You-talk in young adult couples' conflict: Family-of-origin roots and adult relational aggression sequelae

The present study examines greater use of the word "you" (i.e., you-talk) during couple's conflict as linked to conflict behaviors and relational aggression. The way couples navigate relationship conflict is a key risk factor for relational aggression, and investigating conflict microprocesses can inform intervention efforts. In this study, 184 target participants (86 men, 98 women; 58% White, 29% African American, 8% mixed race/ethnicity, 5% other groups) were observed interacting with their parents at age 13 and with romantic partners at ages 20 and 27 to examine origins of you-talk usage and its links to romantic relationship dysfunction. Links were explored in a series of hierarchical linear regressions. Adverse conflict navigation behaviors established in one's family-of-origin during adolescence (i.e., autonomy-relatedness undermining behavior) predicted target's use of you-talk during conflict with their romantic partners at age 20. You-talk was concurrently associated with autonomy-relatedness undermining behavior and relational aggression, and you-talk in turn predicted a relative increase in both undermining behavior and relational aggression at age 27. Use of you-talk is discussed as disrupting key features of conflict navigation and having potential developmental origins which may serve as targets in efforts to reduce relational aggression.

Dirty laundry: The nature and substance of seeking relationship help from strangers online

Interpersonal relationships are vital to our well-being. In recent years, it has become increasingly common to seek relationship help through anonymous online platforms. Accordingly, we conducted a large-scale analysis of real-world relationship help-seeking to create a descriptive overview of the nature and substance of online relationship help-seeking. By analyzing the demographic characteristics and language of relationship help-seekers on Reddit (N = 184,631), we establish the first-ever big data analysis of relationship help-seeking and relationship problems in situ among the general population. Our analyses highlight real-world relationship struggles found in the general population, extending beyond past work that is typically limited to counseling/intervention settings. We find that relationship problem estimates from our sample are closer to those found in the general population, providing a more generalized insight into the distribution and prevalence of relationship problems as compared with past work. Further, we find several meaningful associations between relationship help-seeking behavior, gender, and attachment. Notably, numerous gender differences in help-seeking and romantic attachment emerged. Our findings suggest that, contrary to more traditional contexts, men are more likely to seek help with their relationships online, are more expressive of their emotions (e.g., discussing the topic of "heartache"), and show language patterns generally consistent with more secure attachment. Our analyses highlight pathways for further exploration, providing even deeper insights into the timing, lifecycle, and moderating factors that influence who, what, why, and how people seek help for their interpersonal relationships.

Validation of computerized reflective function: A replication study

Objective: The Reflective Function (RF) Scale is the original validated measure of mentalizing, applied to Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) transcripts. This study aimed to replicate the preliminary validation of Computerized RF (CRF), a computerized text analysis measure of RF.Methods: 49 women with borderline personality disorder (BPD; n = 20) and without (n = 29) completed diagnostic interviews and the AAI. AAIs were scored by certified coders using the RF Scale, and by computerized text analysis software using CRF dictionaries.Results: CRF significantly correlated with RF. The frequency of High CRF words had moderate-to-strong correlations with RF in the total sample (r_s = .47), BPD group (r_s = .61), and non-BPD group (r_s = .41). Adding the frequency of Low CRF words to create a proportion of High and Low CRF words, and applying CRF to AAIs trimmed to include only items that "demand" RF, both produced significant, but not stronger, correlations with RF.Conclusion: CRF is an efficient alternative to the RF Scale that can estimate mentalization. Near average levels, neither RF nor CRF significantly differentiated between groups, indicating mentalizing deficits may not always be present, detectable, or defining in BPD samples. While more research is needed, CRF is a valid assessment of RF when codable text is available.

Expressions of Grief in Online Discussion Forums-Linguistic Similarities and Differences in Pet and Human Bereavement

We compared online discussion forum posts related to pet loss to those related to human bereavement. Posts (N = 401) were analyzed using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count software for frequencies of word use relevant to bereavement. Words related to anger, sadness, and negative emotions were used at similar frequencies for all grief. Sibling loss was associated with using first person pronouns at higher frequencies, and positive emotion words at lower frequencies than other categories of loss. There were some similarities in partners and pets in the word use related to friends and social connectedness. Words related to religion were highest when writing about losing a child and lowest when losing a pet. Our results highlight the similarities in the vocabulary in pet and human bereavement. Findings demonstrate the importance of online discussion forums for understanding the process of grief and specific relationship types.