Confiding in the GLBT Community About Problems in Marriage and Long-Term Committed Relationships: A Comparative Analysis

ABSTRACT

This study is the first to examine confiding about problems in marital and long-term committed relationships among gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) individuals. Areas explored include the prevalence of confiding relationships, the kinds of problems brought to confidant, and types of stress confidants experience in this role. Prevalence data were presented both for a national sample of 301 GLBT individuals and compared with a nationally representative sample of 1,000 American adults. Findings showed a high prevalence of being a confidant among GLBT respondents, greater than in the general population, and a lower prevalence of confiding in others about problems in their relationships. Of particular interest was the finding of a high degree of support that GLBT individuals provide to heterosexual relationships through the role of confidant. Relationship problems discussed with GLBT confidants were similar to confidants in the general population, as was the level of stress reported by confidants.     

Supporting Blended Families to Remain Intact: A Case Study

More than 40% of U.S. adults have at least one step-relative in their family. Whereas there is much research on providing support for ex-partners and their children, there has been a lesser focus on trying to keep newly blended families intact. Because many members of a failed relationship repartner and have children from these new relationships, we find there is a need to provide support for stepfamilies. The Survival Strategies Workshop provides advice on strategies for blended families. In this article, we illustrate, through the use of case studies, that most of the problems occurring in blended families are not unique and if appropriate strategies are followed the prospect of a happy future is greatly enhanced.     

“Stress That I Don't Need”: Gender Expectations and Relationship Struggles Among the Poor

Based on 55 qualitative interviews, this article looks in depth at the ways in which gendered expectations impact heterosexual romantic relationships among low‐income and poor adults in a small, western U.S. city. It finds that contradictory understandings regarding meanings and responsibilities associated with masculinity and femininity present challenges to the formation and sustaining of committed relationships. Although men desired to be providers and heads of household with limited household responsibilities, women wanted men with traditional work ethics but egalitarian perspectives on sharing both income generation and home and family responsibilities. Participants' unrealistic and conflicting gendered relationship expectations combined with economic concerns and social problems associated with economic strain to contribute to relationship tensions and wariness toward romantic involvements.     

Factors That Differentiate Distressed and Nondistressed Marriages in Army Soldiers

Data from U.S. Army soldiers (N = 697) were analyzed to determine the factors that differentiate distressed from nondistressed relationships. Results show that most soldiers had relationship satisfaction scores that categorized them as nondistressed. In addition, soldiers in dual-military marriages had relationship satisfaction scores similar to those of soldiers in military-civilian marriages. Finally, several variables including rank, relocation status, relationship length, and relationship status differentiated distressed from nondistressed relationships. Implications for intervention programming and future research directions are discussed.     

Prevalence and characteristics of sexual violence victimization among U.S. adults, 2001-2003

This article provides the most recent U.S. prevalence estimates of forced sex and unwanted sexual activity. Results of a national telephone survey conducted in 2001-2003 indicate that 1 in 59 U.S. adults (2.7 million women and 978,000 men) experienced unwanted sexual activity in the 12 months preceding the survey and that 1 in 15 U.S. adults (11.7 million women and 2.1 million men) have been forced to have sex during their lifetime. There were 60.4% of females and 69.2% of males who were 17 years old or younger at the time the first forced sex occurred. This study provides an update to the National Violence Against Women Survey with more recent national data. Findings suggest that victimization rates have remained consistent since the 1990s. These findings suggest that a continued effort toward primary prevention of sexual violence, particularly rape of children and adolescents, is needed.     

“I don't know where I would be right now if it wasn't for them”: Emancipated foster care youth and their important non-parental adults

Research has identified the benefits of having non-parental adults for older youth in foster care, but less is known about the characteristics of these relationships, as well as the processes that support the foster youth as they transition from care to independence. The present study included a diverse group of 99 young adults, who recently emancipated from care in a major U.S. city. These young adults reported having a very important non-parental adult (VIP) and 63 of these VIPs were also included in this study. The youth participated in a two-hour in-person interview followed by a survey, and the VIPs underwent a phone interview; all of these interviews were later transcribed and qualitatively coded using thematic analysis. Overall, this study aimed to: 1) identify the characteristics of these VIPs, and 2) elucidate how the VIPs support youth during the transition from care. Prominent characteristics of the youth and VIP relationship identified in this study include the relationship being “parent-like”, respectful, and reciprocal with regards to communication. Moreover, it was found that both the youth and the VIPs viewed these relationships to be important in reducing negative outcomes for the youth. These results call for the foster care system to take steps in helping foster care youth find and build relationships with the non-parental adults in their lives — VIPs can serve as important sources of support to aid foster youth in their adaptation to young adulthood.     

