Marital Quality, Loneliness, and Internet Infidelity

Self-criticism and romantic relationship satisfaction as serial mediators of links between childhood psychological maltreatment and loneliness

BACKGROUND

Psychological maltreatment may be one of the causes of adults' loneliness despite having a partner. There are some links between psychological maltreatment, self-criticism, relationship satisfaction, and loneliness in the literature. But the nature of these links requires further explanation.

OBJECTIVE

The present study examined the serial mediation role of self-criticism and romantic relationship satisfaction on the pathway from childhood psychological maltreatment to loneliness, in a Turkish sample.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTINGS

In total 403 individuals (Female = 294, Male = 109) participated from 53 different cities in Türkiye. Participants were either dating (65.8 %), had a fiancée (4 %), or were married (30.3 %).

METHOD

The data was collected using Psychological Maltreatment Questionnaire, UCLA Loneliness Scale, Self-criticism Rumination Scale, and the Relationship Assessment Scale.

RESULTS

Structural equation modeling results indicated that self-criticism and romantic relationship satisfaction fully mediated the impact of psychological maltreatment on loneliness. The model was a good fit [χ² (29, N = 403) = 63.846, p < .001; χ²/df = 2.20; SRMR = 0.061; RMSEA = 0.055; GFI = 0.969; CFI = 0.979; NFI = 0.963; IFI = 0.979].

CONCLUSIONS

Childhood experiences of psychological maltreatment can continue to haunt individuals, even as adults. Although being in a relationship can help individuals with their loneliness, psychologically maltreated adults may feel lonely in their relationships due to self-criticism and dissatisfaction. Interventions focused on childhood psychological maltreatment and self-criticism may help lonely adults. Along with this focus, relationship satisfaction can be addressed in family/couple counseling.

Factors Affecting Online Infidelity: A Review

Online infidelity has been a topic of discussion for the past two decades. Hence, while it is on the agenda of current researches, the associated factors of online infidelity have not yet been sufficiently clarified. The current review examines factors affecting online infidelity in line with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis guidelines. In the review the studies were included considering the criteria of (i) being an empirical study, (ii) being written in Turkish or English, (iii) being published in peer-reviewed journals (iv), evaluating at least one factor that may affect online infidelity. Eight studies which include factors affecting online infidelity were examined and the findings of these studies were evaluated. More positive attitudes towards infidelity, lower relationship commitment, higher quality of alternative partners, lower marital quality, higher loneliness, lower relationship satisfaction, higher relationship uncertainty, anxious and avoidant attachment, and being in a strong position were found significantly associated with online infidelity.

Translation, Cross-Cultural Adaptation, and Psychometric Properties of the Perceptions of Dating Infidelity Scale in Brazilian Portuguese

The Perceptions of Dating Infidelity Scale (PDIS) assesses how people perceive infidelity through specific behaviors. Originally developed by Wilson et al. (2011), it contains 12 items distributed into three factors: (1) ambiguous, (2) deceptive, and (3) explicit behaviors. In the present research, translation, cross-cultural adaptation, and validation of the PDIS in Brazilian Portuguese were performed. First, qualitative analyses took place: translation, translation synthesis, content validation, pre-test, and reverse translation. Then, quantitative analyses were conducted: psychometric parameter tests with confirmatory factor analysis and reliability. A total of 252 participants were recruited, 160 of whom were female (63.5%). The results indicated consistent PDIS adequacy (conceptual and idiomatic equivalences); satisfactory content validity coefficients regarding language clarity, practical pertinence, and theoretical relevance; and an almost perfect level of consensus regarding the theoretical dimension. The application of the pre-test was proven to be a good parameter for estimating the comprehension of the instrument in the culture for which it was intended. Confirmatory factor analysis showed good indices of adjustment quality of the tested trifactorial model (three factors being identified with ambiguous, deceptive, and explicit behaviors). Therefore, the structure indicated in the original version was corroborated and the instrument's reliability confirmed. The Brazilian Portuguese PDIS is a useful tool for evaluating infidelity perceptions in the Brazilian culture.

