Gathering leading thinkers in social and clinical psychology, public health, medicine, and sociology, Interpersonal Relationships and Health considers theoretical and empirical issues relevant to understanding the social and clinical psychological mechanisms linking close relationship processes with mental and physical health outcomes. The volume arises out of a recent explosion of interest, across multiple academic and research fields, in the ways that interpersonal relationships affect health and well-being. This volume pulls together a range of scholars who focus on different aspects of relationships and health in order to encourage both collaboration and cross-disciplinary initiatives. This is the first edited volume to pull together noted experts across myriad disciplines whose research is at the intersection of human relationships and health. Topics addressed include key biological processes that influence and, in turn, are influenced by close relationships. Interpersonal Relationships and Health presents research that demonstrates the connections between interpersonal relationships, mental and physical health outcomes, and biophysical markers that figure prominently in the fields of psychoneuroimmunology, endocrinology, and cardiology. In addition, it highlights recent work on marital, family, and social relationships and their interplay with health and well-being. Chapters also address sexual health among young and older adults, as well as clinical intervention efforts that focus on the role of relational factors in influencing health. Each chapter highlights extant theoretical and empirical findings and suggests future avenues for research in this burgeoning area.

Gathering leading thinkers in social and clinical psychology, public health, medicine, and sociology, 'Interpersonal Relationships and Health' considers theoretical and empirical issues relevant to understanding the social and clinical psychological mechanisms linking close relationship processes with mental and physical health outcomes.

Gathering leading thinkers in social and clinical psychology, public health, medicine, and sociology, Interpersonal Relationships and Health considers theoretical and empirical issues relevant to understanding the social and clinical psychological mechanisms linking close relationship processes with mental and physical health outcomes. The volume arises out of a recent explosion of interest, across multiple academic and research fields, in the ways that interpersonal relationships affect health and well-being. This volume pulls together a range of scholars who focus on different aspects of relationships and health in order to encourage both collaboration and cross-disciplinary initiatives. This is the first edited volume to pull together noted experts across myriad disciplines whose research is at the intersection of human relationships and health. Topics addressed include key biological processes that influence and, in turn, are influenced by close relationships. Interpersonal Relationships and Health presents research that demonstrates the connections between interpersonal relationships, mental and physical health outcomes, and biophysical markers that figure prominently in the fields of psychoneuroimmunology, endocrinology, and cardiology. In addition, it highlights recent work on marital, family, and social relationships and their interplay with health and well-being. Chapters also address sexual health among young and older adults, as well as clinical intervention efforts that focus on the role of relational factors in influencing health. Each chapter highlights extant theoretical and empirical findings and suggests future avenues for research in this burgeoning area.

This study investigated the relationship between loneliness, social risk-taking, health-related behavior, and physical and mental health in 91 first-year Finnish university students. Data were obtained from two instruments: the Differential Loneliness Scale (DLS) and the Social Risk-Taking Scale (SRT). The DLS measures individuals' satisfaction with interpersonal relationships in four areas--romantic-sexual, friendships, and familial and community relationships. The SRT assesses the degree of comfort experienced by an individual in a variety of social situations. The results indicated a moderate relationship between the DLS, the SRT scales, and a self-rated loneliness measure on the one hand and a mental health index on the other. Social psychological variables were found to be more closely linked to mental health than physical health, and the relationships were generally stronger for females than for males. (Author/JD)

How do you respond to the distress of a man who is sitting before you, in his own flat, towels draped around his shoulders, newspaper wedged beneath the brim of his hat, an upturned frying pan over his hat and a partially filled washing-up bowl balanced on top of the frying pan? He holds the bowl with one hand and a cigarette in the other, while he force fully proclaims the secret services have placed someone in the flat above to drop radioactive dust down on him all day and all night. To start with, you could offer him a light for his cigarette. The most likely medical response would be to consider increasing his antipsychotic medicine, though a cursory glance at his medical history suggests that inpatient admissions and large mUltiple prescriptions of injections and tablets have failed to eradicate the distressing fears that the secret services have occupied the ward above. Perhaps all the increased medication will achieve is to stop him going upstairs intent on retribu tion. It may even leaden his limbs sufficiently to make his current balanc ing act too difficult to sustain.

This volume summarizes and organizes a growing body of research supporting the role of motivation in adaptive and rewarding interpersonal interactions with others. The field of human motivation is rapidly growing but most studies have focused on the effects of motivation on individuals' personal happiness and task engagement. Only recently have theorists and empiricists begun to recognize that dispositional and state motivations impact the ways individuals approach interpersonal interactions. In addition, researchers are now recognizing that the quality of interpersonal interactions influences consequent happiness and task engagement, thus helping to explain previous findings to this end. Similarly social psychology and relationships researchers have focused on the impact of cognitions, emotions, and behaviors on people's relationships. In their work, relationships researchers demonstrate that both contextual characteristics and individual differences influence the quality of interactions. Many of these studies seek to understand which characteristics strengthen the bonds between people, encourage empathy and trust and create a sense of well-being after a close interaction. This work seeks to integrate the field of human motivation and interpersonal relationships. Both fields have seen extensive growth in the past decade and each can contribute to the other. However, no single compiled work is available that targets both fields. This is the case, in part because only now is there enough work to make a strong and compelling case for their integration. In the previous years, research has been conducted to show that motivation is relevant and important for interactions among strangers and in close relationships. In addition developmental mechanisms for these relations are identified and mechanisms by which motivation strengthens people's relationships. Finally recent work has demonstrated the many implications for interpersonal relationships, showing that motivation impacts a range of interpersonal processes from prejudice regulation and objectification of others to empathy and care. This book seeks to summarize and organize all these findings and present them in a way that is relevant to both motivation researchers and social and relationship researchers.

Abstract: An instructional text for health professionals (1) describes the processes by which people perceive one another and make and maintain relationships; (2) discusses the interactions between cognitive learning and personal meaningful experiences; (3) emphasizes the assessment and improvement of specific interpersonal skills in perception, evaluation, and communication; and (4) presents a detailed accounting of interpersonal behavior situations in health care organizations. The 17 text chapters are fo cused on 3 areas including mechanisms to aid the health professional in perceiving and understanding self and others; criteria for assessment of the associations between perception and communication; and mechanisms and skills for the promotion of satisfactory relationships for health professionals in their interpersonal communicative interactions. (wz).

Abstract: A handbook for health professionals describes a model for the development of interpersonal communication. The authors suggest that interpersonal communication skills can be improved by practicing a series of exercises that lead to mastery of the model. The first 12 chapters discuss: rationale for model development, learning how to learn, perceiving and communicating, and problem solving. The remaining chapters focus on anger, other communication situations, and effective responses to various types of communication (gossip, griping). Six appendices provide supplemental materials to assist in independent study. This basic text can be used for training small groups or classes and is appropriate for both preservice and inservice training. (kbc).

Discusses contemporary research that examines the ways that close relationships are involved in, and affected by, health and wellness.