title: Affective synchrony in dual- and single-smoker couples: further evidence of "symptom-system fit"?
abstract: Couples in which one or both partners smoked despite one of them having a heart or lung problem discussed a health-related disagreement before and during a period of laboratory smoking. Immediately afterwards, the partners in these 25 couples used independent joysticks to recall their continuous emotional experience during the interaction while watching themselves on video. A couple-level index of affective synchrony, reflecting correlated moment-to-moment change in the two partners' joystick ratings, tended to increase from baseline to smoking for 9 dual-smoker couples but decrease for 16 single-smoker couples. Results suggest that coregulation of shared emotional experience could be a factor in smoking persistence, particularly when both partners in a couple smoke. Relationship-focused interventions addressing this fit between symptom and system may help smokers achieve stable cessation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, PO Box 210068, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA. michaelr@u.arizona.edu
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Rohrbaugh
authors.forename: Varda
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Shoham
authors.forename: Emily A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Butler
authors.forename: Brant P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Hasler
authors.forename: Jeffrey S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Berman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D054541:Family Conflict; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012907:Smoking; D018454:Spouses; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution; D014743:Videotape Recording
chemical_list: D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution