Despite the overwhelming support for the importance of sexual communication to intimate relationships, there is limited information about what motivates someone to engage in or avoid sexual communication. Motivational frameworks have been applied to various aspects of intimate relationships, serving as strong predictors of different behavioural processes and playing a crucial role in facilitating behavioural change. As such, we aimed to elucidate the motivations for sexual communication and explore how they relate to other aspects of the process of sexual communication. A total of 373 participants were recruited from online crowdsourcing websites across two studies, and they completed online questionnaires using a mixed methods approach. In Study 1, open-ended responses regarding participants' motivations for sexual communication were inductively coded and aligned with the Regulatory Focus Theory, which describes two distinct modes of goal pursuit depending on if the person is focused on growth and advancement (i.e., promotion-focused) or safety and security (prevention-focused). This coding structure was replicated in Study 2, and we expanded the results to examine the predictive ability of the coded motivations. We found that those higher in attachment avoidance were more likely to have prevention-focused motivations, and those with relationship-oriented promotion-focused motivations reported more depth of both sexual and nonsexual communication as well as more relationship and sexual satisfaction. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Polyamory is a relationship style that allows individuals to develop multiple romantic relationships simultaneously. Although studies show that many polyamorous people have children, very little is known about the experiences of children growing up in such a family context. Based on 18 semi-structured interviews with Canadian children living with polyamorous parents, we examined the level of emotional closeness they felt towards their parents' romantic partners, and what these adults meant to them. We found that these children generally appreciated their parents' partners. These adults were seen by our participants as someone who contributed positively to their lives. More specifically, the participating children -especially pre-teens and younger children- described their parents' romantic partners as adults: 1) to have fun with, 2) who contributed to their material well-being, 3) who took care of them, and 4) who, through their own children, contributed to expanding their circle of friends. Finally, some children - mainly teenagers and pre-teens- talked about these adults primarily as people who contributed positively to their parents' lives. Overall, this study makes an important contribution to the literature on family diversity.

Research highlights the positive impact of social connectedness on subjective well-being. In this paper, we test a model in which an identity-based mechanism links a structural form of connectedness (significant social ties) with two psychological well-being outcomes, life satisfaction and self-esteem. Using data from the LIVES Longitudinal Lausanne Youth Study (LIVES-LOLYS, = 422), a longitudinal mediation path model tests direct and indirect effects, via the strength of social identification, of the number of significant social ties in two life domains (friends and family) on life satisfaction and self-esteem. Results showed positive associations between the number of significant ties and social identification in the concordant domain, empirically linking the structural and subjective forms of social connectedness. Moreover, our model displays significant indirect effects in the friend domain, but in the family domain. Having more friends as significant social ties predicted higher social identification with friends, and this was longitudinally associated with higher life satisfaction and self-esteem. Findings show a new mechanism linking structural and subjective forms of social connectedness, unpacking their concerted impact in protecting well-being. The differences between the friend and family domains are discussed in the framework of both life-course and social identity perspectives.

Sexuality is integral to most romantic relationships. Through stress spillover, however, factors such as individually experienced stress outside of the relationship (i.e., extradyadic stress) can negatively impact sexuality. In this study, we explored how a possible (mis)matching of both partners' levels of extradyadic stress is related to sexual activity and tested for gender differences. Analyzing 316 mixed-gender couples from Switzerland, we employed Dyadic Response Surface Analysis to assess how extradyadic stress is associated with sexual activity. Our results showed that extradyadic stress was positively linked to sexual activity for women (in general) and men (in the case of matching stress levels). As this result was surprising, we conducted additional exploratory analyses and split the measure of sexual activity into (1) exchange of affection and (2) eroticism (petting, oral sex, and intercourse) and controlled for age. Results from this second set of analyses showed that for women, matching stress levels were associated with higher exchange of affection, whereas men's exchange of affection was higher if men reported higher stress levels than women. Notably, after accounting for age, the link between stress and eroticism dissipated. Our findings suggest that exchange of affection may serve as a coping mechanism for stress, with gender influencing this dynamic. However, future research investigating stress and sexual activity should consider additional factors such as age, relationship satisfaction, stressor type, and stress severity.

Parents who have experienced cumulative childhood interpersonal trauma (CCIT, i.e., an accumulation of different types of abuse) tend to experience higher parental stress following the birth of a child. As CCIT is associated with lower levels of partner support, which is linked to increased parental stress, partner support could explain the link between CCIT and parental stress. Yet, these variables have never been studied using a dyadic approach. This study examined the role of received and provided partner support in the association between CCIT and parental stress. A randomly selected sample of 1119 couples with infants completed online questionnaires assessing CCIT, partner support, and parental stress. An actor-partner interdependence model path analysis showed that both parents' CCIT were associated with increased paternal stress through fathers' lower received and provided support, and with increased maternal stress through mothers' received and provided support. Overall, the findings highlight the significance of examining the interdependence between both parents' experience and the role of partner support as a key factor explaining the link between CCIT and parental stress, thereby emphasizing its importance as an intervention target.

Few studies have examined developmentally relevant sources of resilience, such as peer social support, among young sexual minority men (SMM) of color experiencing discrimination and mental health distress. To address this gap in the literature, we examined the role of peer social support in the association between discrimination and mental health distress in a sample of young SMM of color. Ninety-four cisgender young SMM of color (aged 16-29) were recruited through community-based organizations in the New York City metropolitan area as part of an effectiveness trial of a tailored Motivational Interviewing intervention. Participants completed a baseline survey that included measures of school/workplace ethnoracial discrimination, sexual orientation discrimination, peer social support, and symptoms of anxiety and depression. Results of multivariable models indicated some evidence of the stress-buffering effects of peer social support. School/workplace ethnoracial discrimination was negatively associated with symptoms of anxiety ( = -0.12, = 0.03, < 0.001) and depression ( = 0.44, = 0.15, = 0.005) among young SMM of color with lower levels of peer social support. Peer social support did not moderate the association between sexual orientation discrimination and either depression or anxiety. Findings provide some evidence of the protective role of peer social support. We discuss the implications of the results for practice with young SMM of color with mental health distress.

Touch is a universal nonverbal action often used by romantic partners to demonstrate affection and care for each other. Attitudes toward touch might be particularly relevant across periods of relational strain-such as the transition to parenthood-when couples face many novel stressors and shifting priorities which can interfere with their sexual and affectionate experiences. New parent couples ( = 203) completed self-report measures online across six time-points (two prenatal). We tested whether couples' attitudes toward touch (touch aversion, touch for affection, touch for emotion regulation) at baseline (20 weeks mid-pregnancy) predicted their frequency of sexual and affectionate behaviors from mid-pregnancy through 12-month postpartum. Both partners' more positive attitudes toward touch (i.e., for affection and emotion regulation) and lower aversive attitudes toward touch, as measured in mid-pregnancy, predicted couples' higher frequency and variety of sexual and affectionate behaviors at 3-month postpartum. Touch attitudes generally did not predict the degree of change in the frequency or variety of sexual or affectionate behaviors, with one exception: non-birthing parents' more positive attitudes toward touch for emotion regulation in mid-pregnancy predicted a slower decline in couples' affectionate behaviors across pregnancy. Findings underscore a link between new parents' attitudes toward touch and their subsequent sexual and affectionate behaviors, particularly in the early postpartum period. New parents need to navigate novel sexual changes and a nonverbal strategy such as touch might be useful to promote intimacy and care.

Early life experiences, including attachment-related experiences, inform internal working models that guide adult relationship behaviors. Few studies have examined the association between adolescent attachment and adult relationship behavior on a neural level. The current study examined attachment in adolescence and its associations with neural correlates of relationship behaviors in adulthood.

What role do financial worries play in close relationship functioning? In this research, we examine how financial worry - negative thoughts and feelings about finances - is associated with perceived relationship behaviors. Participants recalled how their partner acted during a recent disagreement (Study 1, = 97 couples) or recalled the frequency of positive and negative behaviors enacted by their partner during the previous week (Study 2, = 99 couples). Feeling more worried about finances was associated with recalling less supportive behavior from one's partner at the disagreement (Study 1) and with perceiving more negative behaviors from one's partner in the last week (Study 2). Truth and Bias Model analyses suggest that part of this link may be attributed to biased perceptions, as the link between financial worry and perceiving more negative behaviors persisted even after controlling for participants' own reported behaviors (i.e., accounting for similarity) and for their partner's own reported behaviors (i.e., accounting for accurate perceptions). In sum, financial worry is linked to how partners notice and interpret a loved one's actions within their relationship.

Although cystic fibrosis (CF) is a progressive, life-limiting, genetic disease, recent advances have extended survival, allowing persons with CF the time and physical and mental health to form romantic relationships. Previous studies have shown the importance of dyadic coping to positive psychosocial functioning and relationship satisfaction for people with serious chronic illness and their romantic partners, but little work has been done with persons with CF and their partners. The present study examines dyadic coping processes in persons with CF and their romantic partners.

Although attachment insecurity has been linked to sexual dissatisfaction in cross-sectional research, little is known about the mechanisms by which attachment is associated with sexual satisfaction over time. This study examined the role of attachment insecurities in sexual satisfaction over time using the Interpersonal Exchange Model of Sexual Satisfaction (IEMSS) as a theoretical framework. Participants were 151 Canadian mixed-gender couples in a long-term relationship ( = 9.7 years) who completed questionnaires at two time points. The results demonstrate that sexual exchanges explained the associations between attachment insecurities (anxiety and avoidance) and sexual satisfaction in both men and women in long-term relationships, although the specific pathways differed by gender. These results are discussed in the context of the IEMSS and attachment theory.

Attachment insecurity is a transdiagnostic marker of risk associated with interpersonal emotion dysregulation and adverse psychosocial outcomes across the lifespan. Few interventions target the enhancement of attachment security in late adolescence. Most programs focus on strengthening the adolescent-caregiver relationship; meanwhile, youth increasingly spend less time with their families and look to peer relationships as a source of connection, particularly as they transition to college. Drawing from the principles of Emotionally Focused Therapy, we developed a psychotherapeutic peer mentorship program to enhance attachment security for insecurely attached youth during the transition to college. We tested the preliminary efficacy of Emotionally Focused Mentorship (EFM) in an open pilot trial by pairing ( = 82) insecurely attached first-year college students (i.e., "mentees") with securely attached mentors. Across five weekly sessions, mentors helped mentees identify and express their emotions in close relationships by working through different relational scenarios. Attachment and mental health trajectories were self-reported three times over five weeks and analyzed using Bayesian growth curve models. Across five weeks, participants reported improvements in attachment anxiety and avoidance, emotion regulation difficulties, depressive symptoms, loneliness, and self-esteem. Participants who completed the intervention ( = 55) noted improvements in their psychological wellbeing and interpersonal relationships. Results are promising and highlight the need to conduct a randomized clinical trial to test if these effects are causal. Given rising mental health demands, trained peer mentors may be a cost-effective way to improve attachment and psychological outcomes for insecurely attached participants during the transition to college.

Both parental psychological well-being (e.g., depressive symptoms) and parental relationship functioning (e.g., negative communication) are common parental risk factors for dysfunctional parenting. The spillover process from these parental characteristics to dysfunctional parenting is assumed to be amplified by parental stress, which is particularly common among mothers and fathers of young children. However, few studies have examined dyadic spillover processes from parental risk factors and parental stress on parenting in early childhood. In the current study, we first examined direct actor and partner effects of parents' depressive symptoms and negative communication at 10 months postpartum on dysfunctional parenting at 48 months postpartum in 168 primiparous mixed-gender couples. Second, we analyzed indirect effects via one's own and the partner's parental stress at 36 months postpartum using Actor-Partner Interdependence Mediation Models (APIMeM). We found direct actor effects for mothers' depressive symptoms and negative communication on their dysfunctional parenting. Additionally, indirect actor effects were found for depressive symptoms and negative communication among mothers and fathers. Specifically, mediating effects of depressive symptoms and negative communication on one's dysfunctional parenting through one's parental stress were found. There were no indirect partner effects through parental stress. These findings highlight the important role of parental stress in early childhood as a mediator between both individual and relationship parental risk factors and dysfunctional parenting. These results further underscore the importance of longitudinal dyadic analyses in providing early and tailored interventions for both mothers and fathers of young children.

Women and racially minoritized college students report frequent experiences of being targets of gender and race-based microaggressions in the classroom context. However, while much research has focused on reports of experiences by targets, less is known about how observers would evaluate and make sense of these microaggressive experiences. Thus the present study used vignettes based on real-life situations to ascertain how 272 college students (76% White, 52% ciswomen) in the United States interpreted gender-based and intersectional microaggressions occurring in the classroom. Thematic analysis revealed that microaggressions were deemed acceptable when participants believed: 1) the situation humorous, 2) the instructor did not cause the situation, or 3) the stereotype/statement to be true. Microaggressions were evaluated negatively when: 1) the topic was deemed sensitive, 2) the classroom was perceived as unsuitable, or the instructor was seen as: 3) making students uncomfortable, 4) being defensive, or 5) teaching misinformation. The findings highlight the complexity involved in observers evaluating and interpreting gender-based and intersectional microaggressions.

Friendships are a primary source of social support during young adulthood; however, little is known about the factors associated with young adults feeling greater support during interactions with friends. We examined how micro-level verbal responses and macro-level judgments of friendship quality were associated with perceptions of support following an interaction between friends. Same-gender friend dyads ( = 132; 66.2% female; 18-24 years, age = 19.63) took turns speaking about a problem, then participants rated their perceptions of support given and received following the task. We coded each participant's verbal responses while in the listening role. Actor Partner Interdependence Models (APIMs) revealed significant partner effects for negative engagement responses, such that greater negative engagement responses were linked with the partner perceiving poorer support both given and received. Models revealed significant actor effects for supportive responses, such that greater supportive responses predicted the actor perceiving better support both given and received. Additionally, models revealed significant actor effects of friendship quality predicting actors' perceiving better support both given and received. Finally, exploratory models revealed minimal interactions between a few types of verbal responses and positive friendship quality. Taken together, results suggest that (a) negative verbal responding styles may be more meaningfully associated with partners' perceptions of support in the moment than are supportive behaviours, whereas (b) supportive verbal responding styles may be more meaningfully associated with actors' perceptions of support in the moment, and (c) actors' judgments of friendship quality are strongly associated with their overall perceptions of support, and a critical factor to consider in future research.

Romantic relationships are developmentally salient across the transition to adulthood, yet the timing to a first relationship for sexual minority youth is largely unknown and is complicated by the developmental timing of sexual orientation development. We use the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health to predict the timing to a first relationship among heterosexual and sexual minority youth, defined as those with same-sex attraction and/or a sexual minority identity. We examine variability across subgroups of youth with a sexual minority status in adolescence only, in adulthood only, or in both developmental periods, and by gender. Participants with lesbian/gay sexual orientations emerging during adulthood delay a first relationship compared to their heterosexual peers. Those with bisexual orientations only in adulthood enter relationships earlier than their heterosexual peers, particularly women. Results suggest that patterns of dating relationship formations differ by distinct developmental contexts of sexual orientation development.

Social interactions today expand beyond in-person interactions. Therefore, it is important to recognize that social interactions can occur with social network members across multiple communication modes (in-person, phone, and online). The current study explored the role that social support plays in the relationship between mode frequency (in-person, phone, and online), network communication mode diversity (breadth and evenness of communicating with network members via different communication modes), and well-being (positive affect, stress, and loneliness) from the 3-year UCNET (UC Berkley Social Networks Study, = 1159) dataset. The study contained samples for two age groups (cohorts) - 21-31 year-olds and 50-70 year-olds, which also allowed for an exploration of age differences in these relationships. Longitudinal random-intercept cross-lagged panel models (RI-CLPM) showed a high degree of stability over the 3 years for all variables. Cross-sectional structural equation mediation models showed that social support mediated the relationships of mode frequency (in-person, phone, and online) and network communication mode diversity with well-being (more positive affect and less loneliness and stress). Age differences were found in the relationship between frequency of communication modes and social support, in that the frequency of communication mode was positively related to social support for younger adults, but not for middle-aged/older adults. Current findings provided future research directions geared toward further understanding of the mode frequency and network communication mode diversity constructs and how they relate to various psychosocial outcomes.

This study investigates the direct and indirect effects of maternal and sibling relational intimacy on adolescents' volunteering behaviors via their social responsibility values. Participants included two adolescents (50% female; age = 14 years) and one parent (85% female; age = 45 years) from 682 families ( = 2,046) from an ongoing longitudinal study. Adolescents self-reported their intimacy with mothers and siblings (Time 1), social responsibility values (Time 1), and volunteering (Times 1 and 2); parents reported on sociodemographic characteristics (i.e., gender, birth order, family income). Results from a structural equation model indicated that after accounting for adolescents' earlier volunteering, both maternal and sibling intimacy were indirectly related to greater volunteering via social responsibility values. There were no significant direct effects from maternal or sibling intimacy to adolescents' volunteering. Results indicate that both mothers and siblings are important in socializing prosocial and civic values and behaviors during adolescence.

