Affectivity and satisfaction in the relationship of Pakistani couples is mediated by dyadic coping-based gratitude

Abstract

A substantial body of research supports a positive association between interpersonal gratitude and relationship satisfaction in couples; however, dyadic coping-based gratitude (DC-G) has not been investigated from a dyadic stress and coping perspective. The current study aimed to investigate the mediating role of DC-G between trait affectivity and relationship satisfaction in couples. We collected data from both members of dyads (N = 300 married couples) for the study variables as a pre-requisite for conducting dyadic data analysis using an actor–partner interdependent mediation model (APIMeM). The findings suggest that husbands' positive affect significantly predicted wives' relationship satisfaction via DC-G (actor–partner effect). However, the mediating effect of DC-G appeared to be stronger for the actor–actor and partner–partner effects compared with the cross-partner effect, which supports the actor-only effect. Further, wives' DC-G mediated between husbands' negative affect and wives' relationship satisfaction, suggesting a mediating effect of DC-G for wives but not for husbands. The implications are discussed within the context of couples' relationships.