Perceived Partner Confirmation, Depression Management Efforts, and Relationship Functioning in Committed Romantic Relationships

Abstract

Drawing upon confirmation theory, this study investigated the associations among perceived partner confirmation, depressed individuals' perceived partner confirmation, depression management efforts (DMEs), relationship satisfaction, and conflicts in committed romantic relationships. Regression analyses (n = 222) suggested that perceived partner acceptance related to greater relationship satisfaction and fewer conflicts. Perceived partner challenge was associated with greater DMEs, greater relationship satisfaction, but more conflicts. The combination of perceived acceptance and challenge was associated with greater DMEs and more conflicts. Lastly, depression severity moderated the association between DMEs and perceived partner confirmation. Results offered insights into how romantic partners could facilitate DMEs while maintaining relationship quality.

Keywords:

• Committed Romantic Relationships
• Confirmation
• Conflicts
• Depression Management Efforts
• Relationship Satisfaction

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the Center for Health Communication at the University of Texas at Austin for funding and supporting this project. The authors would also like to thank the anonymous reviewers and the journal editor for their constructive feedback on the manuscript.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

1. Since partner acceptance was not statistically associated with DMEs, we entered partner challenge as the independent variable for the convenience of decomposing the interaction effect of partner acceptance and challenge.

Additional information

Funding

This project was supported by research funding from the Center for Health Communication’s Mental Health & Health Communication Symposium at the University of Texas at Austin.