The Relationship between Jealousy and Mate Retention Strategies in Romantic Relationships among Women during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Jealousy and mate retention have received attention in research over the last few decades. Despite this, most of the research has examined male jealousy and male mate retention, emphasizing cost-inflicting behavior due to its role in relationships and domestic violence. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between jealousy and all mate retention strategies in romantic relationships among women during the COVID-19 pandemic. The sample consisted of 772 Croatian women aged 19 to 40 who were in a heterosexual relationship at the time. This study was conducted online, and the participants completed the Multidimensional Jealousy Scale and Mate Retention Inventory. The results showed that cognitive, emotional, and behavioral jealousy were positively correlated with all mate retention strategies, which indicates that a stronger experience of jealousy can be expected to result in more frequent use of all partner retention strategies. We also found that all three dimensions of jealousy and relationship length positively predicted both cost-inflicting and benefit-provisioning mate retention behavior, whereas age was a negative predictor of benefit-provisioning behavior only. The findings of this study suggest that, although jealousy can substantially explain interpersonally risky and damaging behavior in relationships, it can also explain affectionate and attentive behavior, to some extent.

Affective Representation of Early Relationships with Parents and Current Anxiety and Depression

Research on the role of early relationships with parents on youth's anxiety and depression, especially in collectivist societies such as China, is limited. To fill this gap, we investigated the unique role of early relationship with mothers and fathers, respectively, in Chinese youth's anxiety and depression outcomes. The participants were 347 Chinese college students from 20 provinces. They first separately rated the frequency of experiencing 13 emotions (e.g., anger) from recalling early relationships with their mothers and fathers, then completed the Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale and the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale. Logistic regression was performed to determine the unique contribution of early relationships with mothers and fathers, respectively, to the participants' clinical-level anxiety and depression. Based on the final model of our logistical regression, we found that an increase in negative affective representation of early relationship with the mother was associated with a higher likelihood of clinical level anxiety (OR = 3.58; 95% CI = 1.32-9.70), while an increase in positive affective representation of early relationship with the mother was associated with a lower likelihood of clinical-level depression (OR = 0.47; 95% CI = 0.25-0.87). Furthermore, an increase in negative affective representation of early relationship with the father was associated with a higher likelihood of clinical-level anxiety (OR = 3.36; 95% CI = 1.37-8.26) and depression (OR = 3.68; 95% CI = 1.59-8.52), above and beyond their affective representation of early relationship with the mother.

Mother-Child and Father-Child Relationships in Emerging Adults from Divorced and Non-Divorced Families

The main aim of this study was to analyze the associations between parental divorce and interparental conflict with the quality of parent-child relationships. Specifically, we analyzed trust, communication and alienation in both father-child and mother-child relationships in a sample of 1078 Spanish emerging adults from divorced and non-divorced families. The interaction between parental divorce and conflict was also analyzed. In support of our expectations, parental divorce was associated with lower trust and communication, along with higher alienation in father-child and mother-child relationships. When interparental conflict was included, parental conflict was more strongly associated with lower trust and communication in mother-child relationships, and higher alienation in both mother-child and father-child relationships. However, parental divorce was still associated with low trust and communication with fathers, when interparental conflict and the interaction between parental divorce and conflict were added. In summation, our results suggest that both parental divorce and conflict should be taken into account in the study of the consequences of family-related stress variables on adult children’s wellbeing. These findings add to the current literature and contribute to better comprehend the effects of parental divorce and conflict on both mother-child and father-child affective relationships in an understudied cultural context. The implications, limitations and future research recommendations are discussed.

Attachment Avoidance and Attachment Anxiety as Individual Characteristics Affecting Job Search Behavior

In this study, the relationship was investigated between attachment avoidance and attachment anxiety on the one hand, and job search intention, job search self-efficacy, job search self-esteem, and job search attitude on the other hand. Our sample consisted of 180 employees from an international industrial organization in the Netherlands. Results showed that attachment avoidance had a larger impact on the job search process than attachment anxiety. More avoidantly attached people had lower job search intentions, lower job search self-efficacy, and more negative job search attitudes. Attachment avoidance had an effect on job search intentions through job search self-efficacy and job search attitude but not through job search self-esteem. Attachment anxiety had no effect on job search intention through job search self-efficacy, job search self-esteem, and job search attitude. Attachment style is discussed as individual characteristic that impacts the job search process.

Trust development: testing a new model in undergraduate roommate relationships

Interpersonal trust is a vital component of social relationships. In this study the roles of parental attachment, perceived similarity of trustee to self, and social exchange processes in trust development were investigated longitudinally with randomly assigned, same-sex undergraduate roommates during emerging adulthood. A total of 214 first-year students completed weekly self-report measures during the first 5 weeks of the fall semester. Perceived similarity measured the second week and social exchange with roommates across the 5 weeks predicted participants' trust in their roommate, with social exchange mediating the relation between perceived similarity and trust. Results highlight interrelations of social exchange and trust in established relationships.

The intergenerational transmission of violence: examining the mediating roles of insecure attachment and destructive disagreement beliefs

Intimate partner violence has been recognized as a major problem on college campuses and is a source of concern for researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and the general population. Most research has focused on the intergenerational transmission of violence and identifying the intrapersonal mechanisms that enable violence in the family of origin to carry over to adult intimate relationships. This study expands the current literature by examining insecure attachment styles and destructive disagreement beliefs as mediators in the relationship between exposure to hostility or aggression in the family of origin and later experiences of dating aggression. Research questions were addressed with a sample of 1,136 college undergraduates (59% women). In all models, results of structural equation modeling indicated that an insecure attachment style and destructive disagreement beliefs mediated the intergenerational transmission of violence among both men and women. These findings have important implications for future research as well as relationship education programs and preventative interventions.