknowledgment of difficulties that might bring failure in the SD should be taken into consideration so as to possibly avoid them. The supplier development is widely neglected a dyadic view in literature review. The importance of this study is adding the supplier’s standpoint to the buyer’s view in order to achieve the dyadic perspective associated with the practices, the success factors and the barriers. Purpose: This research aims to identify and describe the practices of supplier development in buyer-supplier dyads. The success factors of the supplier development program and the barriers to the supplier development programs are also investigated based on the buying and supplying firms’ perspectives. The main goal is to contribute to a better understanding of the supplier development from a dyadic standpoint. Method: This study is conducted from an interpretivism standpoint with the use of a deductive approach and qualitative strategy. A holistic multiple-case study of two plastic manufacturing firms as the buyers and their three main suppliers (three dyads) is applied in Iran. The empirical data is gathered via 6 different semi-structured interviews. The empirical evidence is analyzed by using within-case, cross-case and pattern matching analysis. The study considers the ethical issues; harm to participant, informed consents, invasion privacy and deception. The research quality is based upon trustworthiness and authenticity.   Result, conclusion: Thanks to within-case analysis which generates the dyadic view with respect to practices, success factors and barriers to supplier development, amazing result is achieved that rarely mentioned by the previous research. A number of conflicting views between the buying firm and the supplier is found due to dyadic investigation which demonstrates the gaps between the buyer and supplier’s perceptions in dyadic relationship. The dyads are simultaneously involved in both direct and indirect supplier development practices. Based on the level of buying firm’s involvement in supplier development activities, the dyads partially follow the degree of sequence from low, moderate to high involvement levels. Each dyad can eliminate or keep the lower level of buyer’s involvement activities when they start the moderate and high level of buyer’s involvement practices. However, the specific position cannot be identified for a particular dyad and the supplier development activities are scattered in all three levels. Based on the dyadic standpoint, the factors that contribute to success of the supplier development program in each dyad can be seen as buyer-, supplier-specific and interface success factors. In this regards, this dyadic multiple-case study confirms the reviewed literature associated with success factors and finds supplier’s top management support and previous supplier development experiences as the additional factors in supplier-specific area that contributes to the successful inter-firm relationship and the supplier development that are not pinpointed by the previous studies. Barriers to the supplier development are factors which hinder the success of the supplier development program. According to the literature review, the barriers could be divided into buyer-, supplier- specific as well as buyer-supplier interface barriers. This study partially confirms the previous studies and reveals some surprising results. One of the most useful findings of the research is that only one barrier in buyer-specific category is verified by one of the dyadic cases. However, in addition to identified barriers, lack of supplier’s top management support and supplier’s indolence are seen as the supplementary supplier-specific barriers to the supplier development. Interestingly, there are other types of barriers that cannot be found in the previous research which is categorized as context barriers. This type includes those kinds of barriers that are originated in the context of relationship in a dyad.

Globalization and associated economic changes have led to a lot of opportunities and hazards that companies are facing. Especially the increased role of customer demands and the interconnected shift from seller markets to buyer markets were the driving factors and incentives for the research work of this Master Thesis. One quite new strategy that companies tend to apply in order to meet the occurring challenges is supplier development. By reason of the actuality of this topic, it was of high worth to investigate, especially when it comes to the lack of theoretical findings about challenges, difficulties and problems. Therefore, the main objective of this thesis was to find out which problems can occur in the process of supplier development, and how they can be solved. Hereby, the focus was laid on the furniture retail industry, as it is one of the fastest growing sectors in Sweden. For the empirical research the retailers Ikea and Mio were selected, because they play a very important role within the Swedish furniture retail industry due to the fact that they are the two biggest when it comes to market shares. Furthermore, the suppliers Bitc Möbel AB, Lundbergs Möbler and AB Wilo were chosen in order to examine their dyadic relationship with Mio. For the purpose of investigating the supplier development within the dyadic relationship of Ikea and its supplier, Bodilsen a/s was interviewed. Almost during the whole research of this thesis a lack of knowledge occurred. It was noticed that only few references exist regarding this topic, therefore the objective of this thesis was to attach importance to this issue, illustrate further problem areas and possible solutions. Hereby, a conceptual model was created that served as a basis for the empirical part. After collecting empirical data, a close analysis was accomplished. In the end, suggestions for companies to improve their supplier development were made and a final model was generated in order to illustrate the results of the study. The Swedish furniture retail industry is exposed to a strong price pressure and stress of competition, which makes it necessary to improve companies’ performance in order to withstand the competition and to succeed in the end. Its proximity to end customers makes a continuous product development necessary, which can only be successful when working closely together with manufacturers. Therefore, deploying supplier development is a recommendable strategy, but one should be aware of challenges that can occur. The results of this thesis provide support for the improvement of supplier development, especially when it comes to problem areas and correspondent solutions within dyadic relationships. Supplier development is an up-to-date topic and plays a crucial role within the fast changing business environment. It was chosen to raise the reader’s interest and to give an insight into current economic developments. The Swedish furniture retail industry turned out to be very interesting for the topic of this Master Thesis. Finally, there is nothing more to say than: ‘Enjoy the trip through the Swedish furniture industry!’ / Research questions: Which are the potential problem areas of Supplier Development within dyadic relationships in the Swedish furniture retail industry? Which possible solutions for these problem areas can be found in order to improve Supplier Development?

