Age‐Related Changes in Demand‐Withdraw Communication Behaviors

Holley, Sarah R.; Haase, Claudia M.; Levenson, Robert W.

doi:10.1111/jomf.12051

Cited by 46 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 99 publications

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“…On the receptive side, this complements existing research showing that older adults more effectively manage (or ignore) negative emotions, and are better at dealing with (or deflecting) interpersonal conflicts (e.g., Charles and Carstensen, 2010;Holley et al, 2013). Receptive accommodation competence requires a level of mindfulness and situational awareness, ability to perspective-take, and tolerance for a range of (non)accommodative behaviors.…”

Section: Accommodation Competence As a Lifespan Phenomenonsupporting

confidence: 65%

Communication accommodation competence: The nature and nurture of accommodative resources across the lifespan

Pitts

Harwood

2015

Language & Communication

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Section: Accommodation Competence As a Lifespan Phenomenonsupporting

confidence: 65%

Communication accommodation competence: The nature and nurture of accommodative resources across the lifespan

Pitts

Harwood

2015

Language & Communication

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“…Stonewalling consists of a total lack of listening behavior and “tuning out” in response to a partner's requests to change through criticism, concerns, and “nagging” (Gottman, 1989) and is often seen when couples engage in patterns of demand-withdraw behavior (cf. Eldridge & Christensen, 2002; Holley, Haase, & Levenson, 2013). …”

Section: Interpersonal Emotional Behaviors and Physical Health: A 20-mentioning

confidence: 99%

Interpersonal emotional behaviors and physical health: A 20-year longitudinal study of long-term married couples.

Haase

Holley

Bloch

et al. 2016

Emotion

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Objectively coded interpersonal emotional behaviors that emerged during a 15-minute marital conflict interaction predicted the development of physical symptoms in a 20-year longitudinal study of long-term marriages. Dyadic latent growth curve modeling showed that anger behavior predicted increases in cardiovascular symptoms and stonewalling behavior predicted increases in musculoskeletal symptoms. Both associations were found for husbands (although cross-lagged path models also showed some support for wives) and were controlled for sociodemographic characteristics (age, education) and behaviors (i.e., exercise, smoking, alcohol consumption, caffeine consumption) known to influence health. Both associations did not exist at the start of the study, but only emerged over the ensuing 20 years. There was some support for the specificity of these relationships (i.e., stonewalling behavior did not predict cardiovascular symptoms; anger behavior did not predict musculoskeletal symptoms; neither symptom was predicted by fear nor sadness behavior), with the anger-cardiovascular relationship emerging as most robust. Using cross-lagged path models to probe directionality of these associations, emotional behaviors predicted physical health symptoms over time (with some reverse associations found as well). These findings illuminate longstanding theoretical and applied issues concerning the association between interpersonal emotional behaviors and physical health and suggest opportunities for preventive interventions focused on specific emotions to help address major public health problems.

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“…Conflict in marriage is inevitable (Zeidner & Kloda, ), but changeable (Holly, Haase, & Levinson, ). Unfortunately, for couples who are unable to resolve their conflict either on their own or with the help of others, marital distress often arises (Karney & Bradbury, ).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Finer Distinctions: Variability in Satisfied Older Couples’ Problem‐Solving Behaviors

2015

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This study utilized observational and self-report data from 64 maritally satisfied and stable older couples to explore if there were meaningful differences in how couples approached marital disagreements. Using a typology approach to classify couples based on their behaviors in a 15-minute problem-solving interaction, findings revealed four types of couples: (1) problem solvers (characterized by both spouses' higher problem-solving skills and warmth), (2) supporters (characterized by both spouses' notable warmth), (3) even couples (characterized by both spouses' moderate problem-solving skills and warmth), and (4) cool couples (characterized by both spouses' greater negativity and lower problem-solving skills and warmth). Despite the differences in these behaviors, all couples had relatively high marital satisfaction and functioning. However, across nearly all indices, spouses in the cool couple cluster reported poorer marital functioning, particularly when compared to the problem solvers and supporters. These findings suggest that even modest doses of negativity (e.g., eye roll) may be problematic for some satisfied couples later in life. The implications of these typologies are discussed as they pertain to practitioners' efforts to tailor their approaches to a wider swath of the population.

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Age‐Related Changes in Demand‐Withdraw Communication Behaviors

Cited by 46 publications

References 99 publications

Communication accommodation competence: The nature and nurture of accommodative resources across the lifespan

Communication accommodation competence: The nature and nurture of accommodative resources across the lifespan

Interpersonal emotional behaviors and physical health: A 20-year longitudinal study of long-term married couples.

Finer Distinctions: Variability in Satisfied Older Couples’ Problem‐Solving Behaviors

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