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Family process
12, 2023;62 (4): 1555-1573.

Emotion dysregulation and couple relationship satisfaction of clinical couples: An actor-partner interdependence model.

Min Xu, Lee N Johnson, Shayne R Anderson, Quintin Hunt, Angela B Bradford, Alyssa Banford Witting, Roy Bean, Rick B Miller
Author Information
  1. Min Xu: Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA. ORCID
  2. Lee N Johnson: Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA.
  3. Shayne R Anderson: Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA. ORCID
  4. Quintin Hunt: Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA.
  5. Angela B Bradford: Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA.
  6. Alyssa Banford Witting: Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA. ORCID
  7. Roy Bean: Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA. ORCID
  8. Rick B Miller: Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA.
PMID: 36281780 DOI: 10.1111/famp.12828

Abstract

Despite the pivotal role that emotion regulation is thought to occupy for individual and relational wellbeing, emotion regulation in couples has been surprisingly understudied. With a clinical sample consisting of 275 couples starting therapy from 2017 to 2022, this study sought to clarify the actor and partner effects of clinical couples' emotion dysregulation on relationship satisfaction. Our results showed that, for partners' emotion dysregulation dimensions, while impulse control difficulties, lack of emotional awareness, and limited emotion regulation strategies were negatively predictive of couple relationship satisfaction, nonacceptance of negative emotions had a positive association with relationship satisfaction. Further, compared with other dimensions of emotion dysregulation, female limited emotion regulation strategies were greater predictors of decreased female relationship satisfaction. We also found significant gender differences in partners' emotion dysregulation dimensions and relationship satisfaction. These results show the significance of addressing emotion dysregulation for both partners at intra- and inter-personal levels simultaneously in couple therapy. Notably, the 275 couples in our sample did not report a clinically distressed relationship, though they attended at least one couple therapy session. Clinical implications and directions for future study are discussed.

Keywords

actor-partner interdependence model couple therapy emotion dysregulation emotion regulation dimensions relationship satisfaction 主客体互倚模型 伴侣治疗 关系满意度 情绪失调 情绪调节维度

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MeSH Term

Humans
Female
Emotions
Emotional Regulation
Couples Therapy
Personal Satisfaction
Surveys and Questionnaires
Sexual Partners
Interpersonal Relations
Journal Article
Article has an altmetric score of 5

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