Abstract
While research evidence has consistently demonstrated the link between social relationships and psychological distress, there is debate over the strength of perceived emotional support compared with perceived negative interaction on psychological distress and whether the relation between social relationships and psychological distress is direct or moderating. In this study, we examined the relation between partner emotional support, partner negative interaction, and trauma on psychological distress. Our sample of married or romantically partnered people was drawn from a nationally representative U.S. data set ( N = 5,383). The direct effects of romantic partner emotional support and romantic partner negative interaction on psychological distress were evaluated and compared. Further, we evaluated the moderating effects of partner emotional support and partner negative interaction on the relation between trauma history and psychological distress. Hierarchical regression models revealed that (a) people exposed to trauma experienced greater psychological distress, (b) partner emotional support was linked with reduced distress, (c) partner negative interaction was linked with increased distress, (d) partner negative interaction accounted for more variance in psychological distress compared with partner emotional support, and (e) neither partner emotional support nor partner negative interaction moderated the relation between trauma and distress. These findings indicate that partner negative interaction has a stronger relation with psychological distress than partner emotional support. Further, they support the direct effects of social relationships on psychological distress over the moderating effects.
Published Version
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