Background: Past research has primarily focused on negative associations between PTSD and relationships. Therefore, this investigation delves into the potential positive role of these relational aspects in aiding PTSD recovery during treatment.Objective: This study aimed to examine the impact of dyadic coping and perceived partner responsiveness on treatment trajectories of PTSD patients.Method: The study included 90 participants, who were requested to complete online questionnaires twice, with a six-month gap between the measures.Results: The results from linear regression analyses indicated that perceived partner responsiveness had a positive effect on PTSD recovery, whereas dyadic coping had the opposite effect: higher levels of dyadic coping were associated with an increase in posttraumatic stress symptoms over time. Additional examination of the subscales indicated that heightened communication between clients and partners regarding stress was related with increased posttraumatic stress symptoms.Conclusions: These findings underscore the importance and complexity of effective and supportive communication between patients with PTSD and their partners. While existing literature supports both perceived partner responsiveness and dyadic coping as beneficial, this study indicates that only perceived partner responsiveness positively impacted PTSD recovery.
Perceived Partner Responsiveness and PTSD Recovery: the study reveals a significant positive impact of perceived partner responsiveness on PTSD recovery. Patients perceiving higher levels of understanding from their romantic partners experience enhanced recovery, possibly through increased social support and the development of new self-narratives.Dyadic Coping and PTSD Recovery: contrary to expectations, aspects of dyadic coping, particularly stress communication, were found to hinder PTSD recovery. Unhelpful disclosure and problematic interpersonal dynamics in discussing trauma within the relationship seemed to limit recovery, indicating the nuanced nature of communication’s role in PTSD recovery.

The interplay between different forms of social relationships, that is, perceived partner responsiveness and institutional trust, on subjective health evaluations was examined for the first time. There were 1241 respondents who had a romantic relationship. After adjusting for the covariates, findings suggested that greater perceived partner responsiveness and institutional trust led respondents to report better subjective health. The positive link between perceived partner responsiveness and subjective health was more pronounced among the respondents reporting a lower level of institutional trust. Such an interaction could be an indicator pointing out the compensatory role of close relationship dynamics. Given that finding, public health authorities and practitioners could be encouraged to be aware of the adaptive function of social ties on health and focus on maintaining the strength of intimate social ties and building trust between authority gradients. This suggestion could especially be adaptive not only during \"normal\" times but also during post-disaster circumstances (e.g., COVID-19).

Researchers have found significant associations between romantic relationship experiences and sleep quality. However, most existing studies are cross-sectional, few have focused on the aging population, and few have considered mechanisms underlying such associations. To address these gaps, 238 older adult couples completed 7-day daily diaries, reporting on their daily relationship, emotional, and sleep experiences. Multilevel structural equation modeling revealed that husbands\' higher negative partner interactions and lower positive partner interactions were indirectly associated with their own and their wives\' decreased sleep quality that night via lower perceived partner responsiveness and increased negative affect. Moreover, decreased sleep quality was associated with participants\' and their partners\' increased negative partner interactions and participants\' decreased positive partner interactions the next day, with no significant gender differences. This research provides a foundation for future research on cyclical associations between romantic relationship experiences and sleep quality, with implications for relationship-based interventions to improve sleep quality.

