Feeling low and unhappy together? An actor-partner-interdependence model uncovering the linkage between different operationalizations of relationship quality and depression in different-sex couples

Aguilar-Raab, Corina ; Winter, Friederike ; Jarczok, Marc N. ; Ditzen, Beate ; Warth, Marco

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DOI:	https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0274756
URL:	https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.13...
URN:	urn:nbn:de:bsz:180-madoc-675628
Document Type:	Article
Year of publication:	2022
The title of a journal, publication series:	PLOS ONE
Volume:	17
Issue number:	11, Article e0274756
Page range:	1-17
Place of publication:	San Francisco, CA
Publishing house:	PLOS
ISSN:	1932-6203
Publication language:	English
Institution:	School of Social Sciences > Klinische Psychologie, Interaktions- und Psychotherapieforschung (Aguilar-Raab 2023-)
Pre-existing license:	Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
Subject:	150 Psychology
Abstract:	Some studies suggest a bi-directional association between low relationship quality and depression. However, the social impact of depression and the potential preventative effects of healthy relationships are not yet sufficiently understood, as studies have shown heterogenous results for effects in both directions. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to differentiate the actor and partner effects of this association more comprehensively using two measures to capture characteristics of relationship quality–firstly regarding general aspects of social system quality and secondly considering specific aspects of the romantic relationship. 110 different-sex couples were included, being separated in partners with highly pronounced depressive symptoms in women (Cw/DW) versus partners with low depressive symptoms (LDCs). We investigated effects cross-sectionally using multi-group analyses to predict relationship (couple specific questionnaire: PFB) versus system quality (general system quality questionnaire: EVOS) in a step-by-step approach, modelling actor and partner effects with variation within and across both groups and then comparing the results to models with equal actor and partner effects. Depression was measured with the PHQ-9. With regard to the relationship between depressive symptoms and system quality, the model that constrained actor and partner effects to be equal across both groups was preferred and showed negative significant actor effects across gender and groups. Concerning the association between depressive symptoms and relationship quality, the model constraining actor and partner effects to be equal within groups had the best fit to the data and revealed a negative partner effect in LDCs.

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