Affectivity and satisfaction in the relationship of Pakistani couples is mediated by dyadic coping‐based gratitude

Abstract

A substantial body of research supports a positive association between interpersonal gratitude and relationship satisfaction in couples; however, dyadic coping‐based gratitude (DC‐G) has not been investigated from a dyadic stress and coping perspective. The current study aimed to investigate the mediating role of DC‐G between trait affectivity and relationship satisfaction in couples. We collected data from both members of dyads (N = 300 married couples) for the study variables as a pre‐requisite for conducting dyadic data analysis using an actor–partner interdependent mediation model (APIMeM). The findings suggest that husbands' positive affect significantly predicted wives' relationship satisfaction via DC‐G (actor–partner effect). However, the mediating effect of DC‐G appeared to be stronger for the actor–actor and partner–partner effects compared with the cross‐partner effect, which supports the actor‐only effect. Further, wives' DC‐G mediated between husbands' negative affect and wives' relationship satisfaction, suggesting a mediating effect of DC‐G for wives but not for husbands. The implications are discussed within the context of couples' relationships.