J A Thei
Biographic Data
| ID | 17657 |
|---|---|
| NAME | J A Thei |
| GIVEN NAMES | J A |
| FAMILY NAME | Thei |
| SIGNATURE | THEI J A |
| AFFILIATIONS | Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-7991-7791 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 38 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 378 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 38 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2006 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 10 |
“He worries that I might die too”: A thematic co-occurrence analysis of interdependence after partner/parental death
The death of a partner and parent creates profound upheaval for surviving families, reshaping everyday functioning and requiring renegotiation of roles and routines. This study examines how interdependence changes in surviving parent-emerging adult child dyads (ages 15-25) following partner/parental death. Open-ended responses from 45 parent-child dyads were analyzed using thematic co-occurrence analysis, guided by relational turbulence theory. P…
A Thematic Co-Occurrence Analysis of Communal Coping Within and Between Surviving Parents and Emerging-Adult Children After Partner/Parental Death
This study examines how surviving parents and emerging-adult children cope, both independently and communally, after the death of their partner/parent in a family unit. We collected data from 45 parent/emerging-adult child dyads who experienced partner/parental death within the previous three years to capture coping during bereavement. Dyads completed six weekly surveys, with short answer questions in weeks one, three, and five asking individuals…
A Longitudinal and Dyadic Study of Communal Coping and Relational Turbulence Among Surviving Parents and Emerging Adult Children After the Death of a Partner/Parent
The death of a parent/partner represents a significant and traumatic transition for surviving families. Guided by relational turbulence theory, this longitudinal and dyadic study examines how relationship characteristics in surviving parent-emerging adult child dyads correspond with communal coping and relational turbulence during bereavement. Data were collected from 45 parent-emerging adult child dyads for 6 weeks. Results highlight relational …
Challenges to Identity for Women Coping with Infertility: A Thematic Co-Occurrence Analysis
The Study of Relational Turbulence Theory in Families: Reflections on the Past and Visions for the Future
Conditions of Relational Turbulence as Antecedents and Outcomes of Relationship Maintenance Behaviors During the Covid-19 Pandemic
This study utilizes relational turbulence theory to explore how conditions of relational turbulence are associated with relationship maintenance behaviors as a form of relationship functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic. A sample of 151 dyads (302 individuals) completed four weekly online surveys between March and June 2020. Data were analyzed using multi-level modeling to examine actor and partner effects and over-time effects. Results reveale…
Facilitation and Interference from Partners During the Transition to Parenthood: A Co-Occurrence Analysis of Themes Emerging Over Time within and Between Romantic Partners
Drawing on foundational assumptions of relational turbulence theory, this study identified the ways romantic partners facilitate or interfere with individual goals and routines during the transition to parenthood and analyzed how categories of facilitation and interference co-occur within individuals and between partners over time. A thematic analysis of data from a longitudinal study of 78 couples at four points during the transition to parentho…
Stress, relational turbulence, and communal coping during the Covid-19 pandemic
This study examined how increased stress during the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to relational turbulence and undermined dyadic coping. Using longitudinal data, this study also explored how enacting communal coping mitigates stress and conditions of relational turbulence over time. A sample of 151 U.S. dyads (302 individuals) completed online surveys about their relationship once per week for four weeks during the early stages of the COVID-19 pa…
An Analysis of Turn Transitions and Conversational Motifs in Parent-Adolescent Emotion-Focused Interactions
Informed by the dynamic dyadic systems perspective on analyzing conversational data, this study uses sequence analysis to illuminate turn patterns that characterize parents’ emotion coaching/dismissing communication and adolescents’ emotion regulation/dysregulation in conversations about an emotionally evocative event. This study analyzed two conversations from 60 parent-adolescent dyads, 30 with harmful parental alcohol use and 30 without, where…
Adopted Individuals’ Information Management Strategies for Managing Uncertainty about Genetic Family Health History
Knowledge of genetic family health history (GFHH) plays an important role in encouraging individuals to take preventative health measures, but adopted individuals often face barriers to accessing this information. This study examines how uncertainty about GFHH is associated with various information management strategies for adopted individuals. We surveyed 154 adopted individuals to assess their uncertainty about GFHH, appraisals of the likely ou…