The concept of confiding ties: Implicatons for social work research and practice

Abstract

Recent research into the effects of life event stress and other areas has begun to accumulate evidence of the apparently protective effect which an informal confiding relationship can have in everyday life. This paper first looks briefly at the results of this research and at ways in which measures which have been used so far could be developed and refined. Some determinants of confiding ties are then discussed as a guide to social work practice, and types of relevant assessment and intervention are considered.     

Broken ties: reciprocity and other factors affecting the termination of older adults' relationships

Exchange theory assumes that people prefer balanced support exchanges in their relationships. If there is an imbalance and no expectation of change in the future, a relationship might be terminated. The question is: Which relationships are discontinued? The data are from a longitudinal study of 2057 older adults who identify 18,915 relationships at T₁. A relationship is regarded as discontinued if it is not identified by the older adult at the second and third observations. Of the T₁ relationships, 4042 have since been discontinued. The results of a multilevel logistic regression analysis show that the more intensive the support exchanges are at T₁, the more likely it is for relationships to be continued. Relationships where older adults are overbenefited with instrumental support, i.e., receive more than they give, have a higher chance of being continued. However, if older adults are overbenefited with emotional support, this decreases the chance of the relationships continuing. The type of relationship has a significant effect on whether or not it is continued. Close kin relationships are most likely to be continued, and relationships with less close kin, friends, and neighbors have a higher chance of being discontinued. The costs of the relationship are also decisive; the higher the contact frequency and the lower the traveling time to the network member, the higher the chance of the relationship being continued. Furthermore, the larger the network of the older adult, the more likely it is for an unbalanced relationship to be discontinued.     

Job insecurity and coworker support among U.S. Workers

Abstract

The negative outcomes associated with job insecurity have been well established in the literature. Yet, scholars know very little about how job insecurity is related to coworker relationships in the workplace. Informed by the life stress perspective, this study examines the relationship between job insecurity and coworker support among U.S. workers. It also considers whether relationships diverge by gender. We use data from a nationally representative sample of U.S. workers (N?=?2,822) to examine these relationships. The results showed that job insecurity was negatively related to coworker support among both men and women, with no evidence of gender disparities. Altogether, the findings suggest job insecurity is damaging to the workplace environment, creating barriers to supportive coworker relationships among both men and women.     

Pathways to Parenthood in Social and Family Contexts: Decade in Review, 2020

Whether, and under what circumstances, people become parents has implications for individual identity, family relationships, the well-being of adults and children, and population growth and age structure. Understanding the factors that influence pathways to parenthood is central to the study of families and can inform policies aimed at changing childbearing behaviors. This review summarizes recent trends in fertility as well as research on the predictors and correlates of childbearing, with a focus on the United States and on research most relevant to family scholars. U.S. fertility has declined in recent years, perhaps reflecting the influence of the Great Recession and increasing economic inequality, and there is growing divergence in behaviors across social class. Scholars of childbearing have developed theories to better understand how childbearing is shaped by life course processes and social contexts, but more work is needed to understand group differentials, refine measurement and theories, and better integrate men and couples. Childbearing research has important implications for social policy, but the application of research to policy is hindered by ideological factors.     

INVESTIGATING THE CAUSAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN QUITS AND WAGES: AN EXERCISE IN COMPARATIVE DYNAMICS

This paper examines the causal relationship between wages and quits in U.S. manufacturing industries. Logit and regression models then relate causality test results to industrial characteristics. Once these relationships are identified, they can be used to predict the causality classification for each industry, based on the characteristics of that industry. This technique can help the researcher choose the appropriate theoretical model for analysis. One finding is that quits respond to wages in most industries, but not in industries with highly skilled workforces.     

Sexual Minority Adults: A National Survey on Depression,Religious Fundamentalism,Parent Relationship Quality & Acceptance

Sexual minority persons from religious families may experience low acceptance by parents, however, little is known about the relationship of religiosity and parent relationships on mental health into adulthood. This study sought to test a moderated mediation model predicting depression based on religious fundamentalism, parent acceptance, and parent‐child relationship quality. Sexual minority adult participants (n = 384) from across the U.S. completed a web‐based, anonymous survey. Results found a conditional indirect effect of religious fundamentalism on depression through parent acceptance with the parent‐child relationship quality moderating the relationship between parent acceptance and depression. This was significant up to age 52. Clinical implications and future research with sexual minority adults and their families are explored.     

CONSEQUENCES OF BLACK EXCEPTIONALISM? Interracial Unions with Blacks,Depressive Symptoms,and Relationship Satisfaction

Using data from Wave 4 (2008) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (N = 7,466), we examine potential consequences of black exceptionalism in the context of interracial relationships among nonblack respondents. While increasing racial diversity and climbing rates of interracial unions have fostered the notion that racial boundaries within the United States are fading, our results add to the accumulating evidence that racial/ethnic boundaries persist in U.S. society. Results suggest that among non-Black respondents there is more stigma and disapproval attached to relationships with Blacks than there are to relationships with members of other racial/ethnic groups. Specifically, our results indicate that nonblack individuals with black partners have significantly more depressive symptoms and less relationship satisfaction than their counterparts with nonblack partners, regardless of respondent race and whether the nonblack partner is the same versus a different race from the respondent. Further, the relationship between partner race and depressive symptoms is partially and significantly mediated by relationship satisfaction.     