Let $l^2(Bbb Z)$ be the Hilbert space of square summable double sequences of complex numbers with standard basis ${e_n:ninBbb Z}$, and let us consider a bounded matrix $A$ on $l^2(Bbb Z)$ satisfying the following system of equations egin{itemize} item[1.] $lan Ae_{2j},e_{2i} an=p_{ij}+alan Ae_{j},e_i an$; item[2.] $lan Ae_{2j},e_{2i-1} an=q_{ij}+blan Ae_{j},e_{i} an$; item[3.] $lan Ae_{2j-1},e_{2i} an=v_{ij}+clan Ae_{j},e_{i} an$; item[4.] $lan Ae_{2j-1},e_{2i-1} an=w_{ij}+dlan Ae_{j},e_{i} an$ end{itemize} for all $i,j$, where $P=(p_{ij})$, $Q=(q_{ij})$, $V=(v_{ij})$, $W=(w_{ij})$ are bounded matrices on $l^2(Bbb Z)$ and $a,b,c,dinBbb C$. This type dyadic recurrent system arises in the study of bounded operators commuting with the slant Toeplitz operators, i.e., the class of operators ${{cal T}_vp:vpin L^infty(Bbb T)}$ satisfying $lan {cal T}_vp e_j,e_i an=c_{2i-j}$, where $c_n$ is the $n$-th Fourier coefficient of $vp$. It is shown in [10] that the solutions of the above system are closely related to the bounded solution $A$ for the operator equation [ phi(A)=S^*AS=lambda A+B, ] where $B$ is fixed, $lambdainBbb C$ and $S$ the shift given by ${cal T}_{arzeta+arxi z}^*$ (with $zetaxi ot=0$ and $|zeta|^2+|xi|^2=1$). In this paper, we shall characterize the ``eigenvectors" for $phi$ for the eigenvalue $lambda$ with $|lambda|leq1$, in terms of dyadic recurrent systems similar to the one above.

Let $l^2(Bbb Z)$ be the Hilbert space of square summable double sequences of complex numbers with standard basis ${e_n:ninBbb Z}$, and let us consider a bounded matrix $A$ on $l^2(Bbb Z)$ satisfying the following system of equations egin{itemize} item[1.] $lan Ae_{2j},e_{2i} an=p_{ij}+alan Ae_{j},e_i an$; item[2.] $lan Ae_{2j},e_{2i-1} an=q_{ij}+blan Ae_{j},e_{i} an$; item[3.] $lan Ae_{2j-1},e_{2i} an=v_{ij}+clan Ae_{j},e_{i} an$; item[4.] $lan Ae_{2j-1},e_{2i-1} an=w_{ij}+dlan Ae_{j},e_{i} an$ end{itemize} for all $i,j$, where $P=(p_{ij})$, $Q=(q_{ij})$, $V=(v_{ij})$, $W=(w_{ij})$ are bounded matrices on $l^2(Bbb Z)$ and $a,b,c,dinBbb C$. par It is clear that the solutions of the above system of equations introduces a class of infinite matrices whose entries are related ``dyadically". In cite{Ho:g}, it is shown that the seemingly complicated task of constructing these matrices can be carried out alternatively in a systematical and relatively simple way by applying the theory of Hardy classes of operators through certain operator equation on ${cal B}({cal H})$ (space of bounded operators on $cal H$) induced by a shift. Our purpose here is to present explicit formula for the homogeneous solutions this equation.