Sympathetic Nervous System Synchrony in Couple Therapy

The aim of this study was to test whether there is statistically significant sympathetic nervous system (SNS) synchrony between participants in couple therapy. To our knowledge, this is the first study to measure psychophysiological synchrony during therapy in a multiactor setting. The study focuses on electrodermal activity (EDA) in the second couple therapy session from 10 different cases (20 clients, 10 therapists working in pairs). The EDA concordance index was used as a measure of SNS synchrony between dyads, and synchrony was found in 85% of all the dyads. Surprisingly, co‐therapists exhibited the highest levels of synchrony, whereas couples exhibited the lowest synchrony. The client–therapist synchrony was lower than that of the co‐therapists, but higher than that of the couples. A Video Abstract is available next to the online version of this article on the JMFT web site .     

Symmetry exploits for Bayesian cubature methods

Statistics and Computing - Bayesian cubature provides a flexible framework for numerical integration, in which a priori knowledge on the integrand can be encoded and exploited. This additional...     

The role of social transfers in mitigating families with children from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

In this study, we investigated the household income of families with children. Our specific interest was the earned income losses during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how social transfers have mitigated those losses. We assessed the monthly income levels by comparing the information on the year prior to pandemic to income levels during COVID-19 pandemic. We found that the pandemic affected all studied subgroups of families with children, with the most negative economic influence in May 2020. In addition, our results indicate that in Finland the social transfers protected fairly well against the negative economic impacts of the pandemic among families with children, especially among vulnerable families (those with lowest income level prior COVID-19, with low parental education, single-parent families and families with non-Finnish-born parents). The information gained from this analysis can be useful in economic recovery during and after COVID-19 pandemic, and when preparing for future challenges.     

Political language: Do women make a difference?

This paper examines the linguistic usage of women and men MPs in Norway in the 1950s and the 1980s. The aim is to uncover any systematic differences between women and men as to sectoral emphases and linguistic categories, as well as change over time in these respects. The rapid increase in the share of women among Norwegian MPs does not seem to have altered the basic patterns apparent already in the 1950s. The clear sectoral differences between women and men are still there in the 1980s. Moreover, as to linguistic usage, measured in terms of group orientation, types of arguments, propaganda techniques and metaphors, men and women seem to have become increasingly similar over time.     

On the positivity and magnitudes of Bayesian quadrature weights

Statistics and Computing - This article reviews and studies the properties of Bayesian quadrature weights, which strongly affect stability and robustness of the quadrature rule. Specifically, we...     

Associations between Sexual Abstinence Ideals,Religiosity, and Alcohol Abstinence: A Longitudinal Study of Finnish Twins

We analyzed prevalence and stability of attitudes endorsing sexual abstinence ideals from late adolescence into early adulthood and studied associations of these attitudes with religiosity and alcohol abstinence in a sexually liberal Nordic society. Our population-based sample of Finnish twins permitted comparisons of co-twins concordant for religiosity but discordant for drinking to evaluate the association of sexual abstinence ideals with alcohol abstinence, controlling for household environment. From age 17 to 24, endorsement of sexual abstinence as a romantic ideal declined from 25% to 15%. Religiosity and alcohol abstinence correlated, both separately and together, with endorsing sexual abstinence. Abstinence ideals were associated with literal belief in fundamental tenets of the Bible. The association of sexual abstinence ideals with alcohol abstinence was confirmed in within-family comparisons of co-twins discordant for drinking but concordant for religiosity. Alcohol-abstinent twins were significantly more likely than their non-alcohol-abstinent twin siblings to endorse sexual abstinence ideals; that result suggests the association of sexual abstinence ideals with abstaining from alcohol is not explained by unmeasured confounds in familial background and structure. Our longitudinal results and analyses of discordant twins suggest that attitudes toward sexual abstinence ideals are embedded within other conservative attitudes and behaviors.