ABSTRACT
In this study, we aimed to examine the actor and partner effects of overcommitment on depression in dual-earner couples and the potential mediating role of emotional exhaustion at the actor and partner levels. With a cross-sectional design, 172 dual-earner couples in Chongqing, China, completed the measures of overcommitment, emotional exhaustion, and depression. The results showed that (a) overcommitment has a significant actor effect on depression for the husband and wife, and there were gender differences in the partner effects; that is, a wife’s overcommitment has a significant partner effect on the husband’s depression, while a husband’s partner effect was not significant; (b) emotional exhaustion mediated the effects of overcommitment on depression for both husbands and wives at the actor level, while at the partner level, only a wife’s exhaustion mediated the partner effect of a wife’s overcommitment on a husband’s depression. Focusing on couples’ interdependence, these results enriched the understanding of the relationship between overcommitment and depression within dual-earner couples.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Data availability statement
The data used to support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon request.