The Effect of Emotional Reactivity on Marital Quality in Chinese Couples: The Mediating Role of Perceived Partner Responsiveness

This study investigated the mediating role of perceived partner responsiveness in the relationship between emotional reactivity and marital quality among Chinese couples. The survey participants included 550 couples from 28 provinces in the Eastern, Central and Western China. The ages of the husbands range from 39 to 64 years old whose average age is 46.45 years old, while the ages of the wives vary between 32 and 62 years old whose average age is 45.08 years old. The Emotion Reactivity Scale, Perceived Partner Responsiveness Scale, and Quality of Marriage Index were selected for measurement. The results showed that the scores of husbands perceived partner responsiveness and marital quality were significantly higher than those of wives, and there was no significant difference in emotional reactivity between husbands and wives. Correlation analysis showed that emotional reactivity of couples was negatively correlated with perceived partner responsiveness and marital quality, while perceived partner responsiveness was positively correlated with marital quality. Based on the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM), it was found that the emotional reactivity of both spouses was a significant negative predictor of their marital quality (actor effect). It also significantly negatively predicted the marital quality of the spouse (partner effect). The mediating effect analysis results showed that the husbands’ perceived partner responsiveness played a mediating role in the emotional reactivity of the couples on marital quality of the husbands, and the wives’ perceived partner responsiveness played a mediating role in the emotional reactivity of the couples on marital quality of the husbands. The wives’ perceived partner responsiveness played a mediating role in the effect of the couples’ emotional reactivity on the wives’ marital quality. The results of this study contribute to a better understanding of the mechanism of emotional reactivity of couples affecting marital quality and have a guiding significance for improving marital quality.

Infidelity and Its Associated Factors: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Infidelity can be facilitated and/or inhibited as a result of interrelations among multilevel contexts. Despite the existence of numerous studies about infidelity, there is no developmental model that considers multilevel contexts of factors associated with infidelity.

AIM

To review published articles addressing factors associated with infidelity and to apply the ecological model to these factors.

METHODS

A systematic review of the literature was conducted using the PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and PsychoInfo. Literature search was restricted to articles published in English up to June 2018. All quantitative and full-text studies that addressed associated factors with infidelity were included. This study was conducted following PRISMA guidelines.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

This article reports a review of the literature on the factors associated with infidelity based on the ecological model.

RESULTS

We retrieved 5,159 titles, of which 82 were qualified after the qualitative synthesis. The Ecological Couples Systems Diagram (ECSD) is proposed as a developmental model similar to Bronfenbrenner's Bioecological Systems Model. There was an inconsistency between variables of microsystem and infidelity engagement. However, the results of some studies indicated the impact of demographic factors, personality traits, and sexual information on infidelity, considering partner characteristics. Variables belonging to a mesosystem had a more stable association with infidelity than those from other systems. In addition, the review reveals the complexity of infidelity, associated with following factors: 68.3% (n = 56) of the studies were based on microsystem variables, 48.8% (n = 40) used mesosystem variables, 19.5% (n = 16) used exosystem variables, 26.8% (n = 22) used macrosystem variables, 6.1% (n = 5) used chronosystem variables, and 50% (n = 41) included variables from 2 or more levels.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

The ECSD can be used not only for assessing couple compatibility in premarital counseling, but also for consulting couples who want to have a long-term romantic relationship. As a potential clinical application, therapists can use the ECSD to assess unfaithful clients and their partners, improving the quality of counseling.

STRENGTHS & LIMITATIONS

This study reveals different environmental layers of various variables related to infidelity. Determining the effect size of variables associated with infidelity was not possible due to the heterogeneity of infidelity assessment tools and test analysis.

CONCLUSION

Apparently, incompatibility of interpersonal characteristics is more likely associated with infidelity than incompatibility of intrapersonal characteristics. It is important to consider couple compatibility before starting an exclusive relationship, such as marriage, for individuals who intend to maintain a long-term exclusive romantic relationship. Haseli A, Shariati M, Nazari AM, et al. Infidelity and Its Associated Factors: A Systematic Review. J Sex Med 2019;16:1155-1169.