Partner supportive dyadic coping and relationship stability among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder

Studies involving parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have reported negative relationship outcomes for some couples and positive for others, indicating the need to determine the moderators of the link between stress and divorce. This study aims to examine the moderating effect of partner supportive dyadic coping, i.e., interpersonal coping that involves providing comfort, empathy, or practical advice to one’s partner, on the association between parental stress and relationship stability among parents of children with ASD. The study was conducted on a sample of parents (N=89) who met the criteria of being in a relationship and parenting at least one child diagnosed with ASD. The questionnaire included the Parental Stress Scale, a subscale of the Dyadic Coping Inventory, an item assessing the potential for divorce, and sociodemographic variables. The logistic regression analysis model explained a substantial amount of the variance of relationship stability. Higher probability of having a stable relationship was associated with lower levels of parental stress and higher levels of supportive dyadic coping. Additionally, supportive dyadic coping buffered the negative effect of parental stress: the effect of stress on relationship stability was evident only among participants whose partners showed low supportive dyadic coping. The results indicate that a relationship does not necessarily end in divorce when a couple experiences stressful circumstances, such as raising a child with ASD. The key factor could be supportive dyadic coping that prevents negative effects of stress on relationship maintenance. Support services should aim to enhance supportive dyadic coping skills among parents, and advocate for the fact that both stress and coping are joint processes of partners in a relationship.

Values and Virtues as Correlates of Quality and Stability of Romantic Relationships and Marriage in a Post-Socialist Transitional Society

An individual’s value system plays an important role in their intimate relationship or marriage. Most marital satisfaction research to date has been carried out in high-income liberal Western societies. We conducted an original quantitative empirical survey of virtues and values to examine their effect on relationship quality and stability in a sample of 511 respondents from Slovenia, a post-socialist society in transition. The results showed that respondents rated health, love, and safety at the top of their hierarchy of values. The key finding was that the presence of love was associated with an individual’s subjective perception of relationship quality but had no effect on the self-evaluation of relationship stability. In addition to love, both family safety and comfort were significant correlates of relationship quality while self-respect was negatively correlated with relationship quality. Only excitement was found to have a statistically significant effect on relationship stability.

Fathers’ Time Off Work After the Birth of a Child and Relationship Dissolution among Socioeconomically Disadvantaged U.S. Families

Relationship dissolution is common among socioeconomically disadvantaged parents. This study utilizes longitudinal data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS) to assess whether fathers’ time off work after the birth of a child reduces the likelihood of parents dissolving their relationship. We also consider whether the association between fathers’ time off work and relationship dissolution is mediated by fathers’ support of mothers and moderated by union type. Results indicate that the risk of relationship dissolution is lower when fathers take time off work after the birth of a child. Results also suggest that longer periods of time off work (i.e., two or more weeks) are associated with a lower risk of relationship dissolution among married couples, although overall evidence for variations by union type are mixed. Additionally, there is evidence that the association between fathers’ time off work and relationship dissolution is at least partially explained by higher levels of relationship support among fathers who took time off work after the birth of a child. Overall, findings suggest that providing fathers with opportunities to take time off for the birth of a child may help to promote relationship stability among socioeconomically disadvantaged couples in the U.S.

Relationship Stability and Supply Chain Performance for SMEs: From Internal, Supplier, and Customer Integration Perspectives

This study examined the relationship between supply integration and relationship stability and the relationship between relationship stability and performance; furthermore, the moderation effect of environmental uncertainty on supply chain integration and relationship stability was analyzed. The subjects are typical small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries that focus on niche markets to compete with large-scale manufacturers. Questionnaires were distributed to manufacturers to collect empirical data; in total, 566 valid samples were gathered. The results indicate that supply chain integration has positive effects on relational stability and that relational stability has positive effects on supply chain performance. Relational stability is a mediator between supply chain integration and supply chain performance. The contingency effects of environmental uncertainty on the relationships between internal integration and relational stability were determined in this research. This research framework extended past research on supply chain management; part of the research explored the relationship between supply chain integration and different measures of supply chain performance, as well as whether uncertainty affects supply chain integration and supply chain performance.

Locked-in resources, coopetitive relationship stability and innovation

PurposeThis conceptual paper uses the resource-based theory (RBT) of the firm to argue that for competitors to improve their innovation through a cooperative relationship – coopetitive relationship – they need to work on building a stable relationship with each other by investing a special type of resources, namely locked-in resources.Design/methodology/approachThe authors draw on RBT criteria to argue that when the antecedent – the locked-in resources – and the mediator – the relationship stability – are valuable, rare, inimitable and organized (VRIO), they will help the parties involved achieve sustained competitive advantage from the coopetitive relationship.FindingsThis paper argues that locked-in resources lead to higher coopetitive relationship stability by reducing the impact of opportunistic behavior from any of the partners. More stable relationship leads to more innovations especially radical innovations. In addition, the nature of the industry plays a moderating role. The industry's competitive intensity affects the relationship between locked-in resources and relationship stability. The industry's age affects the relationship between stability and innovation quantity and type.Research limitations/implicationsThis conceptual paper anchors its arguments within the RBT related to the firm's strategic resources (VRIO) characteristics and applies the same arguments (VRIO) beyond the firm level to the coopetitive relationship level. The model invites researchers and practitioners to consider two new constructs namely locked-in resources and coopetitive relationship stability in order to build successful coopetitive relationships.Practical implicationsThis paper contributes considerably and in a practical manner to managers as it draws their attention to the importance of investing a special type of resources, namely locked-in resources and ensuring the relationship stability with their coopetitors to achieve the desired outcome. It also draws the managers' attention to the impact industry's competitive intensity and industry's age have on the quality of the relationship and on the innovation outcomes.Originality/valueA distinct contribution of this conceptual paper is the introduction of two new constructs: locked-in resources and coopetitive relationship stability. Locked-in resources are valuable within the coopetitive relationship and they improve the second construct or relationship stability. Relationship stability is different from relationship strength as it leads to more trust between partners over longer periods of time.

Homogamy in Gender Role Attitudes Among Young Couples: Evidence from Germany

Romantic partners’ similarity in gender role attitudes affects important outcomes such as sharing of housework, relationship stability, or fertility. However, there is little knowledge about how similar romantic partners are in these attitudes. Using dyadic panel data from German couples (sourced from pairfam), this study puts the degree of homogamy in gender role attitudes among young couples into perspective by comparing real couples with two types of counterfactuals. To create these counterfactuals, I re-mate couples in two ways: (a) randomly and (b) in such a way that similarity in attitudes between partners is maximized. Real couples differ only slightly from randomly mated couples, which suggests rather weak attitudinal similarity. Using longitudinal information, I further test the mechanisms that determine the degree of homogamy: there is strong evidence for alignment over time and for lower rates of separation among homogamous couples, but no evidence for homogamy as a by-product of assortative mating on other variables. This paper offers methodological and substantial contributions to the literature: it presents a method for intuitive assessment of the degree of homogamy with multiple variables simultaneously. It also shows that in Germany, macro-level diversity in attitudes largely translates into dissimilar attitudes between partners—with important implications for relationship dynamics.