The role of identity uncertainty in predicting relational turbulence and perceived partner communication for women coping with infertility
Infertility can change the way people see themselves and their relational roles. This study examined how changes to identity following reproductive hardship are associated with identity uncertainty and relationship outcomes. Drawing on relational turbulence theory, we position identity uncertainty as an antecedent condition for relational uncertainty and interdependence processes in the context of infertility and examine these relationship mechan…
Assessing the Effects of Covid-19 on Romantic Relationships and the Coping Strategies Partners Use to Manage the Stress of a Pandemic
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, romantic partners and families were forced to develop new routines under increasingly stressful circumstances. These conditions had the potential to introduce challenges in romantic relationships, exacerbate existing tensions, and called for the implementation of effective coping strategies. In this study, 151 dyads (302 individuals) from across the United States wrote narrative responses to open-ended questi…
Relational turbulence during the Covid-19 pandemic: A longitudinal analysis of the reciprocal effects between relationship characteristics and outcomes of relational turbulence
This study offers a longitudinal and dyadic test of relational turbulence theory during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, this study highlights the severity of irritations and the aggressiveness and openness of relational communication as outcomes of relational turbulence that both shape and reflect relationship characteristics during this transition. Romantic dyads ( N = 151) completed four weekly surveys during the pandemic's early stages. W…
Responsiveness and control in marital and parental communication: Exploring interdependent relationships across family subsystems
Responsiveness and control are two central dimensions underlying communication in marital and parental dynamics. This study offers an integrative framework to explore communication of responsiveness and control across marital and parental contexts to understand the interdependence that exists within family systems. In addition, it explores potential discrepancies between a member's general perceptions of his or her communication of responsiveness…
Relational Turbulence Theory Applied to the Transition from Deployment to Reintegration
The transition from deployment to reintegration can be unexpectedly demanding for military couples as they cope with the changes that arose during separation and identify new patterns of relating. Although the postdeployment transition has important ramifications for the well‐being of military couples, the homecoming process is relatively undertheorized and underresearched within the deployment cycle. We identify relational turbulence theory, and…
Family communication patterns that predict perceptions of upheaval and psychological well-being for emerging adult children following late-life divorce
This study examined the experiences of emerging adult children following their parents’ divorce in later life. Drawing on family communication patterns theory, we examined each parent’s conformity orientation and conversation orientation as predictors of young adult children’s perceptions of family turbulence and feeling caught, which in turn predicted depressive symptoms and resilience. Young adult children (N = 171) who were over the age of 18 …
Parental Communication of Responsiveness and Control as Predictors of Adolescents' Emotional and Behavioral Resilience in Families with Alcoholic Versus Nonalcoholic Parents: Parent-Child Communicatio…
Interactions between parents and children establish norms for managing emotions and behavior, which are markers of resilience. This study examines how features of interpersonal communication between parents and children facilitate the resilience of children of alcoholic parents versus nonalcoholic parents. Parent–adolescent dyads (30 families of alcoholics, 30 families of nonalcoholics) were invited to participate in two videotaped interactions, …
Characteristics of Communication in Families of Alcoholics
In the United States, roughly 43% of adults have encountered alcoholism in their family, and one in four children lives with an alcoholic parent (Grant, 2000). Prior research suggests that alcoholism can negatively impact the nature and quality of family relations, but studies rarely consider the specific ways in which family communication dynamics are impacted by the disease. Thus, the goal of this study was to identify the characteristics of co…
Relational Turbulence Theory: Explaining Variation in Subjective Experiences and Communication Within Romantic Relationships
This essay extends the relational turbulence model as a framework for understanding communication in romantic relationships. Following the relational turbulence model, relational turbulence theory identifies relational uncertainty and interdependence as parameters that shape subjective experiences, but the theory clarifies the theoretical processes underlying their distinctive effects. In addition, relational turbulence theory articulates causal …
Partner Facilitation and Partner Interference in Individuals' Weight Loss Goals
