Relational turbulence theory posits that external changes to the relational environment compel romantic partners to navigate transitions by establishing new daily routines as interdependent couples. The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented transition fraught with difficult changes that have the potential to be especially disruptive to romantic partners’ daily routines as couples alter their patterns of interdependence and adapt their everyday lives. To study the pandemic’s effect as a relational transition, college students in romantic relationships ( N = 314) completed measures of partner facilitation and interference, negative emotions, and relational turbulence as they recalled what their relationships were like prior to the pandemic (January, 2020) and then reported on their relationships during the peak of the first wave of the pandemic in the U.S. (April, 2020). On average, negative emotions (i.e., anger, fear, sadness) toward interacting with partners and relational turbulence both increased from before to during the pandemic, and partner interference was positively correlated, whereas facilitation was inversely correlated, with negative emotions during the pandemic. Results of a within-subjects mediation model revealed that changes in relational turbulence were explained, in part, by a decrease in partner interdependence due to the pandemic. A direct effect of the pandemic on increases in relational turbulence was also discovered.

The management of information in close relationships plays a critical role in our well‐being (e.g., S. Petronio, 2002). Since relational partners often desire to be “in the know” about one another, the relative absence of inquiry into the process of information seeking in close relationships is puzzling. Recently, W. Ickes, J. W. Dugosh, J. A. Simpson, and C. L. Wilson (2003) examined that process and showed important ways in which the motivation to acquire relationship‐threatening information may be harmful to relationships. We extend their work and apply the newly developed Theory of Motivated Information Management (W. A. Afifi, & Weiner, 2004) to close relationships. In addition, we test the consequences of information seeking for short‐term changes in relationship commitment. Two hundred and twenty‐two participants thought of something that their relational partner did or said for which they wanted more information, then completed 2 surveys, 3 weeks apart, measuring cognitive and behavioral factors related to the information‐management process. Results reveal several factors that influence the seeking of information in close relationships (e.g., issue importance, anxiety, expected outcomes, and perceived efficacy), show benefits of an indirect search for information in the face of negative expectancies, and suggest several directions for future research.

Relational Turbulence Theory proposes that when romantic partners interrupt everyday routines in response to transitions, affective arousal will be heightened in the form of more intense emotions. The goal of this study was to test this theoretical logic in a married sample of 165 spouses during the initial peak of the COVID-19 pandemic (April, 2020). Participants completed an online survey measuring how often their spouse interfered with their daily routines, the negative emotions they experienced when interacting with their spouse, and how much turbulence they perceived in the marriage. Results of a parallel multiple mediation model provided support for the theory in the context of this global pandemic; anger and sadness toward the spouse independently mediated the effect of interference from that spouse on relational turbulence in the marriage.

Research has identified emotions as key components of the deception process . Yet, examining emotions in conjunction with deception has been branded an underresearched area (Seiter & Bruschke, 2007). The goal of this study was to discover if relational qualities (commitment and satisfaction) and the type of deceptive message communicated (lie, evasion, overstatement, concealment, or collusion) related to feelings of guilt and shame following deception. Participants were asked to recall the most recent time they deceived their romantic partner, describe the lie, and complete relational quality and emotional response measures. Results indicate that the type of deceptive message communicated was not related to relational qualities. Further, feelings of guilt and shame did not differ based on type of deception. However, results indicate positive relationships between the emotional experiences of guilt and shame and relational qualities of commitment and satisfaction. Implications, limitations, and future research are discussed.Relational partners have a number of behavioral expectations of one another. Of these, honesty is particularly salient. Prior to entering into a relationship, honesty has been identified as a desirable and attractive partner characteristic (

To investigate how individuals seek and disclose information related to testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in sexual relationships, this study utilizes the revised theory of motivated information management (TMIM; Afifi & Morse, 2009). As part of a longitudinal design, 199 participants completed questionnaires assessing TMIM constructs. The hypothesized model was supported for individuals as seekers and providers of information regarding STI testing behaviors, and efficacy emerged as a mediator of seekers' negative emotional response and indirect information seeking and of providers' outcome expectancies and indirect information provision. Findings from this investigation support the workings of the revised TMIM and illustrate the importance of efficacy in information management decisions regarding STI testing behaviors between sexual partners.