Intimacy and couple satisfaction in emerging adulthood. The mediating role of supportive dyadic coping
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Abstract
Intimacy and couple satisfaction are some of the main factors related to relationship quality. Likewise, intimacy has long been associated with couple satisfaction as it is one of its most important predictors. Another meaningful correlation of couple satisfaction is supportive dyadic coping, which correlates with the satisfaction in marital and non-marital couples. This present study is aimed to investigate the associations of intimacy and couple satisfaction and to explore the mediating role of supportive dyadic coping. The sample is composed of 105 emerging adults involved in a romantic relationship, who filled up three self-reporting scales. The results indicate that intimacy predicts both couple satisfaction and supportive dyadic coping. Moreover, supportive dyadic coping fully mediates the relationship between overall intimacy / intimate commitment and couple satisfaction. Also, supportive dyadic coping partially mediates the relationship between intimate openness / affection and couple satisfaction. The possible explanations and implications for therapeutical interventions are discussed.
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