Theoretical and methodological issues in relationship research

Abstract

Family and relationship researchers ask research questions at the dyadic- or family level, yet analyses are often conducted at the individual level. We review theoretical perspectives relative to studying families and dyads and note how they are connected with dyadic analysis techniques. We note differences in theoretical assumptions underlying the actor–partner interdependence model, the common fate model (CFM), and hybrid models that combine features of both and distinguish between the types of questions each addresses. Using third grade, sixth grade, and age 15 data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (N = 732), we illustrate the value of using CFM and hybrid models to explore how family chaos is associated with couple conflict resolution and child behavior problems. Dyadic- and family-level analyses may offer additional insight into family functioning, and we provide recommendations for the use of CFM in furthering this line of inquiry.

Antecedents and consequences of parental psychological control and autonomy support: The role of psychological basic needs

“…Although studies that use observational assessments of controlling and supportive parenting are needed, in our view, it remains important to continue assessing family members' own perceptions and representations of the family climate, because these perceptions may most directly affect family members' functioning gathering information from a variety of sources in the assessment of behaviour, in fact, increases the reliability and validity of assessments, especially in children and adolescent samples (Shishido, & Latzman, 2017) and the use of APIM procedures integrate the differences in the meaning for different reporters (Galovan, Holmes, & Proulx, 2016 …”

Strong Relationality and Ethical Responsiveness: A Framework and Conceptual Model for Family Science

“…Furthermore, our strongly relational model suggests a greater focus on the "we" rather than the "I" in relationships. Therefore, scholars should more carefully consider both the level of measurement they use in their studies as well as the complex analytic techniques now available to explore the interconnectedness of individuals within the family, including the actor-partner-interdependence model, the common fate model, and other models appropriate for couple and family data (Galovan, Holmes, & Proulx, 2017).…”

Linking Stepfamily Functioning, Marital Quality, and Steprelationship Quality

“…That is, the statistically significant partner effects suggest that the partner's perception of marital confidence is associated with (and we suspect, exerts influence on) the actor's perception of stepfamily outcomes above and beyond the association between the actor's perception of marital confidence and stepfamily outcomes. Together, these findings provide further evidence for the importance and value of gathering data from multiple informants when conducting family research and using appropriate analytical approaches for statistically modeling family dynamics (Galovan, Holmes, & Proulx, ). Future investigations should collect information from additional family members (e.g.…”