Data Analysis

1. HOW RELATIONAL VIEWS INFLUENCE ADOLESCENTS’ SUBJECTIVE UNDERTSANDING OF ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP INTERACTIONS • Discussion • Hypothesis: Possessing a more Vulnerable Relational View is associated with greater negativity in adolescents’ interpretations. Relational Views significantly influence the way in which adolescent romantic couple members make sense of their interactions. • Implications: • Attachment Theory • Supports previous studies finding that Relational Views influence behaviors during interactions (i.e., Campbell, et al., 2001; Furman & Simon, 2006; Treboux, et al., 2004). • Relational Views also effect how adolescents interpret their interactions. A theoretical tenet of attachment theory proposed by Bowlby (1982). • Relational Views and Adolescent Romantic Relationships • Vulnerable Relational Views lead to perceiving more negativity above and beyond the ratings of the observers. • Clinical Implications: • Both behaviors and the meanings attributed to them need to be targeted for change • Affect is more open to the influence of relational views than concrete behaviors • Why are Relational Views so influential in Adolescent Romantic Relationships? • 1. Adolescents enter into romantic relationships with preconceptions based on previous experiences in similar relationships. • 2. Adolescents’ have certain expectations regarding the relationship and their partner, which includes explanations of their partner’s feelings and behaviors. • 3. The novelty of this domain provides little previous experience from which to draw conclusions about the current situation increasing reliance on their previous experiences. • 4. The ambiguous nature of the dimensions examined in this study also play a role in the influence of the relational view. • Abstract • The purpose of the current study is to examine the influence of relational views on adolescents’ subjective understanding of interactions in the context of their romantic relationships. This study included 209 male-female adolescent dating couples. We hypothesize that adolescents who hold more vulnerable relational views will interpret their interactions more negatively. Structural equation modeling (SEM) with latent variables supported our hypothesis. Relational views influenced adolescent’s interpretations of the interaction above and beyond their behaviors during the interaction. This study employed an innovative multimodal methodology: the video-recall system (Welsh & Dickson, 2005). This study is unique in our inclusion of both adolescent participants’ perspectives of their interactions with their romantic partner as well as the perspectives of trained coders. Possible explanations and implications of this finding on the fields of attachment theory and adolescent romantic relationships are discussed. Justin D. Smith, Deborah P. Welsh, & Paula J. Fite - University of Tennessee Knoxville • Measures • Adolescent Couple’s Issues Checklist(Welsh, Grello, Dickson, Harper, 2001). • Demographic Questionnaire. • Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment(IPPA; Armsden & Greenberg, 1987). • The Rejection SensitivityQuestionnaire (RSQ; Downey & Feldman, 1996). • The Silencing the Self Subscale (STSS; Jack & Dill, 1992). • Interaction Task andThe Video Recall Procedure (Welsh & Dickson, 2005). Interaction session: 3 8 min 40 sec conversations - plan a party and two issues of disagreement The video-recall procedure: each couple member separately views and rates the conflictual issues conversations in 20-sec segments - Self then Partner Viewings - 5-point rating scale, where 0 = Not At All and 4 = Very Much 3 Trained Graduate Student Coders - same procedure as couple members; counterbalanced Outcomes:Power Conceding and Persuasion r=.73, a = 0.76 Discomfort Frustration and Uncomfort r=.75, a = 0.80 Results • Introduction POWER For the Power outcome, Relational Views directly influence the interpretations adolescents make about their interactions even when controlling for the observer’s ratings of the interaction ((2 (4)=3.2, CFI=1.00 and RMSEA< .000). This relationship is present above and beyond the influence of the observer’s ratings (M test = 95% CI = -1.03 to 1.49). • Purpose: Examine the influence of adolescents’ Relational Views on adolescents’ interpretations of interactions with their romantic partner. • Definition: Relational Views refer to the preconceptions, expectations, and perceptions held by each individual about certain relationships (Furman & Wehner, 1994). Elements of the Relational View Construct Attachment Style: Previous studies have demonstrated the influence of attachment styles on behaviors in romantic relationships, both adolescent and adult (I.e., Furman & Simon, 2006). Campbell, et al. (2005) and Roisman, et al.,(2005) and others have also demonstrated the influence of attachment styles on the interpretations about romantic relationship interactions. However, behavior and interpretations have not been examined in the same study along with ratings from trained coders. Rejection Sensitivity: Downey and colleagues (1996;1998;1999;2000) have demonstrated Rejection Sensitivity’s influence on interaction behaviors and how those interactions are then interpreted. Self-Silencing: Jack and Dill’s (1992) theory posits that Self-Silencing is a specific schema that affects the behaviors of a member of a couple that is aimed at maintaining the relationship. Studies demonstrate a relationship between Self-Silencing and negative outcomes on relationships, particularly depression (Harper, Dickson, Welsh, 2006; Thompson, 1995; Thompson, et al., 2001). Hypothesis Even when controlling for the observer’s ratings of behavior, Adolescents with Vulnerable Relational Views will interpret their interactions more negatively. • Outcomes • Power - Persuading and Conceding Dimensions • Discomfort - Frustration and Uncomfort Dimensions • References • Armsden, G. C., & Greenberg, M. T. (1987). The inventory of parent and peer attachmnent: Individual differences and their relationship to psychological well-being in adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 16, 427-454. • Bowlby, J. (1982). Attachment and loss: Retrospect and prospect. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 52(4), 664-678. • Campbell, L., Simpson, J. A., Boldry, J., & Kashy, D. A. (2005). Perceptions of Conflict and Support in Romantic Relationships: The Role of Attachment Anxiety. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 88(3), 510-531. • Campbell, L., Simpson, J. A., Kashy, D. A., & Rholes, W. S. (2001). Attachment orientations, dependence, and behavior in a stressful situation: An application of the actor-partner interdependence model. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships(6), 821-843. • Downey, G., & Feldman, S. I. (1996). Implications of rejection sensitivity for intimate relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 70(6), 1327-1343. • Furman, W., & Simon, V. A. (2006). Actor and Partner Effects of Adolescents' Romantic Working Models and Styles on Interactions with Romantic Partners. Child Development, 77(3), 588-604. • Furman, W., & Wehner, E. A. (1994). Romantic views: Toward a theory of adolescent romantic relationships. In R. Montemayor, Adams, G., & Gullotta, T.P. (Ed.), Advances in adolescent development; An annual book series (Vol. 6, pp. 168-195). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. • Harper, M. S., & Welsh, D. P. (2006). Keeping quiet: Self-silencing and its association with realtional and individual functioning among adolescent romantic couples. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. • Jack, D. C., & Dill, D. (1992). The Silencing the Self Scale: Schemas of intimacy associated with depression in women. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 16(1), 97-106. • Roisman, G. I., Collins, W. A., Sroufe, L. A., & Egeland, B. (2005). Predictors of young adults' representations of and behavior in their current romantic relationship: Prospective tests of the prototype hypothesis. Attachment and Human Development, 7(2), 105-121. • Thompson, J. M. (1995). Silencing the self: Depressive symptomatology and close relationships. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 19(3), 337-353. • Thompson, J. M., Whiffen, V. E., & Aube, J. A. (2001). Does self-silencing link perceptions of care from parents and partners with depressive symptoms? Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 18(4), 503-516. • Treboux, D., Crowell, J. A., & Waters, E. (2004). When "New" Meets "Old": Configurations of Adult Attachment Representations and Their Implications for Marital Functioning. Developmental Psychology, 40(2), 295-314. • Welsh, D. P., & Dickson, J. W. (2005). Video-Recall Procedures for Examining Subjective Understanding in Observational Data. Journal of Family Psychology, 19(1), 62-71. • Welsh, D. P., Grello, C. M., Dickson, J. W., & Harper, M. S. (2001). The adolescent couples' issues checklist. Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee. • Participants • Study of Tennessee Adolescent Romantic Relationships (STARR). • 209 Adolescent Dating Couples • Ages: 14-21 years, Median= 17. • Length of Relationship: 4 weeks (the minimum for participation) to 260, Median = 44.54. • Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian (90.5%), African-American (6.2%), Asian (1.2%), Hispanic (0.7%), Native American (0.5%) and “Other” (0.7%). • Suburban (46.7%), Rural (20.6%) and Urban (31.8%). • The sample is also socioeconomically diverse. Data Analysis • AMOS 7.0. • Model Fit: chi-square statistic, CFI, and RMSEA. • Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) of the Relational View latent variable. • Hybrid Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). • Mediation: M test (MacKinnon, Lockwood, and Williams, 2004) DISCOMFORT For the Discomfort outcome, Relational Views directly influence the interpretations adolescents make about their interactions even when controlling for the observer’s ratings of the interaction (2 (4)=2.2, CFI=1.00 and RMSEA< .000). This relationship is present above and beyond the influence of the observer’s ratings (M test = 95% CI = -0.07 to 0.10).