The Relationship between Marital Interdependence and Adaptation to Parenthood in Primiparous Couples
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Using marital interdependence and adaptation to parenthood as exemplars of Roy Adaptation Model concepts of Interdependence and Role Function, this study investigated relationships between prenatal expectations and postpartum realities of marital interdependence, adaptation to parenthood, and variables relevant to the study of the transition to parenthood (social status, length of marriage, type of delivery, and complications). The sample consisted of 102 married, primarily white, middle class primiparous couples. The Interdependence Scale, with affective, problem-solving, and household maintenance subscales, was used to measure prenatal expectations and postpartum realities of marital interdependence. The instrument was designed to generate scores reflecting actual interdependence and each partner's perception of interdependence within the dyad. The Postpartum Self-Evaluation Questionnaire (Lederman, Weingarten, and Lederman, 1981) was used to measure seven dimensions of adaptation to parenthood. The results indicated that primiparous couples have expectations for interdependence within the postpartum marital relationship that are predictive, to varying degrees, of the realities of postpartum interdependence. Couples reported the greatest actual and perceived interdependence in the affective dimension of their relationship, followed by the problem-solving and household maintenance dimensions. Husband and wife scores on the PSQ indicated effective adaptation to parenthood. PSQ total scale scores for husband and wife were highly correlated while subscale scores were correlated in the low to moderate range. Several subscales of the Interdependence Scale were predictive of PSQ subscales, just as several PSQ subscales were predictive of Interdependence subscales. Expectations of Interdependence were more often predictors of adaptation to parenthood than the Realities of Interdependence. The variables of complications, length of marriage, social status and type of delivery were predictors of adaptation to parenthood. Length of marriage and type of delivery were predictors of postpartum marital interdependence. Up to 19% of the variance in the wife's adaptation to parenthood scores and 21% in the husband's could be attributed to the interdependence and the other predictor variables. Up to 60% of the variance in Realities of Interdependence could be attributed to expectations of interdependence, adaptation to parenthood, and the other predictor variables.Keywords:
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Abstract The actor–partner interdependence model (APIM) is a framework for analyzing interdependent dyadic data. The model improves upon traditional regression and ANOVA analyses by estimating not only the main effects of one individual's variables, but also assessing how members of a dyad influence each other simultaneously within a single model. This entry provides an overview of the basic model specification, considerations that need to be made when using APIM, and options for statistical techniques to test actor–partner effects.
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Abstract Objective Families play a pivotal role in supporting one another during cancer. Research suggests that supportive care interactions between patients and their caregivers can have a positive effect on the physical health and well‐being of both members of the dyad. However, few studies have investigated how patient and caregiver personality characteristics intersect with their perceptions of supportive exchanges. Adopting an attachment theory perspective, our aim was to examine the dyadic effects of patient and caregiver attachment orientations on mutually supportive care. Methods Patients ( n = 103) receiving cancer care and their caregivers ( n = 99) completed a survey that comprised measures of attachment orientations (Experiences in Close Relationships Modified scale), and mutually supportive care (Shared Care Inventory, SCI‐3): communication, decision‐making and reciprocity. Results Actor‐Partner Interdependence Models (APIMs) were used to examine the association between participants' attachment orientations on their own (actor effects) SCI‐3 outcomes and those of the other person within the dyad (partner effects). Across the APIMs, the tendency was for an inverse relationship between attachment (anxious and avoidant orientations) and mutually supportive care. Inspection of the effects and dyadic patterns supported actor and couple models. Conclusions Using a dyadic approach, it was possible to study both intrapersonal and interpersonal effects. Our findings point to interdependence within the cancer caregiving relationship and underscore the importance of considering how individual and relational ways of responding influence support. Attachment theory provides a framework for explaining the observed relationships and a basis for therapeutic intervention.
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Research is reported which examines the relationship between marital satisfaction and amount of communication in a marital dyad. Consideration is given to various topics of communication which are commonly addressed by marital dyads and to the impact of biological sex on these relationships. Results indicate that highly satisfied couples engage in significantly m ore communication, particularly on certain topics, than do less satisfied couples. Couples with low satisfaction levels engage in a low level of communication on most of the topics which are commonly addressed by married couples. Speculation concerning causation is addressed.
