Nature has been shown to be beneficial for numerous individual outcomes and this article investigates the link between of individual's nature recreation and couples' relationship satisfaction. First, we outline the theoretical underpinnings of nature recreation and couples' relationship satisfaction. Then we examine the following hypotheses: (1) nature recreation has a positive direct effect on relationship satisfaction, (2) there is a positive indirect effect of nature recreation on relationship satisfaction through the environmental effects, and (3) the relationship between nature recreation and relationship satisfaction will be moderated by the recreational factors. These were examined using data obtained from a cross sectional MTurk survey from a diverse group of 520 participants. Structural Equation Modeling was used to analyze the hypotheses. The results showed that the hypotheses 2 and 3 were non-significant but that the indirect effect was significant. These findings were explored, possible explanations for these findings discussed, and future implications were outlined.

Individuals with LGBTQ+ identities face discrimination and bigotry, components of their minority status stress, often on a daily basis (Meyer, 2003). Elevated levels of minority stress have been negatively associated with relationship satisfaction (e.g. Rostosky, 2007), such that as minority stress increases, relationship satisfaction often decreases as well. This is an examination of the relationship between general stress, identity-related stress, minority stress, and relationship satisfaction for sexual/gender minority and heterosexual, cisgender individuals who were currently in couple relationships lasting 6 months or longer. All participants completed the Romantic Perceptions Survey, Gender Relations Scale, and Daily Hassles Scale – Short Form. The LGBTQ+ participants also completed the LGBT Minority Stress Measure. I conducted t-test comparisons to examine group differences between heterosexual, cisgender participants and LGBTQ+ participants on relationship satisfaction, identity-related stress, and general stress. The LGBTQ+ and participants exhibited significantly higher levels of relationship satisfaction, general stress, and self-rated identity-related stress than did heterosexual, cisgender participants. I also conducted two hierarchical linear regressions to determine how general stress and identity related stress impacted relationship satisfaction for heterosexual, cisgender participants, and how general stress, identity related stress, and minority stress impacted relationship satisfaction for LGBTQ+ couples. Results of the hierarchical linear regressions were interpreted and found that general and self-rated identity-related stressors in combination predicted relationship satisfaction for LGBTQ+ participants, and general stress alone best predicted relationship satisfaction for heterosexual, cisgender participants. Specific minority status stress did not further contribute to the explanation of relationship satisfaction for LGBTQ+ participants. Results are discussed in terms of implications for research and practice.

This secondary analysis employed data trom portions of the Spanish and Engli sh versions of the RELATionship Evaluation inventory, a self-report questionnaire (RELATE) The present research analyzed conflict resolution types, communication styles, and relationship satisfaction and stability among Latino men and women compared to Caucasian men and women. Multiple linear regression analysis was used for analyzing the data. Communication styles and conflict resolution types were more different than similar among Latino males and females in predicting relationship satisfaction and relationship stability; however, they were more similar than di fferent among Caucasian males and females. The communication style of love was the only statistically significant predictor of relationship satisfaction that was common across gender and ethnicity in this study. Implications for the practice of marriage and family therapy and for research are discussed.

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Stress has traditionally been conceptualized as an intrapsychic phenomenon with detrimental effects on one's physiological and psychological health when coping resources are perceived to be inadequate (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984). However, empirical findings from the past three decades suggest that stressful life events have crossover effects from one person to another, namely from one romantic partner to the other (Bodenmann et al., 2006). Hence, stress experienced in the context of romantic relationships is now better understood as an interpersonal phenomenon with potential negative interpersonal (i.e., relationship satisfaction) and intrapersonal ramifications (i.e., mental health) for both partners (Papp & Witt, 2010; Randall & Bodenmann, 2009; Rusu et al., 2016). Due to the interdependent nature of couple relationships, romantic partners engage in a joint stress management process called dyadic coping in an attempt to restore individual and relational homeostasis, and buffer against these negative consequences (Bodenmann et al., 2006). Emerging research has found that common dyadic coping (CDC), which is a specific form of dyadic coping that occurs when both partners conjointly work together towards mitigating or resolving stressors experienced as a dyad, is the most salient form of dyadic coping for couples facing stressors (Falconier et al., 2015). The romantic attachment framework has provided valuable direction to researchers in their understanding of couples coping with stress as insecure romantic attachment is well-known to interfere with adequate coping (Mikulincer & Shaver, 2016). Given that romantic attachment has been found to be a predictor of relationship functioning and protective factor against mental health disorders (Cassidy & Shaver, 2016; Mikulincer & Shaver, 2016), researchers have been increasingly focused on studying the mechanisms by which they are related. While few studies have examined dyadic coping within a romantic attachment framework (Alves et al., 2019; Fuenfhausen & Cashwell, 2013; Levesque et al., 2017; Levey, 2003; Meuwly et al., 2012), far fewer have narrowed the focus to the ways in which CDC may explain the development of interpersonal (i.e., relationship satisfaction) and intrapersonal outcomes (i.e., mental health) using dyadic data analyses. The unique nature of CDC therefore necessitates research elucidating its role in these links within and between romantic partners. Therefore, the present thesis expands the existing literature on CDC through a romantic attachment lens in two independent yet complimentary studies. The objective of the first study was to evaluate how CDC mediates the relationship between insecure romantic attachment (i.e., attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance) and relationship satisfaction among couples in good health sampled from the community. The objective of the second study was to examine the potential mediational effects of CDC on the association between insecure romantic attachment (i.e., attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance) and mental health indicators of depression and anxiety among couples in which one partner has a diagnosis of cardiac illness. The first study was an investigation of the interpersonal process of CDC as a potential mediator of the association between insecure romantic attachment (i.e., attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance) and relationship satisfaction. The sample consisted of 187 heterosexual couples (N = 374 individuals) from the community. An Actor-Partner Interdependence Mediation Model (APIMeM) was used to assess actor, partner, and direct and indirect effects. Results revealed that the higher men were on attachment avoidance, the less likely they and their partner were to engage in joint coping efforts, which in turn appeared to make men less satisfied with their romantic relationship. However, the degree to which avoidantly attached women felt satisfied with their romantic relationship was solely influenced by their own CDC. Results also showed that the higher men and women were on attachment avoidance, the less they engaged in joint coping efforts, which in turn made them less satisfied with their relationship. Results also revealed that the higher men (but not women), were on attachment anxiety, the less they engaged in CDC, which in turn made men less satisfied with their relationship. Lastly, the higher men were on attachment avoidance (but not women), the less their partner engaged in joint coping efforts, which in turn made men less satisfied with their relationship. In the second study, we examined the potential mediational effects of CDC on the relationship between insecure romantic attachment (i.e., attachment anxiety and avoidance) and mental health outcomes (i.e., depression and anxiety). The sample consisted of 181 patients and their spouses (N = 362 individuals), where one of the partners had received a cardiac diagnosis. An APIMeM was used to test hypothesized relations. While the hypothesized mediations were not confirmed, our results provide partial support to the tested model since patient and spouse attachment anxiety were significantly related to their own mental health. Results also showed that patient and spouse attachment avoidance were associated both with their own and their partner's CDC.