America weighs in

The share of U.S. adults who are overweight is on the rise. Researchers know who is obese, and they've got some good ideas about why we're adding pounds. What they don't have is a proven treatment for what may be the nation's most threatening health problem after cigarette smoking.     

Sons-in-law and their fathers-in-law: Gaining a preliminary understanding of an understudied family relationship

With more than 2 million couples marrying each year in the U.S. (CDC, 2015), the need for understanding in-law relationships that are newly formed with the marriage and continue for decades, is important. While women’s in-law relationships have been explored, little is known about how men view their in-law relationships. The focus here is on sons-in-law’s relationship with their fathers-in-law. We explore relationship dynamics from the perspective of sons-in-law with a focus on those whose relationships seem to be close and those that seem to be distant based on analyses of qualitative interviews. Six cases are highlighted: three cases where the sons-in-law feel close and three where the sons-in-law feel distant. For those who feel close, relationships tend to coalesce around sons-in-law joining families where fathers-in-law have warm relationships with their daughters, value family, are well-liked, and maintain boundaries. For those who feel distant, relationships are characterized by the emotional withdrawal and physical absence of the fathers-in-law, by some emotional distance between the fathers-in-law and their daughter, and by the sons-in-law being open to more contact but resigned to it not being forthcoming. Clinical implications and areas of future research are offered.     

Relationship standards and marital satisfaction in Chinese and American couples

Samples of urban community couples in Shanghai, China, and suburban U.S. couples were administered measures of relationship adjustment and personal standards regarding characteristics of couple relationships. There were few gender differences in adherence to relationship standards but many differences between Chinese and U.S. couples. Fewer cultural differences existed in degree of couple consensus on relationship standards, but both adherence to standards and couple consensus on standards were associated with partners' levels of marital adjustment. Implications of the findings for clinical assessment and intervention with distressed couples, in particular for Western therapists working with Chinese couples whose standards may conflict with goals and methods of couple therapy, are discussed.     

Personal influence and pre-industrial United States: An early relationship model that needs resurgence in U.S. public relations

The personal influence model of public relations, using one's influence to seek favor with government and other power bases, is seen as most applicable in Asia but also is found elsewhere in the world. Only a few writings have explicitly broached the possibility that the personal influence model is practiced in the United States. Muzi Falconi (2010) argued that U.S. public relations emphasizes persuasion, espoused by Bernays and brought to fruition through one-way messaging. While it is easy to see persuasion as dominating U.S. practice, such observation ignores the prevalence of personal influence through at least 150 years of U.S. society. As early settlers built agrarian communities, interpersonal communication fostered community pride and solidarity. During World War II, Katz and Lazarsfeld identified personal influence as a major element in U.S. communication, overriding the mass media in importance. Even today much public relations activity in the U.S. consists of organizations seeking favor from the power elites. However, with the focus on message control, scholars have overlooked the efforts and effects of personal influence. The purpose of this paper is to identify early evidences of the personal influence model in the U.S. Today, the increasing power of social media and virtual stakeholders renders the persuasion model as somewhat specious. It is time to reexamine the concept of personal influence and the greater promise it holds for returning to what public relations was and should be in the first place—a function for maintaining relationships.     

The Promise of an Accumulation of Care: Disadvantaged African-American Youths’ Perspectives About What Makes an After School Program Meaningful

African-American youth growing up in dangerous, deprived homes and communities are at great risk of developing impaired relationship capabilities, which disadvantages them further in the workplace and in their personal lives. While after-school programs have well-documented positive effects, researchers have called for better understanding of improving youths’ engagement in services and their constructive relationship skills. Here, we report on a project using participatory action methods to engage poverty-level African-American youth in developing a leadership development program they would find most meaningful. Stand Up Help Out (SUHO) gave youth three layers of caregiving experience: receiving care from instructors, giving and receiving care from peers, and providing care through constructive community action initiatives and mentoring elementary school children. Findings were that: (1) participation and retention of youth in SUHO were considerably higher than national averages; (2) youth reported that SUHO made it possible for them to have better relationships as friends, romantic partners, and in academic settings, and they looked forward to being better parents, (3) youth developed positive peer relationships despite a context of mistrust and gang violence, (4) youth actively sought out relationships with caring adults and identified what was most meaningful in those relationships, and (5) youth deeply valued the opportunity to develop their ability to care for others.