Daily relationship satisfaction and depressed mood: The moderating roles of support satisfaction, over- and underprovision.

Abstract

Research on the impact of romantic partner social support on depressed mood and relationship satisfaction focuses primarily on the discrepancies between actual and desired frequency of support behaviors, which are conceptualized as social support over- and underprovision. However, frequency counts of support behaviors neglect other potentially important qualities of those behaviors, such as whether the support behaviors, however frequent, are satisfying, or even occurring in relevant domains. In the present study, 62 opposite-sex couples completed daily online questionnaires to assess their depressed mood, relationship satisfaction, actual and desired frequency of emotional/esteem, informational, tangible, and physical support as well as satisfaction with their partner's support. Results of lagged, multilevel moderation analyses showed that satisfaction with prior-day informational, physical, and tangible support was associated with a greater decrease in relationship satisfaction if partners had reported an increase in prior-day depressive symptoms. In addition, overprovision of prior-day tangible support mitigated the negative impact of prior-day depressed mood on relationship satisfaction and vice versa. These results are consistent with prior research on the bidirectional nature of the association between depressed mood and relationship satisfaction, and clarify the role of frequency of and satisfaction with support behaviors in relationships. Recommendations for couples therapists working with depressed partners focus on emphasizing gradual changes in support behaviors to avoid overwhelming the partner reporting depressed mood and encouraging tangible support provision between partners who report depressed or relational distress. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).