The current study explored whether childhood bullying has a lasting impact on the quality of adult romantic relationships. A complete case analysis of 86 participant responses examined the association between bullying, insecure attachment, romantic relationship satisfaction, and trust. The findings partially supported study hypotheses. Specifically, a significant positive correlation between social manipulation, a type of bullying, and avoidant attachment was found. Physical victimization was also positively correlated with trust. However, no significant association between bullying and relationship satisfaction was found. Exploratory multiple regression analysis showed that both physical victimization and romantic relationship satisfaction predict the level of trust experienced in a romantic relationship. Additional research is warranted in this area of interpersonal functioning.

Thesis advisor: Alyssa Goldman / Thesis advisor: Sara Moorman / How do lesbian, gay and heterosexual couples experience emotional intimate partnerviolence (IPV) and relationship satisfaction? And how are these associations affected by differences in power, stress and discrimination? This research aims to fill the gap in literature by examining how emotional IPV and relationship satisfaction may be differently shaped by power, stress and discrimination among gay, lesbian and heterosexual couples. To address this research question, I use data from the Health and Relationships Project, in hierarchical linear models to explore the differences between gay (N=248), lesbian (N=342) and straight (N=248) respondents' experiences of emotional intimate partner violence and relationship satisfaction within couples. Using dyadic data, the actor-partner interdependence models also test the mediating roles of stress, discrimination and feelings of equal power. Findings indicate that overall, lesbians experience the least amount of emotional intimate partner violence and the greatest amount of relationship satisfaction, while straight respondents experience the most amount of emotional intimate partner violence and the least amount of relationship satisfaction. Furthermore, feelings of equal power mediate this relationship. These findings contradict past literature, which suggests that same-sex couples would experience more emotional IPV than their heterosexual counterparts. This indicates that more research is needed to explore the numerous variables at play for same-sex and different-sex emotional IPV and relationship satisfaction, as there are unique differences in power, stress and discrimination between these groups. / Thesis (MA) — Boston College, 2023. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Sociology.

Abstract available in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine.

Both approval and disapproval of one's social network have been shown to predict relationship outcomes. Additional research has shown that attachment can buffer the negative effects of various factors (e.g., depression) on relationships. This thesis researches the effects of disapproval of friends and family and attachment on relationship outcomes. More specifically this study looks at the potential moderating effects of couple-specific attachment behaviors on the relationship between social network disapproval and relationship quality. The RELATE data set was used to study couples and their relationship quality. The study looked at 858 married couples and found that one's own attachment behaviors moderate their own family disapproval on their own relationship quality for both men and women. Own attachment behaviors also moderated own friend's disapproval on own relationship quality for men and women. Partner's attachment behaviors moderate own friend's disapproval on own relationship quality for men and women; the main effect of partner's friends and family disapproval became non-significant with that test. The findings give evidence that attachment behaviors of both partners play a role in buffering the negative effects of the lack of social approval on relationship outcomes.

Little is known about how fat talk - a verbal expression of body image concerns - functions within romantic relationships. This study used vignettes about a fictional couple to examine how varied levels of a woman's fat talk were perceived by participants as affecting a fictional couple's relationship and sexual satisfaction. Participants were recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk and included 239 heterosexual people (127 men, 112 women) with long-term relationship experience. Using a 3 (Level of Body Talk: Excessive vs. Minimal Fat Talk vs. Self-Accepting Talk) × 2 (Participant Gender: Male vs. Female) × 2 (Perspective: Husband vs. Wife) between-subjects design, participants read a vignette where the target woman used varying levels of body talk when speaking with her partner. Afterwards, participants completed a series of questionnaires to report on their perceptions of the couple's relationship and sexual satisfaction. Supporting hypotheses, results indicated that participants in the Excessive Fat Talk condition perceived lower relationship and sexual satisfaction levels than the Minimal Fat Talk and Self-Accepting Body Talk conditions. No differences emerged between those exposed to the Self-Accepting and Minimal Fat Talk vignette dialog. Male participants reported lower perceived relationship quality and sexual satisfaction than women participants. Research in this area is in its infancy, and more is needed (especially with actual couples) to better understand how fat talk, as a behavioral function of poor body image, impacts relationship functioning.