Taylor G. Hill, David B. Allsop, K. Brenna Bagnell, Natalie O. Rosen
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Love in the Face of Loss: Associations Between Self-Compassion, Compassionate Love, and Sexual and Relationship Satisfaction in Couples Experiencing a Recent Pregnancy Loss
The demands of pregnancy loss may lead to an adjustment period, which can strain couples’ sexual and relationship satisfaction. Compassion is a mental health promotion tool that may buffer the effect of negative life events, such as pregnancy loss, on well-being. Nevertheless, it is not well-understood how self-compassion or compassion felt for a partner (i.e., compassionate love) are associated with sexual and relationship satisfaction in couples coping with a recent pregnancy loss. We aimed to examine how self-compassion and compassionate love are associated with sexual and relationship satisfaction in couples after pregnancy loss in a pre-registered, cross-sectional study of couples (N = 138) who experienced a loss in the last 4 months. Using structural equation modeling and controlling for age and relationship and loss characteristics, we found no associations between either couple member’s self-compassion and their own or their partners’ sexual and relationship satisfaction. However, for individuals who were pregnant when the loss occurred, higher compassionate love was associated with their own and their partner’s greater sexual and relationship satisfaction. For individuals who were not pregnant, greater compassionate love was associated with their own higher relationship satisfaction (but not that of their partner). Fostering compassion for one’s partner may be a target for intervention post-loss to strengthen couples’ relational well-being after a pregnancy loss.
期刊介绍：
The international peer-reviewed Journal of Happiness Studies is devoted to theoretical and applied advancements in all areas of well-being research. It covers topics referring to both the hedonic and eudaimonic perspectives characterizing well-being studies. The former includes the investigation of cognitive dimensions such as satisfaction with life, and positive affect and emotions. The latter includes the study of constructs and processes related to optimal psychological functioning, such as meaning and purpose in life, character strengths, personal growth, resilience, optimism, hope, and self-determination. In addition to contributions on appraisal of life-as-a-whole, the journal accepts papers investigating these topics in relation to specific domains, such as family, education, physical and mental health, and work.
The journal welcomes high-quality theoretical and empirical submissions in the fields of economics, psychology and sociology, as well as contributions from researchers in the domains of education, medicine, philosophy and other related fields.
The Journal of Happiness Studies provides a forum for three main areas in happiness research: 1) theoretical conceptualizations of well-being, happiness and the good life; 2) empirical investigation of well-being and happiness in different populations, contexts and cultures; 3) methodological advancements and development of new assessment instruments.
The journal addresses the conceptualization, operationalization and measurement of happiness and well-being dimensions, as well as the individual, socio-economic and cultural factors that may interact with them as determinants or outcomes.
Central Questions include, but are not limited to:
Conceptualization:
What meanings are denoted by terms like happiness and well-being?
How do these fit in with broader conceptions of the good life?
Operationalization and Measurement:
Which methods can be used to assess how people feel about life?
How to operationalize a new construct or an understudied dimension in the well-being domain?
What are the best measures for investigating specific well-being related constructs and dimensions?
Prevalence and causality
Do individuals belonging to different populations and cultures vary in their well-being ratings?
How does individual well-being relate to social and economic phenomena (characteristics, circumstances, behavior, events, and policies)?
What are the personal, social and economic determinants and causes of individual well-being dimensions?
Evaluation:
What are the consequences of well-being for individual development and socio-economic progress?
Are individual happiness and well-being worthwhile goals for governments and policy makers?
Does well-being represent a useful parameter to orient planning in physical and mental healthcare, and in public health?
Interdisciplinary studies:
How has the study of happiness developed within and across disciplines?
Can we link philosophical thought and empirical research?
What are the biological correlates of well-being dimensions?
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