Ashley K. Randall’s research while affiliated with Arizona State University and other places

This study was to investigate the mediating role of common dyadic coping in the relationship between partners' psychological distress symptoms and sense of we-ness in a sample of 100 married couples. The Actor-Partner Interdependence Mediation Model revealed that psychological distress was negatively associated with common dyadic coping for wives and husbands. Additionally, significant results were found between common dyadic coping and sense of we-ness in couples living in Türkiye. Results indicated that wives' common dyadic coping mediated the association between wives' psychological distress and sense of we-ness. Implications of the current findings for couple relationships and therapy are discussed.

Transgender and nonbinary (TNB) people experience elevated rates of posttraumatic stress (PTS) due to transphobic violence, discrimination, microaggressions, and minority stress. Nonbinary people in particular experience unique chronic minority stressors (e.g., misgendering, interpersonal invalidation) because of the assumption that gender is inherently binary. Such examples of oppression against TNB people could contribute to complex PTS (c-PTS) symptoms, which arise due to exposure to chronic, cumulative, and interpersonal trauma. This study aimed to examine how misgendering and invalidation may be associated with PTS and c-PTS symptoms among nonbinary people and whether this association is moderated by pride and community connectedness. Cross-sectional data from 610 nonbinary people living in the United States and Canada were analyzed using hierarchical linear regressions. Misgendering and invalidation had significant positive associations with PTS and c-PTS symptoms. However, pride and community connectedness were not significant moderators of these associations. Findings from this study contribute to the conceptualizations of traumatic stress among nonbinary people and provide considerations for more affirming trauma-informed care.

This longitudinal study explored the impact of COVID-19 on individuals in romantic relationships. The sample spans three waves: first confinement (n = 52), deconfinement (n = 49), and second confinement (n = 26). The study tested sociodemographic factors, psychological adjustment (anxiety, depression, stress, well-being), COVID-19 threat perception, dyadic coping, and relationship quality. Results from repeated measures ANOVA and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) models revealed a decline in anxiety, depression, and stress symptoms, coupled with improved relationship quality over time. Well-being and dyadic coping remained stable, while COVID-19 threat perception increased. QCA models emphasized the predictive power of initial mental states (anxiety, depression, stress, and well-being at W1) on subsequent adjustment. Notably, shorter relationship duration, healthcare worker status, and not having J Marital Fam Ther. 2024;1-21. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/jmft | 1

Previous research with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and various sexually and gender diverse (LGBTQ+) people has largely highlighted how experiences of discrimination and marginalization, and mental health outcomes are related. However, it is important that researchers operate from a strength‐based approach to identify how aspects of one's identity may foster resilience. It is crucial that people working with LGBTQ+ individuals have empirically supported and culturally verified measures to assess such constructs. In this regard, the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Positive Identity Measure (LGB‐PIM) developed by Riggle et al. (2014) was aimed to be translated into Turkish, examining its psychometric properties and validity using a sample of 450 LGBTQ+ people from Turkey. Participants' mean age was 22.44 (SD = 4.61; range = 18–47) and most of them were educated. The five‐factor structure of the LGB‐PIM and its five subscales (authenticity, community, intimacy, self‐awareness, and social justice) was validated by the findings of confirmatory factor analyses. Future researchers may wish to use LGB‐PIM in studies that are designed to understand positive aspects among LGBTQ+ individuals such as resilience and coping and their associations with any type of close relationships (i.e., romantic relationships, friendships, family relations).

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals (hereafter people with minoritized sexual orientation and/or gender identities) have limited legal rights and access to resources because of their marginalized status in society. These limitations are associated with notable health disparities and increase experiences of minority stress. For those in a romantic relationship, being able to communicate and cope with one’s partner—dyadic coping—can help buffer stress’ deleterious effects on well-being. Given the promise of understanding how dyadic coping can mitigate experiences of sexual minority stress, the Dyadic Coping Inventory—Sexual Minority Stress (DCI-SMS) was recently created and validated with those living in the United States to assess how partners cope with sexual minority stress. Answering a global call to expand psychological science beyond a U.S. centric perspective, the purpose of this study was to validate the DCI-SMS in German and Italian using samples from Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy, respectively. Confirmatory factor analysis results, along with tests of convergent and discriminant validity, and measurement invariance, suggest that the DCI-SMS is a valid measure of stress communication and dyadic coping behaviors for those in a same-gender relationship in the countries sampled. Important future directions include examining its efficacy in other countries, such as those with more adverse sociopolitical climates for people with minoritized sexual orientation and/or gender identities in a same-gender relationship. Limitations and future directions for research and clinical practice are presented.