Drawing on the logic of the relational turbulence model, this study examined the ways in which romantic partners facilitate and interfere with individuals' weight loss goals. Participants ( N = 122) described the ways in which their romantic partner had recently helped or hindered their weight loss at four times over the course of 2 months. We conducted a content analysis of responses to identify themes of partner facilitation (Research Question …
A theme analysis of experiences reported by adult children of alcoholics in online support forums
Growing up with an alcoholic parent can have a lasting effect on children and contribute to a variety of challenging outcomes in adulthood. This study identified the various experiences that adult children of alcoholics (ACoA) discuss with their peers in online support groups. Trained coders conducted a thematic analysis of 504 message board posts collected over a period of 60 days from three different online support groups to identify issues tha…
Inter-parental similarity in responsiveness and control and its association with perceptions of the marital relationship
This study examined how similarities and differences between spouses' parenting styles are associated with characteristics of their marital relationship. First, we explored the extent to which husbands and wives are similar or different in their attitudes about and communication of parental responsiveness and parental control. Then, we investigated how similarity in partners' parental communication predicts perceptions of the marital relationship…
A Theme Analysis of Experiences Reported by Adult Children of Alcoholics in Online Support Forums
Growing up with an alcoholic parent can have a lasting effect on children and contribute to a variety of challenging outcomes in adulthood.This study identified the various experiences that adult children of alcoholics discuss with their peers in online support groups.Trained coders conducted a thematic analysis of 504 message board posts collected over a period of 60 days from three different online support groups to identify issues that childre…
A Relational Turbulence Model of Military Service Members' Relational Communication During Reintegration: Relational Turbulence and Reintegration
This study employed the relational turbulence model to examine features of relational communication and dimensions of relational inferences during the postdeployment transition for military service members. We surveyed 220 military personnel who had recently returned home from deployment about their romantic relationship. Results of a structural equation model indicated that relational uncertainty and interference from partners predicted openness…
Applying the Relational Turbulence Model to the Empty-Nest Transition: Sources of Relationship Change, Relational Uncertainty, and Interference from Partners
This study employs the relational turbulence model to identify common issues facing married couples during the transition to the empty-nest phase of marriage. We surveyed 100 individuals who were part of 50 couples who had recently entered the empty-nest phase of their relationship to identify themes of relationship change (RQ1), relational uncertainty (RQ2), and interference from partners (RQ3) during the empty-nest transition. Results revealed …
Relational Turbulence Theory: Explaining Variation in Subjective Experiences and Communication Within Romantic Relationships
This essay extends the relational turbulence model as a framework for understanding communication in romantic relationships. Following the relational turbulence model, relational turbulence theory identifies relational uncertainty and interdependence as parameters that shape subjective experiences, but the theory clarifies the theoretical processes underlying their distinctive effects. In addition, relational turbulence theory articulates causal …
An actor-partner interdependence model of relational turbulence: Cognitions and emotions
We extend the relational turbulence model by applying an actor-partner interdependence model to people's experiences of cognitive and emotional turbulence. In the study, 135 dating couples reported on their relationship once per week for six consecutive weeks. People's appraisals of turmoil and feelings of negative emotion were predicted by (i) their own relational uncertainty, (ii) their partner's relational uncertainty, and (iii) their own expe…
Experiences of U.S. military couples during the post-deployment transition: Applying the relational turbulence model
Although many military couples eagerly await reunion after deployment, the reentry of service members into family life can be challenging. This study employed the relational turbulence model to identify the issues facing military couples during the post-deployment transition. Individuals who had been reunited with their romantic partner during the past six months ( N = 259; 137 service members, 122 partners) completed an online questionnaire. Con…
Coupling Longitudinal Data and Multilevel Modeling to Examine the Antecedents and Consequences of Jealousy Experiences in Romantic Relationships: A Test of the Relational Turbulence Model
