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BackgroundSexual health remains at risk for people with an intellectual disability. Attitudes towards sexuality, its support and education have an important role in promoting sexual health. The current review aims to provide an overview of the current research on supportive and restrictive attitudes towards sexuality and its support of people with intellectual disabilities themselves.MethodA systematic review was conducted, searching across eight databases. The quality of the studies was assessed with the Mixed-Method Appraisal Tool.ResultsSix themes emerged from the data: sexual behaviour, sexual identity, intimate relationships, barriers to sexual expression, sex education and support by caregivers. Supportive and restrictive attitudes were reported throughout.ConclusionsAttitudes regarding sexuality of people with intellectual disabilities are heterogeneous and people with intellectual disabilities seem to be able to express their sexual desires, needs and attitudes. Findings allow for improved individual support and in-depth research questions.

Background Sexual health remains at risk for people with an intellectual disability. Attitudes towards sexuality, its support and education have an important role in promoting sexual health. The current review aims to provide an overview of the current research on supportive and restrictive attitudes towards sexuality and its support of people with intellectual disabilities themselves. Method A systematic review was conducted, searching across eight databases. The quality of the studies was assessed with the Mixed-Method Appraisal Tool. Results Six themes emerged from the data: sexual behaviour, sexual identity, intimate relationships, barriers to sexual expression, sex education and support by caregivers. Supportive and restrictive attitudes were reported throughout. Conclusions Attitudes regarding sexuality of people with intellectual disabilities are heterogeneous and people with intellectual disabilities seem to be able to express their sexual desires, needs and attitudes. Findings allow for improved individual support and in-depth research questions.

The present research focused on bereaved parents' perceived grief similarity, and aimed to investigate the concurrent and longitudinal effects of the perceptions that the partner has less, equal, or more grief intensity than oneself on relationship satisfaction. Participants of our longitudinal study were 229 heterosexual bereaved Dutch couples who completed questionnaires 6, 13, and 20 months after the loss of their child. Average age of participants was 40.7 (SD = 9.5). Across 3 study waves, participants' perceived grief similarity and relationship satisfaction were assessed. To control for their effects, own grief level, child's gender, expectedness of loss, parent's age, parent's gender, and time were also included in the analyses. Consistent with the hypotheses, cross-sectional results revealed that bereaved parents who perceived dissimilar levels of grief (less or more grief) had lower relationship satisfaction than bereaved parents who perceived similar levels of grief. This effect remained significant controlling for the effects of possible confounding variables and actual similarity in grief between partners. We also found that perceived grief similarity at the first study wave was related to the highest level of relationship satisfaction at the second study wave. Moreover, results showed that perceived grief similarity was associated with a higher level in partner's relationship satisfaction. Results are discussed considering the comparison and similarity in grief across bereaved partners after child loss. (PsycINFO Database Record

The association between personality and personal relationships is mostly studied within dyadic relationships. We examined these variables within the context of personal network types. We used Latent Class Analysis to identify groups Of Students with similar role relationships with three focal figures. We performed Latent Class Logistic Regression to explore the relationships of the latent classes with the Big Five personality factors. Personality was assessed with the Five Factor Personality Inventory. We found three personal network types: a primarily family oriented network, a primarily peer oriented network, and a mixed family/peer oriented network. We found significant associations between personality and personal network type. Extraverted students were more likely to have a primarily peer oriented network relative to a primarily family oriented network. Autonomous students were more likely to have a primarily family oriented network relative to a primarily peer oriented network. Autonomous students were also more likely to have a mixed family/peer oriented network relative to a primarily peer oriented network. Conscientious students were more likely to have a primarily family oriented network relative to a mixed family/peer oriented network. (C) 2008 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

In the present study, symptoms of nonclinical depression among 106 cancer patients and their intimate partners were assessed. From the perspective of equity theory, it was examined how depression was related to neuroticism marital quality, and perceptions of inequity in the relationship. LISREL analyses showed that neuroticism and perceptions of inequity in the relationship were associated with higher depression but differences were found between patients and partners in the way that inequity and depression were related. Cancer patients reported more symptom of depression when they felt that they invested too little in the relationship, whereas their partners were higher in depression when they felt that they received too little benefits in the relationship. The findings are discussed in tents of structural differences in roles between patients and caregiving partners.

A study among 290 remarried individuals examined equity perceptions in the former and the current marriage. The results showed that equity in the former and the current marriage were not related to each other. In general, respondents perceived much more inequity in the former than in the current marriage, and this was especially true for women. Men felt on average deprived in their former marriage, and overbenefited in their current marriage, whereas women in their current marriage were close to perceiving equity. The current marriage was perceived as more satisfying than the former marriage. Satisfaction in both types of marriage was higher the more equitable the relationship was, and the more advantaged one felt. In addition, for women, satisfaction in the present marriage was more strongly associated with the degree of equity, whereas, for men, satisfaction was more strongly associated with the degree of feeling advantaged.

