Older adults' support seeking from their adult children: The Support-Seeking Strategy Scale.

Due to the unavailability of assessment tools focused on support recipients, the aged-care literature has not been able to document the support seeking that occurs within familial support contexts. Therefore, we developed and validated a Support-Seeking Strategy Scale in a large sample of aging parents receiving care from their adult children. A pool of items was developed by an expert panel and administered to 389 older adults (over 60 years of age), all of whom were receiving support from an adult child. Participants were recruited on Amazon mTurk and Prolific. The online survey included self-report measures assessing parents' perceptions of support received from their adult children. The Support-Seeking Strategies Scale was best represented by 12 items across three factors-one factor representing the directness with which support is sought (direct) and two factors regarding the intensity with which support is sought (hyperactivated and deactivated). Direct support seeking was associated with more positive perceptions of received support from an adult child, whereas hyperactivated and deactivated support seeking were associated with more negative perceptions of received support. Older parents use three distinct support-seeking strategies: direct, hyperactivated, and deactivated with their adult child. The results suggest that direct seeking of support is a more adaptive strategy, whereas persistent and intense seeking of support (i.e., hyperactivated support seeking) or suppressing the need for support (i.e., deactivated support seeking) are more maladaptive strategies. Future research using this scale will help us better understand support seeking within the familial aged-care context and beyond. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Unpacking the association between attachment insecurity and PTSD symptoms: The mediating role of coping strategies.

OBJECTIVE: The current study provides a proof of concept for an aspect of the trauma and attachment model outlined in Marshall and Frazier (2019), which argues that attachment insecurity is associated with PTSD symptoms via hyperactivating/deactivating coping strategies, especially in the context of high trauma severity. METHOD: 302 participants who had experienced a traumatic event(s) completed a survey. RESULTS: The results showed significant indirect effects between attachment insecurity and PTSD symptoms via hyperactivating/deactivating coping strategies, especially in the context of high trauma severity. In low trauma severity, hyperactivating strategies were not as strongly associated with PTSD symptoms and deactivating strategies not associated with PTSD symptoms. Hyperactivating and deactivating strategies were the mediators for attachment anxiety models and deactivating strategies was the mediator for attachment avoidance models. CONCLUSIONS: This proof of concept for Marshall and Frazier (2019) provides a platform for future research to better understand PTSD symptoms from an attachment framework. Interventions are likely to benefit by assisting people high on attachment avoidance and anxiety to modify their deactivating tendencies following a trauma of high severity and also assisting people high on attachment anxiety to modify their hyperactivating tendencies posttrauma, especially following a high trauma severity. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Social network structure and combating social disconnection: Implications for physical health.

Disconnection from one's social network has detrimental links to physical health outcomes, and there has been increased interest in treating social disconnection as a public health issue. Two perspectives guide much of the research on social networks, social disconnection, and physical health. One perspective emphasizes the quality of social ties over the quantity of social ties, whereas the other emphasizes quantity over quality. In this article, we discuss the importance of combining these perspectives to promote forming networks consisting of a few close relationships in addition to some peripheral ties to effectively combat social disconnection and maintain and promote better health. We also highlight important avenues for future research, including identifying critical moderators (e.g., age, culture) and using social network interventions to address issues of causality.

The Association Between Relationship Events and Experiences and Partner Evaluations: An Ideal Standards Perspective.

Drawing on the Ideal Standards Model, the current study investigated whether the relationship events and experiences that occur on a given day in romantic relationships were associated with partner evaluations. Individuals in a current romantic relationship (N = 104) completed daily measures of positive and negative relationship events and experiences and partner evaluations for seven consecutive days. As hypothesized, findings demonstrated that on a given day negative relationship events and experiences were associated with evaluating partners as falling short of mate ideals, while positive relationship events and experiences were associated with evaluating partners as more closely meeting ideals. The findings demonstrate the importance of the relational context in evaluations of a partner against ideal standards.