Journal Article Coupling Longitudinal Data and Multilevel Modeling to Examine the Antecedents and Consequences of Jealousy Experiences in Romantic Relationships: A Test of the Relational Turbulence Model Get access Jennifer A. Theiss, Jennifer A. Theiss 1Department of Communication, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901 1Corresponding author: Jennifer A. Theiss; Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Denise…
Relational Uncertainty and Relationship Talk within Courtship: A Longitudinal Actor–Partner Interdependence Model
This study investigated the interplay between relational uncertainty and relationship talk for actors and partners over time. Participants were 135 romantic couples who completed an online survey once per week for six weeks. Between-person and within-person results indicated that people experiencing relational uncertainty appraised relationship talk as more threatening to themselves and to their courtship; they also reported avoiding more and ena…
Relationship Characteristics Associated with the Experience of Hurt in Romantic Relationships: A Test of the Relational Turbulence Model
Journal Article Relationship Characteristics Associated with the Experience of Hurt in Romantic Relationships: A Test of the Relational Turbulence Model Get access Jennifer A. Theiss, Jennifer A. Theiss 1Department of Communication, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901 1Corresponding author: Jennifer A. Theiss; Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Leanne K. Knobloch, Leanne K. Knobloch 2Department of Com…
Actor-partner effects in the associations between relationship characteristics and reactions to marital sexual intimacy
This study uses the relational turbulence model and dyadic data analysis to examine how marital relationship characteristics affect emotional and cognitive reactions to sex. We surveyed both spouses from 220 married couples about their sexual relationship. Results indicated that: (i) relational uncertainty and interference from partners were negatively associated with sexual satisfaction and positively associated with negative cognitive and emoti…
Generalized Anxiety and Relational Uncertainty as Predictors of Topic Avoidance During Reintegration Following Military Deployment
For military couples reunited following deployment, discussing or avoiding topics is a central dimension of communication. This paper theorizes about two predictors of topic avoidance that arise from a lack of confidence in social situations: generalized anxiety and relational uncertainty. In Study 1, 220 returning service members described issues they avoid discussing upon reunion. Content analytic findings indicated eight avoided topics. In Stu…
Parsing the Mechanisms that Increase Relational Intimacy: The Effects of Uncertainty Amount, Open Communication About Uncertainty, and the Reduction of Uncertainty
This study examined amount of uncertainty, openness of communication about uncertainty, and the uncertainty reduction process as three competing mechanisms that account for increased intimacy in romantic relationships. To test these competing mechanisms, we used multilevel modeling to analyze longitudinal data that were collected from individuals in romantic associations over a 6-week period. Results of separate analyses indicated that the amount…
Applying the Relational Turbulence Model to the Empty-Nest Transition: Sources of Relationship Change, Relational Uncertainty, and Interference from Partners
This study employs the relational turbulence model to identify common issues facing married couples during the transition to the empty-nest phase of marriage. We surveyed 100 individuals who were part of 50 couples who had recently entered the empty-nest phase of their relationship to identify themes of relationship change (RQ1), relational uncertainty (RQ2), and interference from partners (RQ3) during the empty-nest transition. Results revealed …
Relational turbulence during the Covid-19 pandemic: A longitudinal analysis of the reciprocal effects between relationship characteristics and outcomes of relational turbulence
This study offers a longitudinal and dyadic test of relational turbulence theory during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, this study highlights the severity of irritations and the aggressiveness and openness of relational communication as outcomes of relational turbulence that both shape and reflect relationship characteristics during this transition. Romantic dyads ( N = 151) completed four weekly surveys during the pandemic's early stages. W…
Partner Facilitation and Partner Interference in Individuals' Weight Loss Goals
Drawing on the logic of the relational turbulence model, this study examined the ways in which romantic partners facilitate and interfere with individuals' weight loss goals. Participants ( N = 122) described the ways in which their romantic partner had recently helped or hindered their weight loss at four times over the course of 2 months. We conducted a content analysis of responses to identify themes of partner facilitation (Research Question …
A cross-cultural test of the relational turbulence model: Relationship characteristics that predict turmoil and topic avoidance for Koreans and Americans
This study models associations among intimacy, relational uncertainty, partner interference, relational turmoil, and topic avoidance in Korean and American romantic relationships. We surveyed 294 individuals from the United States ( N = 156) and South Korea ( N = 138). The American model indicated that intimacy was negatively associated with relational uncertainty and curvilinearly associated with partner interference, relational uncertainty was …