In two studies, we used a negative affective priming task with pictures of angry (Study 1), sad (Study 2), and happy faces (Studies 1 and 2) to measure attentional inhibition of emotional stimuli as a function of attachment style. Results showed that attachment avoidance was associated with a stronger inhibition of both angry and sad faces. This indicates that the regulatory strategies of avoidant individuals involve inhibition of different types of negative, but not positive, stimuli. Attachment anxiety, on the other hand, showed no association with inhibitory responding to negative stimuli, although we did find indications of impaired inhibitory processing of happy faces in Study 1. The results are discussed in relation to current evidence on avoidant affect-regulation strategies.

Two studies examined the relations between three different types of jealousy and personality characteristics of self and partner in two large heterogeneous community samples of heterosexual couples (459 and 230 couples, respectively). It was expected that partners would resemble each other to some extent in both the experience of different types of jealousy and personality characteristics, and that self-reported levels of neuroticism (+) and extraversion (-) would be related to higher levels of jealousy. Moreover, it was expected that partner extraversion would be related positively to levels of jealousy, and that similarity with regard to personality characteristics would be related to lower levels of jealousy. Results largely supported our expectations with regard to both partner similarity and self-reported personality characteristics. However, our expectations with regard to partner extraversion and similarity were not supported. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

This research dealt with the effects of inequity in close relationships upon dissatisfaction, and with the moderating role of communal orientation - an individual difference variable reflecting a sensitivity to the needs of others, and a desire that others respond to one's own needs. Study 1 employed a correlational design with a global equity measure, and showed that, as predicted, inequity was related to relational dissatisfaction particularly among individuals low in communal orientation. Study 2 was a vignette experiment, which showed that inequity with respect to household tasks was more aversive to individuals low rather than high in communal orientation. These findings underline the importance of communal orientation as an individual difference characteristic affecting satisfaction with intimate relations.

The present study examines the personality characteristics of partners receiving marital therapy. On the basis of previous research, we expected partners in distressed relationships to be more neurotic and more introverted and to have lower self-esteem than partners in non-distressed relationships. 42 individuals receiving marital therapy were recruited and matched against 42 individuals in non-distressed relationships. All expectations were confirmed. Implications for marital therapy are discussed. Copyright (C) 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

In the present study, symptoms of nonclinical depression among 106 cancer patients and their intimate partners were assessed. From the perspective of equity theory, it was examined how depression was related to neuroticism marital quality, and perceptions of inequity in the relationship. LISREL analyses showed that neuroticism and perceptions of inequity in the relationship were associated with higher depression but differences were found between patients and partners in the way that inequity and depression were related. Cancer patients reported more symptom of depression when they felt that they invested too little in the relationship, whereas their partners were higher in depression when they felt that they received too little benefits in the relationship. The findings are discussed in tents of structural differences in roles between patients and caregiving partners.

In the present study, symptoms of nonclinical depression among 106 cancer patients and their intimate partners were assessed. From the perspective of equity theory, it was examined how depression was related to neuroticism marital quality, and perceptions of inequity in the relationship. LISREL analyses showed that neuroticism and perceptions of inequity in the relationship were associated with higher depression but differences were found between patients and partners in the way that inequity and depression were related. Cancer patients reported more symptom of depression when they felt that they invested too little in the relationship, whereas their partners were higher in depression when they felt that they received too little benefits in the relationship. The findings are discussed in tents of structural differences in roles between patients and caregiving partners.

Moving in with a partner is a step in the process of institutionalising a romantic relationship, that is, establishing the relationship in such a way that it is more embedded in the social environment and more strongly regulated by social norms and mutual expectations. But under what circumstances do couples decide to establish a joint household? We study the transition to a coresidential partnership among couples in a ‘living-apart-together’ (LAT) relationship. We use data from the seven waves of the German Family Panel (pairfam) dataset (N = 2428 LAT relationships of men and women born in 1971–1973, 1981–1983, and 1991–1993). In order to analyse especially the partnership processes of younger adults, we focus on respondents in the age range of 18 to 42 in the time period between 2008 to 2016. Using discrete-time event-history models, we test hypotheses about the partners’ resources, relationship quality, degree of relationship institutionalisation, and exposure to different kinds of costs. Our results indicate that especially equality and institutionalisation factors, as well as the costs of moving and of starting to coreside, are associated with the decision to move in together. Resources are important for those LAT partners who are living in the parental household, while for LAT partners who have already left the parental home no effect of resources was found on the transition to a coresidential union.