Broader Context Flashcards
Stressors
Resources
Aspect of a relationship’s enviro makes demands on the partners, taking time away from the relationship
Source of support outside the relationship that helps partners interact effectively and facilitates spending time together
Study: Predictors of positive relationship outcomes in LDRs (Dargie et al)
- Examine whether there are diffs in relationship outcomes between LDRs and GCRs + What predicts more positive outcomes in LDRs
- Completed questionnaires on distance apart, cost to see partner, living situation, relationship outcomes
No diffs between relationship outcomes (no effect of sexual orientation too) in unmarried couples
- But ppl in LDRs reported better outcomes when they also reported high relationship certainty, more positive attitudes towards being in LDR, and greater distance apart
Study: Psychological adjustment in adolescents during the initial COVID-19 crisis
- Canadian adolescents completed online survey
- Assessed loneliness/depression, time spent w/ family, time spent video-chatting/texting friends, physical activity, time spent on social media before and since start of crisis
Lower levels of depression assoc w/:
- Less social media
- More time video chatting/texting friends
- More time w/ family
- More physical activity
Lower levels of loneliness assoc w/:
- More time video chatting/texting w/ friends
- More time w/ family
- More physical activity
Whether tech buffers against social isolation due to COVID may depend on the extent it’s used for direct vs indirect interaction
Study: Gender dynamics in dual-earner couples during COVID-19 (Shockley et al)
- Dual-earner couples in US w/ children under 6 years
- Longitudinal study from March (schools/daycares closed) to May (many states reopening) 2020
- T1: Open-ended questions about plan for managing childcare and work
- T2: Family cohesion, marital relationship tension, sleep quantity, psychological distress, job performance
- Most reported egalitarian strat but some also said wife would do most
- Most couples stuck to plan from T1
- When wife did most (but not all) childcare, both had best relationship outcomes
- Egalitarian led to best health outcomes and job performance
Burden of unexpected/additional childcare continues to fall on women… But when couple can come to egalitarian arrangement, it has a positive impact on well-being and doesn’t negatively impact job performance or family relationships
Why do social networks matter (2)
Source of emotional and tangible support
Provide incentives to stay in relationships
- Social network will make person feel welcome and communicate their approval, which contributes to relationship satisfaction and commitment; and attaches person to them
Study: Compensation by derogation of alternatives (Lehmiller and Agnew)
- Ppl in marginalized vs non marginalized relationships
- Completed investment model scale (satisfaction, quality of alts, investment, commitment) and marginalization scale
Individuals in nontraditional relationships perceived relationship as more marginalized
- Perceived marginalization-> Lower commitment and thus lower investments
- But marginalized couples reported higher commitment by perceiving poorer quality of alts
Marginalized partners strengthen their relationship commitment by perceiving their quality of alts as poor
Individualistic vs Collectivist mate selection expectations
Individualistic:
- Family is support system for individual in pursuit of romantic partner
- Love is seen as all positive
- Focus on emotional bonds and intimacy (which can make it fragile)
Collectivist:
- Individuals support family and families collaborate to find partner that will enhance family’s stability/starus
- Love is seen as negatively tinged
Crude divorce rate
Refined divorce rate
Number of divorces per 1000 ppl
- Doesn’t take into account how many ppl are married in first place
Ratio of number of divorces to number of marriages
Cultural factors of increased divorce rates (6):
Shift in marital expectations
Changing gender roles and work-life balance
Social mobility + community disconnection
Changes in divorce laws
Cohabitation before marriage
Intergenerational transmission
Shift in marital expectations:
- More emotional focus of marriage w/out ensuring stable foundation
Changing gender roles and work-life balance:
- More hours worked by wives assoc w/ lower quality of marriage
- More chores to do after work leading to stress and less time together (lowers satisfaction)
- Increased access to potential partners (increases quality of alts)
- Women more likely to he financially independent (lowers investments and constraint commitment)
Social mobility + community disconnection:
- Couples move more often, away from family, and less likely to know neighbours
- Leads to less support from social network and less affect of community norms to discourage divorce
Changes in divorce laws:
- No-fault divorce instituted in 1970s; leading to divorce being more common, acceptable, and easier
Cohabitation before marriage:
- High risk of sliding into marriage
- Less respect and lower expectations for marriage
Intergenerational transmission:
- Seeing parents, friends, sibling divorce makes you more likely to divorce
- Less favourable views of marriage (it not lasting), learn negative patterns of communication and behavs of parents