Prior research suggests that prejudice and structural disadvantage (e.g., cissexism, racism, sexism) put transgender and nonbinary (TNB) young adults at risk for adverse romantic relationship experiences, yet supportive romantic relationships may help TNB young adults cope with these stressors and promote their psychological wellbeing. Accordingly, there is a need to better understand how TNB young adults navigate romantic relationships in the context of prejudice and structural disadvantage. To address this topic, we analyzed in-depth interviews with TNB young adults (18-30 years; =30) using template-style thematic analysis, guided by intersectionality as an analytical framework. Our analysis resulted in three themes. Theme 1 describes how prejudice and structural disadvantage constrained the strategies that TNB young adults used to pursue fulfilling romantic relationships (e.g., leaving adverse relationships). Theme 2 addresses the tradeoffs that some participants faced in their romantic relationships, including tradeoffs between psychological needs related to their social identities (e.g., gender identity affirmation) and general psychological needs (e.g., intimacy). Theme 3 highlights individual and contextual factors (e.g., lessons from prior romantic relationships) that helped participants build fulfilling romantic relationship. These themes form the basis for the Identity Needs in Relationships Framework, a new conceptual framework addressing how TNB young adults navigate romantic relationships in the context of prejudice and structural disadvantage. The framework offers an explanation for why some TNB young adults maintain romantic relationships that seem to undermine their wellbeing, and it draws attention to strategies and resources that may help TNB young adults form fulfilling romantic relationships despite the prejudice and structural disadvantage they face.

The COVID-19 pandemic created a range of stressors, among them difficulties related to work conditions, financial changes, lack of childcare, and confinement or isolation due to social distancing. Among families and married individuals, these stressors were often expressed in additional daily hassles, with an influence on mental health. This study examined two moderated mediation models based on Bodenmann's systemic-transactional stress model. Specifically, the models tested the hypothesis that intra-dyadic stress mediates the association between extra-dyadic stress and mental health, while two measures of family functioning, cohesion and flexibility, moderate the relationship between extra and intra-dyadic stress. Participants were 480 Palestinian adults in Israel who completed self-report questionnaires. All were in opposite-sex marriages and identified as either cisgender women or cisgender men. The results showed partial mediation patterns supporting both models, indicating that family cohesion and flexibility weakened the mediating effect of intra-dyadic stress on the relationship between extra-dyadic stress and mental health. These findings increase our understanding of the variables that affected mental health during the pandemic, and suggest that when faced with extra-dyadic stress, married individuals with good family environments are less likely to experience high levels of intra-dyadic stress, which is in turn associated with preserved mental health. Limitations and implications for planning interventions for couples and families during the pandemic are discussed.

Main effect models contend that perceived social support benefits mental health in the presence and the absence of stressful events, whereas stress-buffering models contend that perceived social support benefits mental health especially when individuals are facing stressful events. We tested these models of how perceived social support impacts mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic and evaluated whether characteristics of everyday social interactions statistically mediated this association - namely, (a) received support, the visible and deliberate assistance provided by others, and (b) pleasantness, the extent to which an interaction is positive, flows easily, and leads individuals to feel understood and validated. 591 United States adults completed a 3-week ecological momentary assessment protocol sampling characteristics of their everyday social interactions that was used to evaluate between-person average values and within-person daily fluctuations in everyday social interaction characteristics. Global measures of perceived social support and pandemic-related stressors were assessed at baseline. Psychiatric symptoms of depression and anxiety were assessed at baseline, at the end of each day of ecological momentary assessment, and at 3-week follow-up. Consistent with a main effect model, higher baseline perceived social support predicted decreases in psychiatric symptoms at 3-week follow-up (β = -.09, = .001). Contrary to a stress-buffering model, we did not find an interaction of pandemic-stressors × perceived social support. The main effect of perceived social support on mental health was mediated by the pleasantness of everyday social interactions, but not by received support in everyday social interactions. We found evidence for both main effects and stress-buffering effects of within-person fluctuations in interaction pleasantness on daily changes in mental health. Results suggest the importance of everyday social interaction characteristics, especially their pleasantness, in linking perceived social support and mental health.