Contact With an Ex-Partner Is Associated With Psychological Distress After Marital Separation

• Published in: Clinical psychological science 2020-05, Vol.8 (3), p.450-463
• Main Authors: O’Hara, Karey L., Grinberg, Austin M., Tackman, Allison M., Mehl, Matthias R., Sbarra, David A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2167-7026; 2167-7034
• DOI: 10.1177/2167702620916454

In this study, we examined the association between naturalistically observed in-person contact with an ex-partner and separation-related psychological distress (SRPD). One hundred twenty-two recently separated adults were assessed using the Electronically Activated Recorder on three occasions across 5 months. The association between in-person contact with an ex-partner, as a between-person variable, and concurrent SRPD was not reliably different from zero, nor was the time-varying effect of in-person contact. However, more frequent in-person contact with an ex-partner predicted higher SRPD 2 months later, above and beyond the variance accounted for by concurrent in-person contact, demographic, relationship, and attachment factors. Follow-up analyses showed that this effect was present only for people without children; a 1 SD increase in in-person contact offset and slowed the predicted decline in SRPD over 2 months by 112%. In our discussion, we emphasize new ways to think about the role of in-person contact in shaping adults’ psychological adjustment to separation over time.