Abstract
Previous research suggests that people in close relationships with depressed others are at heightened risk for developing depression themselves. This phenomenon has been termed contagious depression. The purpose of the current investigation was twofold: (1) to more rigorously test a direct contagion model by controlling for concurrent relationship satisfaction, and (2) to examine reassurance-seeking as a potential moderator of contagion. Undergraduate dating couples (N = 105) completed measures of depression, relationship satisfaction, and reassurance-seeking tendencies. Results suggested a significant correspondence between partners' levels of depressive symptoms, even after controlling for relationship satisfaction. Further, reassurance-seeking tendencies moderated contagion within couples. That is, high reassurance-seeking target individuals were more vulnerable to contagion via their partners than low reassurance-seeking targets. Directions for future research are discussed.
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