Assessing the Effects of Covid-19 on Romantic Relationships and the Coping Strategies Partners Use to Manage the Stress of a Pandemic
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, romantic partners and families were forced to develop new routines under increasingly stressful circumstances. These conditions had the potential to introduce challenges in romantic relationships, exacerbate existing tensions, and called for the implementation of effective coping strategies. In this study, 151 dyads (302 individuals) from across the United States wrote narrative responses to open-ended questi…
The role of identity uncertainty in predicting relational turbulence and perceived partner communication for women coping with infertility
Infertility can change the way people see themselves and their relational roles. This study examined how changes to identity following reproductive hardship are associated with identity uncertainty and relationship outcomes. Drawing on relational turbulence theory, we position identity uncertainty as an antecedent condition for relational uncertainty and interdependence processes in the context of infertility and examine these relationship mechan…
Responsiveness and control in marital and parental communication: Exploring interdependent relationships across family subsystems
Responsiveness and control are two central dimensions underlying communication in marital and parental dynamics. This study offers an integrative framework to explore communication of responsiveness and control across marital and parental contexts to understand the interdependence that exists within family systems. In addition, it explores potential discrepancies between a member's general perceptions of his or her communication of responsiveness…
Relational Turbulence Theory Applied to the Transition from Deployment to Reintegration
The transition from deployment to reintegration can be unexpectedly demanding for military couples as they cope with the changes that arose during separation and identify new patterns of relating. Although the postdeployment transition has important ramifications for the well‐being of military couples, the homecoming process is relatively undertheorized and underresearched within the deployment cycle. We identify relational turbulence theory, and…
Family communication patterns that predict perceptions of upheaval and psychological well-being for emerging adult children following late-life divorce
This study examined the experiences of emerging adult children following their parents’ divorce in later life. Drawing on family communication patterns theory, we examined each parent’s conformity orientation and conversation orientation as predictors of young adult children’s perceptions of family turbulence and feeling caught, which in turn predicted depressive symptoms and resilience. Young adult children (N = 171) who were over the age of 18 …
Characteristics of Communication in Families of Alcoholics
In the United States, roughly 43% of adults have encountered alcoholism in their family, and one in four children lives with an alcoholic parent (Grant, 2000). Prior research suggests that alcoholism can negatively impact the nature and quality of family relations, but studies rarely consider the specific ways in which family communication dynamics are impacted by the disease. Thus, the goal of this study was to identify the characteristics of co…
Inter-parental similarity in responsiveness and control and its association with perceptions of the marital relationship
This study examined how similarities and differences between spouses' parenting styles are associated with characteristics of their marital relationship. First, we explored the extent to which husbands and wives are similar or different in their attitudes about and communication of parental responsiveness and parental control. Then, we investigated how similarity in partners' parental communication predicts perceptions of the marital relationship…
Facilitation and Interference from Partners During the Transition to Parenthood: A Co-Occurrence Analysis of Themes Emerging Over Time within and Between Romantic Partners
Drawing on foundational assumptions of relational turbulence theory, this study identified the ways romantic partners facilitate or interfere with individual goals and routines during the transition to parenthood and analyzed how categories of facilitation and interference co-occur within individuals and between partners over time. A thematic analysis of data from a longitudinal study of 78 couples at four points during the transition to parentho…
An Analysis of Turn Transitions and Conversational Motifs in Parent-Adolescent Emotion-Focused Interactions
Informed by the dynamic dyadic systems perspective on analyzing conversational data, this study uses sequence analysis to illuminate turn patterns that characterize parents’ emotion coaching/dismissing communication and adolescents’ emotion regulation/dysregulation in conversations about an emotionally evocative event. This study analyzed two conversations from 60 parent-adolescent dyads, 30 with harmful parental alcohol use and 30 without, where…
