RESUMO
A profound developmental experience is the emergence of adolescent romantic relationships and first feelings of love. However, the daily nature of feeling loved in adolescents' everyday lives is poorly understood. We investigated how daily stress severity was associated with adolescents' levels of feeling loved and whether romantic partner support moderated these associations. Furthermore, we investigated this for non-interpersonal and interpersonal stressors. N = 97 mixed-gender adolescent romantic couples (age M = 16.38, SD = 1.02) from an ethnically diverse sample (42.2% Hispanic/Latino/a/x, 44.7% White) participated in dyadic diary assessments twice a week for 12 consecutive weeks. Both partners independently completed open-ended questions about a daily stressor, indicating stress severity, perceived partner support, and feeling loved. Daily stressors were coded for non-interpersonal and various types of interpersonal stressors. Results from the dyadic multilevel model showed that days with lower than average support from a romantic partner amplify the adverse effects of stress severity on feeling loved, especially when the partner is involved in the stressor. We discuss the spillover of stress in romantic relationships and the stress-buffering functions of adolescent romantic partner support. Adolescent romantic partners are potentially essential regulators of stress, increasing adolescents' feelings of love. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Romantic love is central in adolescents' lives; we showed that adolescents generally feel loved by romantic partners. Feeling loved fluctuates daily as adolescents feel less loved on stressful days. However, when adolescents perceive their partner as supportive, there is no association between stress and feeling loved. Partner support is protective for feeling loved. The current study provides essential insights into when adolescents and why adolescents feel loved.
RESUMO
Recent national data show that approximately three-quarters of adolescents experience digital dating abuse (DDA). Caregivers' perceptions and knowledge of online risk behaviors are important points of prevention and intervention, yet little is known about how caregivers view adolescent DDA and whether they can recognize DDA in complex interactions (e.g., DDA behaviors interwoven with positive relational behaviors). An ethnic/racial and gender-diverse sample of 289 caregivers of at least one adolescent reported on their risk perceptions of DDA, level of comfort discussing DDA with their adolescent, and whether they could identify DDA in hypothetical vignettes of online interactions between adolescent romantic partners. We found that caregivers' risk perceptions of adolescent DDA were consistent with rates of adolescent-reported DDA in the literature and that caregivers reported being comfortable discussing DDA with their adolescent. Furthermore, we found that caregivers' ability to identify DDA behaviors (or its absence) correctly in the vignettes depended on the interaction context. Specifically, it was more difficult for caregivers to identify DDA when the interaction included positive emotions. Our findings suggest that there is promise for prevention and intervention given caregivers' acknowledgment of DDA and their willingness to discuss it.
RESUMO
Pregnancy represents a unique time during which women's bodies undergo significant physical changes (e.g., expanding belly, larger breasts, weight gain) that can elicit increased objectification. Experiences of objectification set the stage for women to view themselves as sexual objects (i.e., self-objectification) and is associated with adverse mental health outcomes. Although women may experience heightened self-objectification and behavioral consequences (such as body surveillance) due to the objectification of pregnant bodies in Western cultures, there are remarkably few studies examining objectification theory among women during the perinatal period. The present study investigated the impact of body surveillance, a consequence of self-objectification, on maternal mental health, mother-infant bonding, and infant socioemotional outcomes in a sample of 159 women navigating pregnancy and postpartum. Utilizing a serial mediation model, we found that mothers who endorsed higher levels of body surveillance during pregnancy reported more depressive symptoms and body dissatisfaction, which were associated with greater impairments in mother-infant bonding following childbirth and more infant socioemotional dysfunction at 1-year postpartum. Maternal prenatal depressive symptoms emerged as a unique mechanism through which body surveillance predicted bonding impairments and subsequent infant outcomes. Results highlight the critical need for early intervention efforts that not only target general depression, but also promote body functionality and acceptance over the Western "thin ideal" of attractiveness among expecting mothers.
RESUMO
Pregnancy represents a unique time during which women's bodies undergo significant physical changes (e.g., expanding belly, larger breasts, weight gain) that can elicit increased objectification. Experiences of objectification set the stage for women to view themselves as sexual objects (i.e., self-objectification) and is associated with adverse mental health outcomes. Although women may experience heightened self-objectification and behavioral consequences (such as body surveillance) due to the objectification of pregnant bodies in Western cultures, there are remarkably few studies examining objectification theory among women during the perinatal period. The present study investigated the impact of body surveillance, a consequence of self-objectification, on maternal mental health, mother-infant bonding, and infant socioemotional outcomes in a sample of 159 women navigating pregnancy and postpartum. Utilizing a serial mediation model, we found that mothers who endorsed higher levels of body surveillance during pregnancy reported more depressive symptoms and body dissatisfaction, which were associated with greater impairments in mother-infant bonding following childbirth and more infant socioemotional dysfunction at 1-year postpartum. Maternal prenatal depressive symptoms emerged as a unique mechanism through which body surveillance predicted bonding impairments and subsequent infant outcomes. Results highlight the critical need for early intervention efforts that not only target general depression, but also promote body functionality and acceptance over the Western "thin ideal" of attractiveness among expecting mothers.