UNASSIGNED: To explore the mediating effect of childbirth self-efficacy on the impact pathway of intolerance of uncertainty on the fear of childbirth in primiparas in the second and third trimesters and the potential moderating effect of perceived partner responsiveness.
UNASSIGNED: A total of 429 primiparas in their second and third trimesters completed the survey, which included general information questionnaire, Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale, Childbirth Self-Efficacy Inventory, Perceived Partner Responsiveness Scale, and Childbirth Attitudes Questionnaire. Rank sum test was used to compare the scores for the fear of childbirth among different groups and Spearman\'s correlation was used to analyze the scores for all the scales. In addition, the data were centrally processed by using PROCESS V3.4.1 Model 4 (a simple mediation model), Model 5 (the direct path of the mediation model was regulated), and non-parametric Bootstrap method to test the mediation effect and moderation effect.
UNASSIGNED: The study showed that 54.31% of the participants experienced fear of childbirth. Their scores for intolerance of uncertainty, childbirth self-efficacy, and perceived partner responsiveness were 15.00 (8.00), 240.00 (75.00), and 72.00 (19.00), respectively. There were significant differences in the scores for the fear of childbirth scale among pregnant women of different age groups, gestational weeks, employment statuses, and average per capita monthly income of the family ( P<0.05). According to our findings, intolerance of uncertainty directly and positively impacted on fear of childbirth ( β=0.76, P<0.001), with childbirth self-efficacy playing partial mediation role between them, its indirect effect being 0.05 and the contribution rate being 6.17%. In addition, after the scores of Perceived Partner Responsiveness Scale were added to the model, perceived partner responsiveness had no significant predictive effect for fear of childbirth, but the product term of the scores for Perceived Partner Responsiveness Scale and Intolerability Uncertainty Scale had significant predictive effect for fear of childbirth ( β=0.01, P<0.05), which suggested that perceived partner responsiveness also played a moderating role between intolerance of uncertainty and fear of childbirth.
UNASSIGNED: Health care providers can help primiparas reduce fear of childbirth and improve their childbirth experience by reducing perceived intolerance of uncertainty, improving family support, and teaching coping strategies.

Whether people believe their romantic relationship quality can be improved or not could largely influence the relationship consequences. However, relatively fewer studies have focused on the potential factors that account for the association between such beliefs and romantic relationship satisfaction (RS). In the current research, we aimed to investigate the relation between implicit theories of relationships (ITRs) and RS and the potential moderating role of perceived partner responsiveness (PPR) in such relation. An online survey was administered to 300 Chinese young adults (aged 18-35) who were currently in romantic relationships, measuring their implicit beliefs about romantic relationships, PPR, and RS. Results indicated that (a) growth beliefs of ITRs and PPR were positively associated with RS, respectively; (b) destiny beliefs of ITRs were not significantly associated with RS; and (c) PPR moderated the relation between growth beliefs of ITRs and RS. Growth beliefs were significantly positively correlated with RS in lower PPR conditions but not in higher PPR conditions. We further discussed the theoretical and practical implications of these results.

BACKGROUND: Perceived partner responsiveness (PPR) refers to the belief that the relational partner knows and is sensitive and supportive. Instead of translating the English version of the Perceived Partner Responsiveness Scale (PPRS) into Chinese, this study aimed to construct and analyze the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Perceived Partner Responsiveness Scale (C-PPRS). On the one hand, some words in the original scale are inappropriate for the Chinese due to cultural differences. On the other hand, we intended the scale to apply just to persons in romantic relationships, not to friends or roommates.
METHODS: We conducted two studies. In the first study, 441 participants who completed the C-PPRS were randomly divided into two samples for exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. Concurrent validity was assessed in a group of 224 participants who completed the C-PPRS and the Quality of Relationship Index in the second study.
RESULTS: The results indicated that the four-factor model (understanding, intimacy, acceptance, and trust) was a feasible representation of the C-PPRS factor structure (χ2/df = 2.27, CFI = 0.94, TLI = 0.93, RMSEA = 0.08, SRMR = 0.05) and had robust internal consistency reliability (alpha = 0.90) and concurrent validity (moderately correlated with the Quality of Relationship Index, r = 0.66, p < 0.001).
CONCLUSIONS: PPR is a concept to understand the psychological manifestations of a person who believes that his or her partner is concerned with core characteristics of the self. The C-PPRS has good psychometric characteristics to evaluate such manifestations and can be applied to future intimacy research.

This study investigated the mediating role of perceived partner responsiveness in the relationship between emotional reactivity and marital quality among Chinese couples. The survey participants included 550 couples from 28 provinces in the Eastern, Central and Western China. The ages of the husbands range from 39 to 64 years old whose average age is 46.45 years old, while the ages of the wives vary between 32 and 62 years old whose average age is 45.08 years old. The Emotion Reactivity Scale, Perceived Partner Responsiveness Scale, and Quality of Marriage Index were selected for measurement. The results showed that the scores of husbands perceived partner responsiveness and marital quality were significantly higher than those of wives, and there was no significant difference in emotional reactivity between husbands and wives. Correlation analysis showed that emotional reactivity of couples was negatively correlated with perceived partner responsiveness and marital quality, while perceived partner responsiveness was positively correlated with marital quality. Based on the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM), it was found that the emotional reactivity of both spouses was a significant negative predictor of their marital quality (actor effect). It also significantly negatively predicted the marital quality of the spouse (partner effect). The mediating effect analysis results showed that the husbands\' perceived partner responsiveness played a mediating role in the emotional reactivity of the couples on marital quality of the husbands, and the wives\' perceived partner responsiveness played a mediating role in the emotional reactivity of the couples on marital quality of the husbands. The wives\' perceived partner responsiveness played a mediating role in the effect of the couples\' emotional reactivity on the wives\' marital quality. The results of this study contribute to a better understanding of the mechanism of emotional reactivity of couples affecting marital quality and have a guiding significance for improving marital quality.