Parental Communication of Responsiveness and Control as Predictors of Adolescents' Emotional and Behavioral Resilience in Families with Alcoholic Versus Nonalcoholic Parents: Parent-Child Communicatio…
Interactions between parents and children establish norms for managing emotions and behavior, which are markers of resilience. This study examines how features of interpersonal communication between parents and children facilitate the resilience of children of alcoholic parents versus nonalcoholic parents. Parent–adolescent dyads (30 families of alcoholics, 30 families of nonalcoholics) were invited to participate in two videotaped interactions, …
A theme analysis of experiences reported by adult children of alcoholics in online support forums
Growing up with an alcoholic parent can have a lasting effect on children and contribute to a variety of challenging outcomes in adulthood. This study identified the various experiences that adult children of alcoholics (ACoA) discuss with their peers in online support groups. Trained coders conducted a thematic analysis of 504 message board posts collected over a period of 60 days from three different online support groups to identify issues tha…
A Relational Turbulence Model of Communication About Irritations in Romantic Relationships
The authors examined the impact of intimacy, relational uncertainty, and a partner’s interference on the directness of communication about relational irritations. The authors hypothesized that directness has (a) a positive association with the perceived negativity of irritations, intimacy, and self uncertainty; (b) a negative association with relationship uncertainty; (c) a negative association with partner uncertainty that is mediated by relatio…
Coupling Longitudinal Data and Multilevel Modeling to Examine the Antecedents and Consequences of Jealousy Experiences in Romantic Relationships: A Test of the Relational Turbulence Model
Journal Article Coupling Longitudinal Data and Multilevel Modeling to Examine the Antecedents and Consequences of Jealousy Experiences in Romantic Relationships: A Test of the Relational Turbulence Model Get access Jennifer A. Theiss, Jennifer A. Theiss 1Department of Communication, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901 1Corresponding author: Jennifer A. Theiss; Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Denise…
A longitudinal test of the relational turbulence model of romantic relationship development
A longitudinal study evaluated associations between intimacy and relational uncertainty and characteristics of interdependence within nonmarital romantic relationships. Three hundred and fifteen college students in the United States completed a Web‐based survey about their relationship weekly for 6 weeks. Results indicated nonlinear associations between intimacy and relational uncertainty and perceptions of a partner’s interference ( p < .001) th…
Parsing the Mechanisms that Increase Relational Intimacy: The Effects of Uncertainty Amount, Open Communication About Uncertainty, and the Reduction of Uncertainty
This study examined amount of uncertainty, openness of communication about uncertainty, and the uncertainty reduction process as three competing mechanisms that account for increased intimacy in romantic relationships. To test these competing mechanisms, we used multilevel modeling to analyze longitudinal data that were collected from individuals in romantic associations over a 6-week period. Results of separate analyses indicated that the amount…
Relationship Characteristics Associated with the Experience of Hurt in Romantic Relationships: A Test of the Relational Turbulence Model
Journal Article Relationship Characteristics Associated with the Experience of Hurt in Romantic Relationships: A Test of the Relational Turbulence Model Get access Jennifer A. Theiss, Jennifer A. Theiss 1Department of Communication, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901 1Corresponding author: Jennifer A. Theiss; Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Leanne K. Knobloch, Leanne K. Knobloch 2Department of Com…
An actor-partner interdependence model of relational turbulence: Cognitions and emotions
We extend the relational turbulence model by applying an actor-partner interdependence model to people's experiences of cognitive and emotional turbulence. In the study, 135 dating couples reported on their relationship once per week for six consecutive weeks. People's appraisals of turmoil and feelings of negative emotion were predicted by (i) their own relational uncertainty, (ii) their partner's relational uncertainty, and (iii) their own expe…
Actor-partner effects in the associations between relationship characteristics and reactions to marital sexual intimacy
This study uses the relational turbulence model and dyadic data analysis to examine how marital relationship characteristics affect emotional and cognitive reactions to sex. We surveyed both spouses from 220 married couples about their sexual relationship. Results indicated that: (i) relational uncertainty and interference from partners were negatively associated with sexual satisfaction and positively associated with negative cognitive and emoti…
Depressive symptoms and mechanisms of relational turbulence as predictors of relationship satisfaction among returning service members.
