Appraisal Detection Bias and Well‐Being in Close Relationships: Couples Experiencing Assisted Reproduction Treatment

Abstract

Communication between partners about each other's individual stress appraisals is considered to be pivotal for dyadic coping. So far, very little effort has been made to investigate the effects of accurate or biased detection of the partner's stress appraisals. On the basis of a dyadic stress model we predicted low appraisal detection bias among partners to be associated with better emotional well‐being. Furthermore, we predicted appraisal detection bias to moderate the relationship between received support and well‐being. Indicators of affect and depressive symptoms, spousal emotional support, and self‐ and partner‐rated stress appraisals from 80 couples were assessed at two points in time during early phases of assisted reproduction treatment (in‐vitro fertilisation and intracytoplasmatic sperm injection). Results indicated a protective effect of low appraisal detection bias on partners' affect. Contrary to our prediction, little or no appraisal detection bias in support‐providing partners and higher emotional support were associated with an increase of depressive symptoms in support‐receiving partners. These findings are discussed in light of research on stress‐increasing effects of received social support.