This study examined the associations between childhood maltreatment (CM) and the mean-level of perceived partner responsiveness (PPR; the extent to which individuals feel cared for, understood, and validated by their partner) over 35 days, the day-to-day variability in PPR, and the initial levels and trajectories of PPR over 1 year in community couples. Both members of 228 couples completed a self-reported measure of CM and provided daily reports of PPR over 35 days and retrospective reports of PPR at three time points over 1 year. A person\'s greater CM was related to a lower mean level of PPR over 35 days and to a lower initial level of their own PPR. A person\'s sexual abuse, physical neglect, and emotional neglect had an effect over and above other forms of CM in these associations. A person\'s greater CM was also related to higher day-to-day variability in their own and their partner\'s PPR, and a person\'s greater emotional neglect was associated with a sharper decrease over time in their own PPR. These findings provide a more fine-grained understanding of how CM may affect the perceptions of being cared about, accepted, and validated by a partner on a daily basis and over time.

Recent research has investigated how the sense of relational entitlement (SRE, the extent to which a person expects that his/her needs and wishes will be fulfilled by the romantic partner) diminishes couple satisfaction, but little is known about how SRE affects the daily quality of close, romantic relationships. Moreover, the evidence on how SRE interacts with other features of a satisfying relationship (such as the variables of the interpersonal process model of relationships-self-disclosure, perceived partner disclosure, and perceived partner responsiveness) is scarce. Using an electronic daily diary, we examined 99 couples (198 participants) for 7 days, with two daily measurements for each partner. We used a dyadic double intercept multilevel model, which simultaneously computes effects for men and women. We tested a model where one partner\'s daily couple satisfaction was predicted by their overall levels of SRE (excessive, restricted, and assertive) and by their daily and overall levels of self-disclosure, perceived partner self-disclosure, and perceived partner responsiveness. The model also included person-level interactions and cross-level interactions between the SRE types and variables of the interpersonal process model of relationships for each gender. The analysis indicated that person-level excessive SRE lowers couple satisfaction. Also, day and person-level perceived partner responsiveness and person-level self-disclosure are related to couple satisfaction, but the latter association is significant only for men. Finally, we found some significant person-level interactions that account for changes in couple satisfaction. For men, the links between couple satisfaction, excessive and restricted SRE were moderated by self-disclosure and perceived partner responsiveness, respectively, perceived partner self-disclosure and perceived partner responsiveness. For women, the associations between couple satisfaction, restricted and assertive SRE were moderated by self-disclosure, respectively, perceived partner self-disclosure. This study advances our understanding of the general implications of SRE in the dynamics of couple relationships. More specifically, it shows how SRE interacts with other couple-specific variables in shaping day-to-day couple satisfaction. The theoretical and clinical implications for couple therapy are discussed.

Affectionate touch is an important behavior in close relationships throughout the lifespan. Research has investigated the relational and individual psychological and physical benefits of affectionate touch, but the situational factors that give rise to it have been overlooked. Theorizing from the interpersonal process model of intimacy, the current studies tested whether perceived partner responsiveness forecasts affectionate touch in romantic couples. Following a preliminary integrative data analysis (N = 842), three prospective studies use ecologically valid behavioral (Studies 1 and 2) and daily (Studies 2 and 3) data, showing a positive association between perceived partner responsiveness and affectionate touch. Furthermore, in Study 3, we tested a theoretical extension of the interpersonal process of intimacy, finding that affectionate touch forecasts the partner\'s perception of the touch-giver\'s responsiveness the next day. Findings suggest affectionate touch may be an untested mechanism at the heart of the interpersonal process of intimacy.