In contrast to romanticized portrayals of reunion after deployment, U.S. military personnel may contend with the harsh reality of both depressive symptoms and upheaval in their romantic relationships during the postdeployment transition. This study employed the relational turbulence model to evaluate mechanisms linking depressive symptoms with relationship satisfaction. Cross-sectional, self-report data were collected from 220 service members liv…
Relational Uncertainty and Relationship Talk within Courtship: A Longitudinal Actor–Partner Interdependence Model
This study investigated the interplay between relational uncertainty and relationship talk for actors and partners over time. Participants were 135 romantic couples who completed an online survey once per week for six weeks. Between-person and within-person results indicated that people experiencing relational uncertainty appraised relationship talk as more threatening to themselves and to their courtship; they also reported avoiding more and ena…
A longitudinal assessment of relationship characteristics that predict new parents' relationship satisfaction
Drawing on the relational turbulence model, this study queries whether it is the amount of relational uncertainty and partner interference in a relationship, or the magnitude of an increase in these mechanisms over time, that accounts for decreased relationship satisfaction for new parents. To test these competing hypotheses, a longitudinal study of 78 couples was conducted in which both partners completed surveys about their relationship at 4 ti…
Experiences of U.S. military couples during the post-deployment transition: Applying the relational turbulence model
Although many military couples eagerly await reunion after deployment, the reentry of service members into family life can be challenging. This study employed the relational turbulence model to identify the issues facing military couples during the post-deployment transition. Individuals who had been reunited with their romantic partner during the past six months ( N = 259; 137 service members, 122 partners) completed an online questionnaire. Con…
A cross-cultural test of the relational turbulence model: Relationship characteristics that predict turmoil and topic avoidance for Koreans and Americans
This study models associations among intimacy, relational uncertainty, partner interference, relational turmoil, and topic avoidance in Korean and American romantic relationships. We surveyed 294 individuals from the United States ( N = 156) and South Korea ( N = 138). The American model indicated that intimacy was negatively associated with relational uncertainty and curvilinearly associated with partner interference, relational uncertainty was …
A Relational Turbulence Model of Military Service Members' Relational Communication During Reintegration: Relational Turbulence and Reintegration
This study employed the relational turbulence model to examine features of relational communication and dimensions of relational inferences during the postdeployment transition for military service members. We surveyed 220 military personnel who had recently returned home from deployment about their romantic relationship. Results of a structural equation model indicated that relational uncertainty and interference from partners predicted openness…
Applying the Relational Turbulence Model to the Empty-Nest Transition: Sources of Relationship Change, Relational Uncertainty, and Interference from Partners
This study employs the relational turbulence model to identify common issues facing married couples during the transition to the empty-nest phase of marriage. We surveyed 100 individuals who were part of 50 couples who had recently entered the empty-nest phase of their relationship to identify themes of relationship change (RQ1), relational uncertainty (RQ2), and interference from partners (RQ3) during the empty-nest transition. Results revealed …
Generalized Anxiety and Relational Uncertainty as Predictors of Topic Avoidance During Reintegration Following Military Deployment
For military couples reunited following deployment, discussing or avoiding topics is a central dimension of communication. This paper theorizes about two predictors of topic avoidance that arise from a lack of confidence in social situations: generalized anxiety and relational uncertainty. In Study 1, 220 returning service members described issues they avoid discussing upon reunion. Content analytic findings indicated eight avoided topics. In Stu…
A theme analysis of experiences reported by adult children of alcoholics in online support forums
Growing up with an alcoholic parent can have a lasting effect on children and contribute to a variety of challenging outcomes in adulthood. This study identified the various experiences that adult children of alcoholics (ACoA) discuss with their peers in online support groups. Trained coders conducted a thematic analysis of 504 message board posts collected over a period of 60 days from three different online support groups to identify issues tha…
Inter-parental similarity in responsiveness and control and its association with perceptions of the marital relationship
