Dyadic Cross-Sectional Associations Between Negative Mood, Marital Idealization, and Relationship Quality

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to evaluate (a) dyadic associations between relationship quality (RQ) and both depressive and anxious mood (DM and AM), (b) reciprocity hypotheses of negative mood within dyadic interactions, and (c) mediational role of marital idealization between negative mood and relationship quality. Actor-partner interdependence models (APIMs) were performed using data from a sample of 198 dyads. Our results showed that (a) these two facets of negative mood did not have the same weight on RQ and that they had a gender-specific effects pattern, and (b) there was no support for the mood transmission hypothesis. Men's DM displayed direct and indirect (via marital idealization) actor as well as partner effects on RQ, whereas women's DM displayed only a direct actor effect on RQ. There were no significant direct actor effects of AM on RQ, meaning that this link is fully mediated by marital idealization. However, only women's AM showed such indirect effects on RQ.

KEYWORDS:

• Negative mood
• marital idealization
• mood reciprocity
• relationship quality
• dyadic analysis

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kamel Gana

Kamel Gana is a professor at the University of Bordeaux (France). His current research interests are psychology of aging, marital relationship, dyadic coping and psychosomatic pathways highlighting.

Yaël Saada

Yaëel Saada is a psychology doctor at the University of Bordeaux. Her work focuses mainly on marital relationship, psychology of aging, positive affect and well-treatment improvement issues.

Guillaume Broc

Guillaume Broc is an INSERM post-doctoral research fellow actively involved at the University of Bordeaux in psychosomatic, decision-making, psychosocial adaptation and well being research interests.

Michèle Koleck

Michèle Koleck is a master of conferences at the University of Bordeaux. Affiliated with the INSERM research center, her main research areas are self-management education, dyadic coping and chronic disease.

Christophe Cazauvieilh

Christophe Cazauvieilh is a clinical health psychologist. He combines liberal profession with work on his doctoral thesis at the University of Bordeaux. His current research interests are assessment and improvement of psychotherapies.