Carer burden and dyadic attachment orientations in adult children-older parent dyads.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study takes an interpersonal approach to the study of carer burden in families where adult children care for older parents. The aim of the study was to determine whether different pairings of attachment insecurity in older parent-adult child dyads are predictive of carer burden. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Seventy dyads whereby adult children provided weekly care to their older parents completed self-report measures of attachment. Adult children also completed a measure of carer burden. RESULTS: Anxious-avoidant attachment insecurity pairings in parent-child dyads were associated with increases in carer burden. However, anxious-anxious and avoidant-avoidant attachment insecurity pairings were not associated with burden. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: The attachment insecurity of the care-recipient was found to moderate the association between a carer's attachment insecurity and burden, but only when the care-recipient's attachment insecurity differed to that of the carer's. These findings have implications for research, policy, and practice in aged care. The findings highlight the importance of focusing on attachment insecurity in aging families as well as taking a dyadic perspective when studying caregiving outcomes such as carer burden. The findings suggest that carers who may require the greatest support are those whose parents demonstrate contrasting orientations of attachment insecurity.

Understanding posttrauma reactions within an attachment theory framework.

The purpose of this paper is to review recent research on posttrauma reactions (i.e., posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD] symptoms and self-reported posttraumatic growth [PTG]) using attachment theory as a framework. Attachment orientations are significantly related to PTSD symptoms: insecure attachment orientations (particularly attachment anxiety) are positively associated with PTSD symptoms whereas attachment security is negatively associated with PTSD symptoms. Although associations appear to be reciprocal, research typically focuses on insecure attachment orientations predicting PTSD symptoms and the possible mechanisms of those relations, particularly a lack of social support. Some trauma characteristics (e.g., trauma severity) also appear to moderate the association between attachment and PTSD symptoms. Research on attachment orientations and PTG, however, has yielded mixed results. More rigorous methods are needed to better understand the role of attachment orientations in actual growth from pre to post-trauma.

The occurrence of earlier changes in family dynamics and friendship conflict predicting adolescent functional somatic symptoms: A large-scale prospective study.

OBJECTIVE: To better understand the role earlier stressful environments have in predicting functional somatic symptoms (FSS) in late adolescence, this study explores the effect the occurrence of earlier changes in family dynamics and friendship conflict have on FSS. METHOD: We used data from the Consortium for Longitudinal Studies on Child Abuse and Neglect (N = 1,314), a large, prospective study of children at risk for maltreatment and their parent/caregiver from approximately 4 to 18 years of age. RESULTS: We found a significant, small (Effect Size = .10), positive association between the frequency of family dynamic change during middle childhood (ages 6-12 years) and FSS at age 18 but not during middle adolescence (ages 14 and 16). Conflict with a same-sex best friend at age 16 moderated the association between the frequency of change and FSS. The frequency of family dynamic change in middle childhood and middle adolescence was associated with greater FSS among those who reported greater conflict but not for those who reported experiencing lower conflict. Overall, these effects were specific to friendship conflict and remained when other friendship processes (intimacy and companionship) were included, did not generalize to anxiety/depressive symptoms, and predicted FSS without comorbid anxiety/depressive symptoms. No gender differences were found. The change-conflict interaction differed according to type of family dynamic change (parental vs. residential). CONCLUSION: Findings emphasize how earlier exposure to frequent changes in family dynamics in middle childhood is particularly associated with late-adolescent health, especially in the context of greater friendship conflict. (PsycINFO Database Record

Weathering the storm? The impact of trauma on romantic relationships.

The current paper reviews the recent literature examining the impact of trauma on romantic relationships. We introduce the Dyadic Responses to Trauma (DRT) Model as a framework for organizing existing research and guiding future research. A traumatic event affects romantic relationships for the better or for the worse depending on the diverse trauma-related experiences people can have, influencing the way partners interact with each other and ultimately the quality of the relationship. In addition, recent research demonstrates how romantic partners can demonstrate resiliency in spite of a negative trauma experience depending on how they interpret and cope with the experience individually and as a couple.

Standing on shaky ground? Dyadic and longitudinal associations between posttraumatic stress and relationship quality postearthquake.

In the current study, we took a unique dyadic approach to examine how people's relationship quality following an earthquake was associated with their and their partner's posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and whether support exchanges in the relationship protected relationship quality in the face of this adversity. Ninety-nine heterosexual couples were studied over 4 time points for approximately 15 months following the Canterbury, New Zealand, earthquakes. The data were analyzed using moderated growth-curve modeling in an Actor-Partner Interdependence Model framework. In line with predictions, both partners' PTSS scores were associated with lower relationship quality at Time 1 (the first assessment postearthquake). These associations, however, were attenuated by more frequent provisions of support between relationship partners, especially for men, at least in the short term. The associations, however, changed across time, suggesting that coping in a relationship context post trauma is a dynamic, fluid process. These findings demonstrate the importance of adopting a dyadic perspective and examining effects across time. They also highlight the importance of examining resources within the relationship context to more fully understand how PTSS affects relationships. (PsycINFO Database Record

Personality, communication, and depressive symptoms across the transition to parenthood: A dyadic longitudinal investigation.

This study adopted a person (actor) by partner perspective to examine how actor personality traits, partner personality traits, and specific actor by partner personality trait interactions predict actor's depressive symptoms across the first two years of the transition to parenthood. Data were collected from a large sample of new parents (both partners in each couple) 6 weeks before the birth of their first child, and then at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months postpartum. The results revealed that higher actor neuroticism and lower partner agreeableness predicted higher levels of depressive symptoms in actors. Moreover, the specific combination of high actor neuroticism and low partner agreeableness was a particularly problematic combination, which was intensified when prepartum dysfunctional problem-solving communication and aggression existed in the relationship. These results demonstrate the importance of considering certain actor by partner disposition pairings to better understand actors' emotional well-being during major life transitions.

Trajectories of posttraumatic growth and depreciation after two major earthquakes.

This study examined trajectories of posttraumatic growth or depreciation (i.e., positive or negative life change) in personal strength and relationships after 2 major earthquakes in Canterbury, New Zealand using group-based trajectory modeling. Participants completed questionnaires regarding posttraumatic growth or depreciation in personal strength and relationship domains 1 month after the first earthquake in September 2010 (N = 185) and 3 months (n = 156) and 12 months (n = 144) after the more severe February 2011 earthquake. Three classes of growth or depreciation patterns were found for both domains. For personal strength, most of the participants were grouped into a "no growth or depreciation" class and smaller proportions were grouped into either a "posttraumatic depreciation" or "posttraumatic growth" class. The 3 classes for relationships all reported posttraumatic growth, differing only in degree. None of the slopes were significant for any of the classes, indicating that levels of growth or depreciation reported after the first earthquake remained stable when assessed at 2 time points after the second earthquake. Multinomial logistic regression analyses examining pre- and postearthquake predictors of trajectory class membership revealed that those in the "posttraumatic growth" personal strength class were significantly younger and had significantly higher pre-earthquake mental health than those in the "posttraumatic depreciation" class. Sex was the only predictor of the relationship classes: No men were assigned to the "high posttraumatic growth" class. Implications and future directions are discussed.

Associating a prototypical forbidden food item with guilt or celebration: relationships with indicators of (un)healthy eating and the moderating role of stress and depressive symptoms.

The increase in obesity and the many educational messages prompting us to eat a healthy diet have heightened people's concerns about the effects of food choice on health and weight. An unintended side effect may be that such awareness fuels feelings of guilt and worry about food. Although guilt has the potential to motivate behaviour change, it may also lead to feelings of helplessness and loss of control. The current study examined the relationship between a default association of either 'guilt' or 'celebration' with a prototypical forbidden food item (chocolate cake), indicators of healthy eating and choosing food for mood regulation reasons. Following a 'diathesis-stress' perspective, the moderating roles of depressive symptoms and stress were examined. Although a default association of guilt was found to be harmless under some circumstances (i.e. under low stress), those who associated chocolate cake with guilt (vs. celebration) reported unhealthier eating habits and lower levels of perceived behavioural control over healthy eating when under stress, rated mood regulation reasons for food choice as important irrespective of their current affective state, and did not have more positive attitudes towards healthy eating. Implications for public health messages and interventions will be discussed.