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AbstractObjectiveThe present study examines the impact of parents' perceptions of child‐related stress on observed couple communication and their self‐reported relationship satisfaction.BackgroundA considerable body of evidence indicates that challenges related to raising children can negatively affect parents' interactions and relationship satisfaction. Although some potentially underlying mechanisms have been explored in previous research, questions about the potential effect of child‐related stress on the interparental relationship remain open.MethodParents' perceptions of child‐related stress and relationship satisfaction were assessed in a convenience sample of 118 parental couples living in Switzerland. Additionally, the couples participated in a conflict conversation task to obtain an observational measure of couples' communication quality. Data were analyzed with an actor–partner interdependence mediation model.ResultsChild‐related stress among parents was directly linked to lower relationship satisfaction in both partners and one partner's child‐related stress was associated with the other partner's communication quality. The mediation analysis revealed that high levels of child‐related stress were linked with relationship satisfaction by impairing the other partner's communication quality.ConclusionThe study suggests that child‐related stress is among the challenges that may impair parents' relationship quality, partially mediated through worsened couple communication.ImplicationsThe findings support the potential benefits of prevention programs aimed at reducing child‐related stress and enhancing couple coping skills for maintaining parents' relationship satisfaction over time.

AbstractDyadic coping has repeatedly been associated with positive outcomes in intimate relationships. However, less is known about the prospective predictors of dyadic coping. This study investigates clarity of other's feelings (CoF) as a potential predictor of supportive dyadic coping in a longitudinal study. In a sample of 368 couples, self‐reported CoF and supportive dyadic coping perceived by the partner were assessed annually over 3 years. Results revealed that interpersonal differences in men and women's CoF are positively associated with interpersonal differences in supportive dyadic coping. Moreover, interpersonal differences in men's CoF predicted long‐term intrapersonal changes in supportive dyadic coping of both partners. Couple intervention programs might strengthen couple's dyadic coping skills by targeting men's understanding of their partner's feelings.

Abstract. This study investigated whether foster parents' reports of their dyadic coping competencies differ from biological parents, whether there are differences with regard to the temporal associations between maternal and paternal dyadic coping in the two samples, and whether parental dyadic coping competencies predict future mental health problems in children. A total of 94 foster children and 157 children living in their biological families, both samples aged 2–7 years, as well as their (foster) parents were assessed three times over a 12-month period. The mothers' and fathers' dyadic coping competencies were assessed using the Dyadic Coping Inventory (DCI). Child psychopathology was assessed using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and a standardized clinical interview (Kinder-DIPS), both mainly based on maternal report. Foster parents reported better dyadic coping competencies across the three assessments than did biological parents. There were no significant differences with regard to the temporal associations between mothers' and fathers' report over time between the two samples. Cross-lagged panel models yielded a high within person stability across the three assessments for both, mothers and fathers (actor effects), as well as some significant interpersonal effects primarily from paternal to maternal dyadic coping (partner effects). In contrast to the expectation, mothers' and fathers' dyadic coping did not predict child mental health problems at the third assessment. The results make an important contribution to the research on dyadic coping and on how child mental health problems affect parental dyadic coping competencies and vice versa.

AbstractRomantic partners have different attitudes on what love is and what it means to be in a romantic relationship. These attitudes are conceptualized as love styles that relate to relationship‐maintenance behaviors and relationship satisfaction. Specifically, love styles could be associated with how partners cope with stress (dyadic coping), which in turn may be associated with relationship satisfaction. Using self‐report data from 92 heterosexual couples, findings showed that: (a) eros and agape love styles have positive direct effects on dyadic coping and relationship satisfaction, whereas ludus has a negative direct effect on dyadic coping and relationship satisfaction and (b) dyadic coping partially mediated the association between love styles and relationship satisfaction. Overall, associations were stronger for women than for men.