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Parenting young children poses numerous emotion regulation challenges, and prevention programs that promote emotion regulation skills can help with this important task of parenthood. Relational savoring (RS), which entails savoring a positive experience of interpersonal connectedness, is a brief manualized intervention program, 4 weeks in length, grounded in positive psychology and attachment theory. In the current longitudinal, randomized, controlled trial, we examined the impacts of RS compared with an active control (personal savoring [PS], defined as savoring a positive individual experience) in a sample of N = 164 mothers of toddlers (Mage = 20.93 months) on outcomes that were assessed immediately postintervention (positive emotion, closeness to child) and at a 3-month follow-up visit (parenting sensitivity, reflective functioning [RF], savoring uptake, and parenting wellness). Compared with mothers assigned to the PS condition, mothers in the RS condition had greater immediate response to the intervention (greater increases in positive emotions [gratitude, pride], closeness to their child) as well as greater increase in sensitivity to toddlers' cues at the three-month follow-up. Neither RS nor PS increased overall parenting wellness at the three-month follow-up. Latina mothers (but not non-Latina mothers) in the RS condition had higher RF and greater savoring uptake than Latina mothers in the PS condition at follow-up. Findings provide preliminary evidence of the efficacy of RS in modifying therapeutic targets and suggest evidence of the cultural congruence of RS for Latina mothers. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Though fatherhood research has recently burgeoned, extant literature primarily focuses on father characteristics and father--child interactions. A critical gap remains in understanding fathers' emotional experiences. Using the Parent Development Interview-Revised, 74 interviews with fathers of toddlers were coded using questions about six positive and negative emotions: joy, pain/difficulty, happiness, pride, annoyance/anger, and guilt. Themes reflected 4 overarching concepts: father-child relationship, child-focused experiences, father-focused experiences, and the fatherhood role or identity. Frequent themes included: "watching their children grow," "sharing affection and love," "children's behavior," and "spending time away." Some codes appeared especially salient for some fathers, such as "growth in their co-parenting relationship" and "comparison to their family of origin." This study describes men who are deeply invested in fatherhood, highlighting the importance of research that goes beyond documenting fathers' influence on their children, and instead emphasizes the inherent value of fathers and in understanding fathers' experiences.

Past observational studies highlight meaningful behavioral differences between aggressive and nonaggressive couples during conflict interactions. However, research is needed on how aggressive couples communicate in other, nonconflictual interactional contexts. This study investigates how dating partners' perpetration of physical aggression relates to observed behaviors during a laboratory-based discussion during which dating couples planned a date together. We also investigated whether negative anticipation of the upcoming discussion influences dating partners' observed behaviors. Results showed that perpetration of dating aggression from one partner is linked to more negative behaviors from the other partner during the discussion. This association, however, is moderated by negative anticipation of the discussion; the link between aggression from one's partner and negative behaviors is significant at high levels (+1 SD) but not at low levels (–1 SD)of negative anticipation. One's own dating aggression also relates to fewer positive behaviors during the discussion. Findings suggest that couple aggression spills over to and potentially degrades the discussion of even nonthreatening, potentially enjoyable communications. Results also underscore negative anticipation of an interaction as a potential risky process that increases the likelihood of antagonistic exchanges between partners. The discussion addresses putative pathways between partner aggression and generalized communication patterns, and potential bi-directional effects with negative anticipation. We also discuss practical implications and targets of intervention to counteract the establishment of problematic communication dynamics in young couples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated experiences of loss and grief for many individuals and posed a challenging mental health crisis. Compared to studies examining a singular type of loss, the present study investigated the cumulative impacts of COVID-related losses on anxiety and depressive symptoms and examined whether meaning in life, marital status, or relationship quality offered a protective moderating role., Method: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted approximately 1 year into the pandemic among 434 diverse individuals (32.0% White; 52.1% women; M age = 34.7) in the United States. Measures included: General Anxiety Disorder-7, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Quality of Marriage Index, and 26 loss items with corresponding grief ratings., Results: Results using linear mixed models demonstrated strong positive links between loss and both anxiety and depressive symptoms, although the association between loss and anxiety was stronger for women. The association between loss and anxiety was attenuated at high levels of meaning in life compared to average and low levels of meaning and for married individuals compared to unmarried participants. Being married also buffered the impact of loss on depressive symptoms., Conclusions: Findings indicate that cumulative pandemic-related loss is associated with anxiety and depressive symptoms, and that meaning in life and romantic relationships may be promising interventional targets; though, these findings may change over the course of the pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).