Most people had a perception of COVID-19 as an illness throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and this inevitably resulted in developing psychological symptoms which in the end yielded to lower levels of well-being. These experiences affected the people who were in a relationship during the pandemic, hence the quality of their relationship was influenced by all these individual feelings. Regarding this context, the current study aimed to explore the mediation role of perceived symptom change in the association between well-being and COVID-19 perceptions, controlling for the effect of relationship quality. To achieve this goal, 174 (N = 124 women, N = 49 men) participants were recruited. Results of the study put forth that (1) there was a positive association between COVID-19 illness perception and symptom change, (2) there was a negative association between perceived symptom change and well-being, (3) there was a negative association between COVID-19 illness perception and well-being, (4) relationship quality was positively associated with well-being, and (5) the symptom change mediated the association between COVID-19 illness perception and well-being in the case relationship quality was considered as a covariate. Limitations and recommendations for further research are presented.

2019 yılında Çin'de ilk koronavirüs vakasının görülmesinin ardından farklı ülkelerden vaka bildirimleri gelmiş ve bunun üzerine 2020 yılında Dünya Sağlık Örgütü pandemi ilan etmiştir. Bu süreçte sokağa çıkma yasağı, online çalışma, uzaktan eğitim gibi önlemler alınmış ve bu önlemlere ilişkin, kişilerin günlük yaşam alışkanlıkları ve birbirleriyle etkileşim kurma ve sürdürme şekilleri değişmiştir. Yaşanan değişikliklerin kişiler üzerinde stres gibi olumsuz sonuçlar doğurduğu alanyazın bulguları arasındadır. Bu araştırmanın amacı pandemi sürecinde yaşanan değişikliklere bağlı stres faktörlerini incelemektir. Nitel araştırma deseni kullanılarak katılımcılara kendilerinin, birlikte yaşadıkları partnerlerinin ve toplumun yaşadığı stres deneyimlerine ilişkin sorular sorulmuştur. Çalışmanın örneklemi, yaşları 21 ile 71 arasında değişen 80’i kadın olmak üzere 103 kişiden oluşmuştur. Çevrimiçi bir form kullanılarak katılımcılara üç açık uçlu soru ile COVID-19 pandemisinde kendileri için, partnerleri için ve diğer insanlar için ne gibi stres kaynakları olduğunu düşündükleri sorulmuştur. Çerçeve analizi yöntemi ile incelenen veride kişinin kendisi, partneri ve diğer insanlar için ortaklaşan toplam dokuz ana tema ortaya çıkmıştır. Bunlar eğitim, iş/ekonomik, sağlık, sosyal ilişkiler, hijyen, günlük yaşamdaki değişiklikler, olumsuz duygular, olumlu deneyimler ve stresin olmamasıdır. Araştırmadan elde edilen sonuçların literatür ile uyumlu olduğu saptanmıştır. Pandeminin hem ülkemizde hem de dünyada ciddi bir kriz oluşturduğu aşikardır. Bu bağlamda bireylerin algıladıkları stres kaynaklarının tanımlanmasının koruyucu ve önleyici müdahalelerin planlanmasında yol gösterici olacağı düşünülmektedir.

Coming out (CO) process represents an important milestone for bisexual identity formation and is negatively associated with internalized binegativity (IB). To our knowledge, no studies deepen this association considering the different forms of couples in which bisexual women are involved based on the partner’s gender (same/different gender couple) and the role of relationship commitment. 157 Italian bisexual women (Mage=25.91; SDage=6.24) involved in different-gender (n=88) and same-gender (n=69) couples were reached. Moderated moderation analysis showed that relationship commitment moderates the moderating effect of the type of couple on the association between CO and IB: CO could decrease IB levels in bisexual women who are highly committed to their relationship in different-gender couples. Findings support further investigation within the field of CO and bisexuality. The present study is an important step forward in understanding bisexual women’s well-being, especially in the Italian context.

We-ness refers to a feeling of unity between partners and a mental representation of the relationship as a shared identity. Despite its relevance, research on understanding partners' sense of we-ness is limited in collectivist cultures such as Turkey. A psychometrically sound measure of we-ness is needed to increase research on we-ness. Hence, this study aimed to examine the basic psychometrics of the We-ness Questionnaire. Two hundred and nineteen married individuals participated in this study. They completed the Turkish versions of the We-ness Questionnaire, the Couple Satisfaction Index, Self-developmental Orientation Subscale, and Inter-relational Orientation Subscale of the Balanced Integration and Differentiation Scale. The one-factor structure of the We-ness Questionnaire was confirmed via confirmatory factor analysis. Adequate convergent and discriminant validity, besides satisfactory internal consistency results, were achieved as a result of these analyses. Based on the preliminary investigation, the Turkish We-ness Questionnaire proved to be a promising measure of we-ness in Turkish married individuals. As such, the findings of this study were discussed regarding the previous literature, limitations were pointed out, and suggestions for future research were given.