Does income moderate basic relationship processes?

BackgroundThe association between the couple relationship and the mothers’ and fathers’ psychological adjustment to the transition to parenthood has been examined in the literature. However, the direction of effects between these variables has not been extensively explored. This study aimed to assess the direction of effects between mothers’ and fathers’ positive and negative interactions and anxiety and depression symptoms trajectories over the transition to parenthood. MethodsA sample of 129 couples (N = 258) completed self-report measures of positive and negative interactions, anxiety and depression symptoms at each trimester of pregnancy, at childbirth, and at 3- and 30-months postpartum. Dyadic growth curve models were performed using multilevel modeling. ResultsWhereas anxiety and depression showed no moderation effect on positive and negative interactions over time, negative interaction moderated depression from 3- to 30-months postpartum. Mothers and fathers with high negative interaction scores experienced a steeper increase in depression from 3- to 30-months postpartum. Additionally, gender moderated the effect of positive interaction on anxiety from 3- to 30-months postpartum. Fathers with low positive interaction scores experienced an increase in anxiety, whereas fathers with high positive interaction scores and mothers with high or low positive interaction scores did not experience changes in anxiety from 3- to 30-months postpartum. LimitationsDespite the longitudinal aspect of the models, a possible causal relationship need to be taken with caution. ConclusionsOur results suggest that mothers’ and fathers’ positive and negative interactions affect their anxiety and depression symptoms trajectories: negative interaction raises mothers’ and fathers’ depression symptoms and positive interaction prevents the increase of fathers’ anxiety symptoms over the postpartum period.

The role of positive interactions has become widely accepted as a mechanism shaping community dynamics. Most empirical evidence comes from plant communities and sessile marine organisms. However, evidence for the relative role of positive interactions in organizing terrestrial animal communities is more limited, and a general framework that includes positive interactions among animals is lacking. The ‘stress gradient hypothesis’ (SGH) developed by plant ecologists predicts that the balance between positive and negative interactions will vary along gradients of biotic and abiotic stress, with positive interactions being more important in stressful environments. Paralleling the SGH, stress gradients for terrestrial herbivores could be equated to inverse primary productivity gradients, so we would expect positive interactions to prevail in more stressful, low productivity environments. However, this contradicts the typical view of terrestrial animal ecology that low primary productivity systems will foster intense competition for resources among consumers. Here we use alpine herbivores as a case study to test one of the predictions of the SGH in animal communities, namely the prevalence of positive interactions in low productivity environments. We identify potential mechanisms of facilitation and review the limited number of examples of interspecific interactions among alpine herbivores to assess the role of positive and negative interactions in structuring their communities. A meta‐analysis showed no clear trend in the strength and direction of interactions among alpine herbivores. Although studies were biased towards reporting significant negative inter actions, we found no evidence of competition dominating in harsh environments. Thus, our results only partially support the SGH, but directly challenge the dominant view among animal ecologists. Clearly, a sound theoretical framework is needed to include competition, positive and neutral interactions as potential mechanisms determining the structure of animal communities under differing environmental conditions, and the stress‐gradient hypothesis can provide a solid starting point.

Primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is highly prevalent in China. Although hepatitis B virus (HBV) and aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) are considered the major risk factors, among the high-risk cohorts only a small fraction develops liver cancer. Therefore, we investigated if organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) exposure contributed to HCC risk in the Xiamen population. The questionnaire database was built from 346 HCC cases and 961 healthy controls during 2007-2009. The serum levels of α-, β-, γ-, δ-HCH, p, p'-DDT, p, p'-DDE, o, p'-DDT and p, p'-DDD were measured by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometer and statistical analysis was done using SPSS16. Significantly, we observed p, p'-DDT, p, p'-DDE, and at first time β-HCH displayed quartile dose-dependent HCC risk trends; p, p'-DDT showed positive (i.e., synergistic) interactions with HBV, diabetes mellitus, AFB1 and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) exposure, but negative (i.e., antagonistic) interaction with heavy drinking; p, p'-DDE had positive interaction with PAH but negative interaction with HBV and p, p'-DDT; and β-HCH was positively interacted with p, p'-DDT but negatively interacted with heavy drinking and diabetes. p, p'-DDT, p, p'-DDE and β-HCH were independent HCC risk factors. Because of their synergistic interactions with other factors, the high level exposure combined with common AFB1 and HBV exposure in the investigated area may greatly enhance the risk of HCC.

ObjectiveTo understand whether 15‐year‐old adolescents' reports of positive and negative interactions in their romantic relationships are associated with their depressive symptoms and externalizing behavior.BackgroundTo ensure that relationship education programs comprehensively address adolescent romantic development, there is a need for research focused on relationship dynamics during adolescence. In particular, there is a paucity of research on the associations between romantic relationship quality and adolescent adjustment.MethodData were from adolescents in romantic relationships during the fourth wave of the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (N = 205). Adolescents reported the positive and negative interactions in their romantic relationships, depressive symptoms, and externalizing behavior.ResultsNegative interactions were positively associated with depressive symptoms and externalizing behavior. Positive interactions were not associated with adolescent adjustment but did moderate the associations between negative interactions and depressive symptoms. Specifically, and unexpectedly, positive interactions exacerbated the association between high (+1 SD) negative interactions and depressive symptoms.ConclusionAdolescents in romantic relationships may be at risk for depressive symptoms and externalizing behavior when they experience negative interactions with romantic partners. They do not, however, appear to benefit from positive interactions.ImplicationsA primary goal of adolescent‐specific relationship education should be to minimize negative interactions between romantic partners.

When immigrant minority individuals engage in frequent and positive social contact with majority culture members, their emotions become a better fit with the majority norm; the increased fit is called emotional acculturation. In the current research, we test the prediction that high-quality interactions with majority others, in which minorities feel accepted, increase the likelihood of emotional fit. We also explore whether this prediction holds true for both positive and negative interactions with majority. To test this prediction, we conducted a 7-day daily diary study with minority students in Belgian middle schools (N = 117). Each day, participants reported one positive and one negative interaction at school. They subsequently evaluated each interaction (e.g., felt accepted), assessed their relationship with the interaction partner (e.g., our relationship is important to me), and rated their emotions. Analyses focused on the interactions with Belgian majority interaction partners. Emotional acculturation was computed for positive and negative interactions separately, by calculating the fit between the emotional pattern of the minority student and the average emotional pattern of a sample of majority participants (N = 106) who also took part in the daily diary. As predicted, we found higher emotional fit in positive interactions when immigrant minorities felt accepted by the interaction partner. In contrast to this finding for positive interactions, emotional fit for negative interactions was higher when minorities felt excluded by the interaction partner. Further analyses on the negative interactions suggested that minority adolescents felt more negative autonomy-promoting emotions (e.g., anger and frustration) when they perceived being excluded. Given that Belgian majority youth feel more autonomy-promoting emotions generally, minorities’ fit with majority patterns was higher. The results confirm our hypothesis that minorities’ fit with majority emotions is contingent on the quality of their interactions with majority, even if in negative interactions, high-quality interactions produced less rather than more emotional fit. Our findings suggest that emotional acculturation is not just a ‘skill’ that minority individuals acquire, but also a response to the ways in which interactions with majority others develop. Inclusive interactions, especially when they are positive, appear to align immigrant minority individuals with the majority norm.

This meta-analysis examines patterns of sex differences in teacher-initiated teacher–student interactions. While extensive research has examined factors that influence student evaluations of effective and ineffective teachers, this study examines whether teacher-initiated interactions with students, such as praising or blaming, vary as a function of student sex. After a careful examination of 127 empirical studies, 32 studies were retained for the meta-analysis. The studies were coded for positive, negative, and total interactions. The results suggest that teachers initiate more overall interactions and more negative interactions, but not more positive interactions, with male students than with female students.

Interspecies interactions have a profound influence on spatial distribution of coexisting microbial species. We explored whether spatial variance of species distribution (SVSD) predicts the degree of interspecies interactions within a microbial metacommunity. Simulations were used to determine the relationships from random, lake, soil, and biofilm metacommunity datasets (1,000 times). All of the bacterial datasets showed a negative correlation between the habitat breadth (inverse to SVSD) and the numbers of total, positive, and negative interspecies interactions (P < 0.05); the only exception was the relationship between habitat breadth and negative interactions in the biofilm dataset. The random dataset had no significant relationships (P > 0.05). We repeated the simulations to determine the degree of correlation and reproducibility (100 times). Habitat breadth was negatively correlated with the total and positive interactions in all of the real datasets (P < 0.05), and the negative relationships persisted across repetitions. Despite variability in the slope of total interactions, the slope values of positive interactions were similar for the real datasets (- 19.9, - 19.2, and - 25.8 for lake, soil, and biofilm, respectively). In conclusion, our results demonstrate the patterns of species interaction-distribution and show that interspecies interactions are positively correlated with the SVSD.

Positive and negative interactions in the behavioural expression of d 1 and D 2 receptor stimulation in a model of parkinsonism: Role of priming

Neuroticism modulates the effects of intranasal vasopressin treatment on the neural response to positive and negative social interactions

Summary 1. An unresolved question in plant ecology is how the balance between positive and negative interactions changes with environmental conditions. Recently, the debate has been expanded by Brooker &amp; Kikvidze (2008), reintroducing the importance, rather than the intensity, of interactions as the appropriate concept for empirical studies. Importance is the difference in performance with interactions relative to all affecting factors. 2. Positive interactions among plants (facilitation) are common in nature. However, the advocated importance indices fail to address facilitation and can thus not be applied to studying shifts in the balance between positive and negative interactions. The deficiencies of the current importance indices are both conceptual as well as mathematical. In particular, their maximum performance estimator is based on the assumption that it can only be attained in the absence of neighbours. 3. We suggest two major improvements. First, we use the target’s overall maximum performance as a surrogate for the plant optimum, i.e. we allow the possibility of higher performance with neighbours (i.e. facilitation). Second, we propose an alternative approach to treat the factors affecting measured performance. The new index is limited in its range [−1, 1], is symmetrical for competition and facilitation, and it preserves the intuitive nature of the original index by Brooker &amp; Kikvidze (2008). 4. Synthesis. The concept of interaction importance is useful for studying interactions along environmental gradients. In contrast to previous indices, our index accommodates facilitative interactions and thus offers a significant conceptual and methodological advancement. We advocate its use in future empirical studies.

