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Actor‐Partner Effects and the Differential Roles of Depression and Anxiety in Intimate Relationships: A Cross‐Sectional and Longitudinal Analysis
Author(s) -
Rehman Uzma S.,
Evraire Lyndsay E.,
Karimiha Gelareh,
Goodnight Jackson A.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/jclp.22162
Subject(s) - psychology , anxiety , depression (economics) , cross sectional study , clinical psychology , longitudinal study , developmental psychology , differential effects , psychiatry , medicine , pathology , economics , macroeconomics
Objective The purpose of the present study was to investigate the differential roles of depression and anxiety in intimate relationship satisfaction, both cross‐sectionally and longitudinally. Method The cross‐sectional sample comprised 70 couples, of which 48 couples also participated at follow‐up. All couples completed measures of relationship satisfaction and symptoms of depression and anxiety. Results Cross‐sectionally, actor symptoms of depression were the only predictor of relationship satisfaction, after controlling for symptoms of anxiety. Conversely, depressive symptoms did not predict change in relationship satisfaction over time above and beyond the effects of anxiety. Instead, actor symptoms of anxiety at time 1 predicted a decline in relationship satisfaction from time 1 to time 2. For wives, their husbands’ levels of anxiety at time 1 also predicted longitudinal change in relationship satisfaction. Conclusion These results highlight the importance of studying the constructs of depression and anxiety simultaneously, and point to intriguing gender differences.