This study examined how similarities and differences between spouses' parenting styles are associated with characteristics of their marital relationship. First, we explored the extent to which husbands and wives are similar or different in their attitudes about and communication of parental responsiveness and parental control. Then, we investigated how similarity in partners' parental communication predicts perceptions of the marital relationship…
A Theme Analysis of Experiences Reported by Adult Children of Alcoholics in Online Support Forums
Growing up with an alcoholic parent can have a lasting effect on children and contribute to a variety of challenging outcomes in adulthood.This study identified the various experiences that adult children of alcoholics discuss with their peers in online support groups.Trained coders conducted a thematic analysis of 504 message board posts collected over a period of 60 days from three different online support groups to identify issues that childre…
Characteristics of Communication in Families of Alcoholics
In the United States, roughly 43% of adults have encountered alcoholism in their family, and one in four children lives with an alcoholic parent (Grant, 2000). Prior research suggests that alcoholism can negatively impact the nature and quality of family relations, but studies rarely consider the specific ways in which family communication dynamics are impacted by the disease. Thus, the goal of this study was to identify the characteristics of co…
Relational Turbulence Theory: Explaining Variation in Subjective Experiences and Communication Within Romantic Relationships
This essay extends the relational turbulence model as a framework for understanding communication in romantic relationships. Following the relational turbulence model, relational turbulence theory identifies relational uncertainty and interdependence as parameters that shape subjective experiences, but the theory clarifies the theoretical processes underlying their distinctive effects. In addition, relational turbulence theory articulates causal …
Partner Facilitation and Partner Interference in Individuals' Weight Loss Goals
Drawing on the logic of the relational turbulence model, this study examined the ways in which romantic partners facilitate and interfere with individuals' weight loss goals. Participants ( N = 122) described the ways in which their romantic partner had recently helped or hindered their weight loss at four times over the course of 2 months. We conducted a content analysis of responses to identify themes of partner facilitation (Research Question …
Family communication patterns that predict perceptions of upheaval and psychological well-being for emerging adult children following late-life divorce
This study examined the experiences of emerging adult children following their parents’ divorce in later life. Drawing on family communication patterns theory, we examined each parent’s conformity orientation and conversation orientation as predictors of young adult children’s perceptions of family turbulence and feeling caught, which in turn predicted depressive symptoms and resilience. Young adult children (N = 171) who were over the age of 18 …
Parental Communication of Responsiveness and Control as Predictors of Adolescents' Emotional and Behavioral Resilience in Families with Alcoholic Versus Nonalcoholic Parents: Parent-Child Communicatio…
Interactions between parents and children establish norms for managing emotions and behavior, which are markers of resilience. This study examines how features of interpersonal communication between parents and children facilitate the resilience of children of alcoholic parents versus nonalcoholic parents. Parent–adolescent dyads (30 families of alcoholics, 30 families of nonalcoholics) were invited to participate in two videotaped interactions, …
Relational Turbulence Theory Applied to the Transition from Deployment to Reintegration
The transition from deployment to reintegration can be unexpectedly demanding for military couples as they cope with the changes that arose during separation and identify new patterns of relating. Although the postdeployment transition has important ramifications for the well‐being of military couples, the homecoming process is relatively undertheorized and underresearched within the deployment cycle. We identify relational turbulence theory, and…
Responsiveness and control in marital and parental communication: Exploring interdependent relationships across family subsystems
Responsiveness and control are two central dimensions underlying communication in marital and parental dynamics. This study offers an integrative framework to explore communication of responsiveness and control across marital and parental contexts to understand the interdependence that exists within family systems. In addition, it explores potential discrepancies between a member's general perceptions of his or her communication of responsiveness…
Attachment and Relationship Dynamics (31 works) · Psychology (31 works) · Social Psychology (28 works) · Social Psychology (22 works) · Developmental psychology (20 works) · Romance (12 works) · Family Dynamics and Relationships (10 works) · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development (9 works) · Computer Science (9 works) · Facilitation (7 works)