ABSTRACTThe current study aimed to examine the associations between teacher presence and social scaffolding and preschool children’s peer interactions. Using a time sampling method, peer interactions of 22 four- and five-year-old preschoolers (12 girls; Mage = 52.95 months) and teacher behavior were observed on two different days during various classroom activities in seven public preschool classrooms. Eco-behavioral analyses revealed that (a) teacher presence was negatively associated with positive peer interactions; (b) teacher absence was positively associated with negative peer interactions; (c) positive change of peer interactions was more likely to occur when the teacher was present; (d) children showed more positive peer interactions during child-directed activities than during adult-directed activities or daily routines and transitions; and (e) teacher’s social scaffolding was positively associated with children’s positive peer interactions although it occurred only for 3.61% of the intervals during which the teacher was in close proximity to children. In addition, although the likelihood for children’s positive interaction was over 2 times higher in child-directed activities in comparison to adult-directed activities, teacher presence still seems very important for inhibiting negative peer interactions.

Two learning disabled and two learning-disabled attention deficit hyperactivity disordered boys participated in-group problem solving sessions to improve interactions with the attitudes toward a socially rejected autistic classmate. In class positive interactions and negative interactions served as individual baselines within a multiple baseline design with replications across the four students. Problem solving sessions increased positive interaction between each of the students and their autistic peer. Negative interactions, in contrast, did not decrease. Introduction of an interdependent classroom DRO subsequently reduced negative interactions. Weekly questionnaires revealed a positive shift in the residually autistic child's sociometric status. The number of interactions this student initiated with three peers and his responsiveness to those interactions initiated by two also increased.

Two studies investigated the relations among negative social interactions, perceived and enacted support, cognition about the self and others, and psychological distress through the use of a new measure of negative interactions. Although both negative social interactions and perceived support were consistent predictors of psychological distress, negative interactions were weakly or unrelated to perceived and enacted support. Further, factor analyses revealed that negative social interactions loaded on a negative affectivity factor, whereas enacted and perceived support loaded with positive affectivity, suggesting that positive affectivity may play an important role in social support processes

To explore the association between psychological capital and psychological distress in stroke patient-spouse dyads and examine the mediating effect of relationship satisfaction in this association. A population of 207 stroke patient-spouse dyads completed the Positive Psychological Capital Questionnaire, Quality of Relationship Index, and Kessler Psychological Distress Scale. A dyadic analysis was conducted using the actor-partner interdependence mediation model. In stroke-affected couples, a noteworthy interaction exists between moderately elevated levels of psychological capital (p < 0.01). Patients exhibit significantly diminished psychological capital and heightened psychological distress compared to their spouses (t = -5.429, p < 0.001; t = 2.536, p < 0.05). Conversely, there is no significant variance in relationship satisfaction between patients and the partners (t = -0.920, p > 0.05). Patient relationship satisfaction acts as a mediator in the correlation between dyadic psychological capital and patient psychological distress (β = -0.020, p < 0.05; β = -0.011, p < 0.05). Similarly, spousal relationship satisfaction serves as a mediator in the connection between dyadic psychological capital and spousal psychological distress (β = -0.011, p < 0.05; β = -0.020, p < 0.05). Psychological distress was reduced when psychological capital or relationship satisfaction in stroke dyads was promoted, and relationship satisfaction is an important mediator of the impact of psychological capital on psychological distress in the dyads. Healthcare providers should pay equal attention to spouses and implement dyadic psychological capital interventions centered on stroke couples to enhance relationship satisfaction and reduce psychological distress.

Investigate the links between different types of social support, psychological well-being and distress among individuals with anxiety disorders. Data were drawn from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS cycle 1.2) which had 36,984 participants, 1,803 of whom presented with anxiety disorders. Classical linear regression analyses were conducted to examine the links between different social support dimensions and psychological well-being on one hand, and psychological distress on the other hand. Women reported perceiving significantly higher levels of affective, emotional/informational, tangible support and positive social interactions than men. After controlling for potentially confounding variables (socio-demographic variables and the presence of a major depressive disorder), three types of social supports appeared to be predictors for the psychological well-being of women with anxiety disorders: positive social interactions, emotional/informational support, and affective support. For men, none of the social support variables were significantly associated with psychological well-being or distress. The comparisons of Beta coefficients do not show any significant difference between the sexes. Social support appears to be a positive predictor for psychological well-being among women with an anxiety disorder. No associations were found between social support variables and the psychological distress perceived by men and women. The results of this study therefore confirm the importance of teaching appropriate support strategies adapted for anxiety disorders. Future studies should assess negative social interactions in addition to social support.