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Family researchers have used the actor-partner interdependence model (APIM) to study romantic couples, parent-child dyads, and siblings. We discuss a new method to detect, measure, and test different theoretically important patterns in the APIM: equal actor and partner effect (couple pattern); same size, but different signs of actor and partner effects (contrast pattern); and zero partner effects (actor-only pattern). To measure these different patterns, as well as others, we propose the estimation of the parameter k, which equals the partner effect divided by the actor effect. For both indistinguishable dyad members (e.g., twins) and distinguishable dyad members (e.g., heterosexual couples), we propose strategies for estimating and testing different models. We illustrate our new approach with four data sets.
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In dyadic research, the actor–partner interdependence model (APIM) is widely used to model the effect of a predictor measured across dyad members on one's own and one's partner outcome. When such dyadic data are measured repeatedly over time, both the non-independence within couples and the non-independence over time need to be accounted for. In this paper, we present a longitudinal extension of the APIM, the L-APIM, that allows for both stable and time-varying sources of non-independence. Its implementation is readily available in multilevel software, such as proc mixed in SAS, but is lacking in the structural equation modeling (SEM) framework. We tackle the computational challenges associated with its SEM-implementation and propose a user-friendly free application for the L-APIM, which can be found at http://fgisteli.shinyapps.io/Shiny_LDD. As an illustration, we explore the actor and partner effects of positive relationship feelings on next day's intimacy using 3-week diary data of 66 heterosexual couples.
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Unmet needs and quality of life (QOL) are important nursing issues for both patients and their families. However, studies into their direct association, considering the dyadic relationship between them, have not been done. We investigated the associations using the actor–partner interdependence modeling for dyadic data. Data were collected from 115 patient–family dyads at a tertiary teaching hospital. The study variables were assessed using the questionnaires and clinical data. To analyze patient–family dyad data, the actor–partner interdependence modeling and structural equation modeling were used. The cancer patients and their families experienced diverse and high levels of unmet needs that affected their quality of life, both physically and mentally. The cancer patients’ unmet needs decreased their physical and mental quality of life, while those of their families had a negative impact on their own physical and mental quality of life. However, the cancer patients’ unmet needs did not have partner effects on their families’ quality of life, and vice versa. Therefore, unmet needs played important roles in their QOL taking into dyadic relationships in the model. The results suggest that nursing intervention programs to meet the needs of both patients and their families are required to improve their quality of life.
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Background: A diagnosis of cancer affects not only the patient but also his/her spouse/partner. In addition to facing a life-threatening illness, changes in role and financial threats can impact the dyad. Objective: This dyadic study examined the effects of financial concerns and pain on the quality of life (QOL) of cancer patients and their partners. The partner relationship and the partners' coping style were explored for mediating the couples' outcomes. Methods: Participants consisted of 177 dyads with both sexes as patients and partners in committed, heterosexual relationships. Patients had a mix of cancer diagnoses and were in various phases of treatment. Each participant completed 4 of the same instruments. Partners also completed coping and financial concerns measures, and patients completed pain and symptom distress measures. Results: Pathway analysis, using structural equation modeling, examined the effects of pain and financial concerns on relationship quality, partners' coping style, and QOL for the dyad. Partners' coping style affected only their own QOL (0.16; P = .05). Pain had a significantly negative direct effect (−0.51; P = .05) on patients' QOL and no direct relationship to the partner's QOL. Financial concerns affected the QOL of both patients (−0.13; P = .05) and partners (−0.36; P = .05). The relationship mediated a decrease in patient pain from −0.51 to −0.58, a significant total effect (P = .05). Conclusions: The partners' relationship lessened pain's negative effect. Financial concerns were a significant issue for both dyad members, but the quality of the relationship was not compromised. Implications for Practice: Patients' pain may be affected by the quality of the marital relationship.
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In the current social conditions, the married couple becomes extremely vulnerable and its evolution is often disrupted. In order to ensure an optimal functionality of the marital dyad, the need to identify intervention strategies and develop programs designed to help couples overcome the obstacles they face in daily interactions, shifting the focus towards awareness and focusing on the positive aspects of the marital dyad, is required. In this article, the methods of psychological intervention for harmonizing couple relationships are presented, based on the positivization of the perceptions of the spouses and the relationship. A sample of a session from the proposed program is also presented. The results of the program show the positive impact of the strategies applied to improve dyadic interactions, thus confirming the effectiveness of the psychological intervention program used.
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