Emotional approach coping and daily support behavior in romantic relationships

Abstract

People differ in the degree to which they seek emotional support from romantic partners during times of stress. Moreover, receiving emotional support from partners is not always beneficial. Emotional approach coping (EAC)—the tendency to cope with stress by processing and expressing emotions—may play an important role in determining who seeks and who benefits from emotional support. This report used dyadic data from a two-week daily diary study (N = 116 couples) to determine if those higher in EAC seek more emotional support, receive more emotional support, and perceive the support they receive from romantic partners as more effective than those lower in EAC. Further, we examined if these associations are stronger on days of above average perceived stress. Finally, we examined if participants higher in EAC, were more likely to benefit from receiving emotional support. Participants higher in EAC were more likely to seek emotional support from their partners. After adjusting for emotional support seeking, EAC was unrelated to receiving emotional support; however, participants higher in EAC rated the emotional support they received as more effective. Although participants reported greater individual well-being and higher relationship satisfaction on days they received emotional support from their partners, EAC did not moderate these associations. Taken together, these results suggest that people higher in EAC are more likely to experience benefits from receiving support because they seek more emotional support and report receiving more effective emotional support from their partners.