Kenneth G. Rice

Object: The current study examines whether and how self‐disclosure, the voluntary sharing of personal thoughts and feelings, explains the behavioral processes through which two dimensions of perfectionism, the drive for perfection (i.e., perfectionistic strivings) and worry about imperfection (i.e., perfectionistic concerns), are associated with both partners' marital satisfaction in different ways.Background: Although many studies identified the contrasting effects of different dimensions of perfectionism on relationship quality, only a few clearly examined the interpersonal mechanism underlying their distinct effects in a dyadic context. This study aimed to address this research gap.Method: The study recruited a dyadic sample of 158 mixed‐gender married couples from South Korea to investigate their levels of (a) perfectionistic strivings and concerns, (b) self‐disclosure, and (c) marital satisfaction using a pencil‐and‐paper survey. Data were analyzed using the actor–partner interdependence mediation model (APIMeM) within a structural equation modeling framework.Results: Perfectionistic strivings were associated with being more open to sharing personal thoughts and feelings (i.e., higher self‐disclosure), which in turn predicted higher marital satisfaction for the person exhibiting them and their partner. Conversely, perfectionistic concerns were linked to being less likely to share personal thoughts and feelings, which in turn predicted lower marital satisfaction for both partners.Conclusion: These results reveal that each partner's self‐disclosure significantly explained the processes by which perfectionistic strivings and concerns predicted higher or lower levels of couples' marital satisfaction, respectively.

This study implemented a culturally sensitive approach to understanding self-concept clarity and relationship breakup distress reported by emerging adults in Argentina and the USA. Due to cultural tendencies involving individuality and interpersonal connections, we expected that country would moderate the association between self-concept clarity and breakup distress, with Argentinians showing a stronger inverse association between self-concept clarity and breakup distress compared to North Americans. In a sample of 270 emerging adults (160 from Argentina, 110 from the USA), we first evaluated measurement invariance then used a structural model to test breakup distress regressed on self-concept clarity. The major analyses controlled for six relationship breakup-related potential confounds. Contrary to expectations, results indicated that North Americans demonstrated a stronger negative relationship between self-concept clarity and breakup distress compared to Argentinians. Our findings highlight the importance of further cross-cultural research in understanding the complexities of self-concept clarity in diverse cultural contexts.

We investigate the causal effects of religious service attendance on prosocial behaviours using longitudinal data from a nationally representative sample of 33,198 New Zealanders collected between 2018 and 2021. Our study innovates in three ways: (1) we use longitudinal rather than cross-sectional data; (2) we incorporate measures of help received alongside self-reported giving; and (3) our statistical models are designed to address causal questions, rather than simply to describe change over time. We model causal contrasts for three hypothetical interventions – increasing, decreasing, or maintaining religious service attendance – and assess their effects on eight distinct prosocial domains. Study 1 focuses on self-reported charitable donations and volunteering. Studies 2 and 3 examine receiving help – both personal and financial – from family, friends, and the wider community. Across all analyses, we find that the causal effects of religious service attendance are notably smaller than cross-sectional correlations suggest. However, even modest increases in regular attendance would result in charitable donations equivalent to approximately 4% of the New Zealand Government’s annual spending – a considerable public benefit. By applying robust methods for causal inference to national-scale panel data, our study provides insights that can inform public policy about the social functions of religious participation and advances a methodological framework for investigating the social consequences of cultural practices.

Short empirically-supported scales or individual items are preferred in comprehensive surveys, brief screeners, and experience sampling studies. To that end, we examined the Short Almost Perfect Scale (SAPS) to evaluate empirical support for the interchangeability of items to measure perfectionistic strivings (Standards) and perfectionistic concerns (Discrepancy). Based on a large and diverse sample (N = 1,103) and tests of tau-equivalence (equal factor loadings) for each respective set of items, Study 1 advanced a subset of SAPS items to measure Standards (2 items) and Discrepancy (3 items). Cross-sectional gender and race/ethnicity invariance were supported, and in structural equations analyses, the SAPS5 factors were significantly associated with depression, state anxiety, life satisfaction, and gratitude. Study 2 cross-validated Study 1 measurement and structural findings with a new U.S. sample (N = 803). The three items representing the Discrepancy (perfectionistic concerns) factor also were supported in a cross-national comparison between the U.S. sample and a scale development sample in New Zealand (N = 3,921). For the most part, across both studies and all analyses, the three Discrepancy items were empirically interchangeable indicators of perfectionistic concerns and comparably strong predictors of psychological outcomes, supporting their use in studies or other contexts with space or time restrictions for measurement.

The COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected mental health worldwide and college students were particularly vulnerable to its adverse effects. This longitudinal study was designed to highlight and compare the COVID experiences of college students in Argentina and the USA (N = 361). Specifically, we examined individual factors (gender, emotional regulation, and social support) assessed prior to the pandemic for their role as predictors or moderators of COVID-fear and psychological stress during the first months of the pandemic. The results supported measurement invariance for brief measures of COVID-fear and indicated that, overall, COVID-fear was highest during the second wave of the study (March–April 2020), lowest during the third wave (June 2020), and then rose again during the fourth wave (September 2020). Several interaction effects emerged, revealing important country-level differences in COVID-fear effects for the emotion regulation and social support factors. More so in the Argentina sample than in the USA sample, higher levels of social support at Time 1 were associated with increases in the effect of COVID-fear on stress among students. We discussed the implications of these and other findings for future cross-cultural pandemic-related stress studies.

The purpose of this study was to test if perceived social support and self-compassion will interact to reduce the magnitude of the bivariate relationship (buffering effect) between cumulative trauma and trauma symptoms after controlling for gender and age among college students. As part of a broader research project conducted between 2018 and 2019, we collected data via online surveys from a sample of 551 undergraduate students at a public university in the southern region of the US. After data cleaning, the study included 538 participants (representing 97.6% of the original dataset), ensuring a diverse representation across various ethnicities and genders. The three-way interaction model accounted for 38.61% of the variance in PTSD symptoms. In detail, with high levels of perceived social support, there was a significant difference in the buffering effects of perceived social support on the trauma–PTSD association between high and low self-compassion. Conversely, at high levels of self-compassion, perceived social support did not significantly influence the buffering effect of self-compassion. This study underscores the critical role of self-compassion in enhancing the protective effect of high-level perceived social support against PTSD symptoms following cumulative trauma.