Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
951436 | Journal of Research in Personality | 2013 | 10 Pages |
We examined actor and partner effects of self-esteem on relationship satisfaction, using the actor-partner interdependence model and data from five independent samples of couples. The results indicated that self-esteem predicted the individual’s own relationship satisfaction (i.e., an actor effect) and the relationship satisfaction of his or her partner (i.e., a partner effect), controlling for the effect of the partner’s self-esteem. Gender, age, and length of relationship did not moderate the effect sizes. Moreover, using one of the samples, we tested whether secure attachment to the current partner (assessed as low attachment-related anxiety and avoidance) mediated the effects. The results showed that attachment-related anxiety and avoidance independently mediated both the actor and the partner effect of self-esteem on relationship satisfaction.
► Self-esteem had both actor and partner effects on relationship satisfaction. ► The pattern of results replicated across five independent samples of couples. ► Effects held for men and women, and across age and length of relationship. ► Secure attachment to the current partner mediated both actor and partner effects. ► Self-esteem is linked in a truly dyadic way to satisfaction in close relationships.