Dyadic coping is the way partners cope together against stress and support each other in times of difficulty. Research on dyadic coping has mainly focused on the individual and relational consequences of it and showed that positive dyadic coping responses significantly contribute to partner’s relationship functioning and stability. Research on the specific components of the dyadic coping process and on its correlates, however, has been relatively scarce. One aspect that has only been recently investigated by the dyadic coping research refers to the stress communication component of the process. To what extent the way the partner communicates his/her stress may facilitate or obstacle positive dyadic coping responses by the other partner? To what extent the other’s sensitivity and responsiveness to the partners’ communication of stress does promote positive outcomes of the dyadic coping process? Moreover, several individual and relational processes related to partners’ coping can promote or hinder the dyadic coping process. In particular, individual emotion regulation strategies (e. g., down regulation of negative emotions, emotional intelligence) were found to be associated with positive relationship outcomes as well as with more positivity and less negativity in couples’ interactions. How is individual emotion regulation associated with dyadic coping and ultimately with partners’ relationship satisfaction? Capitalization is a relational process similar to dyadic coping in several respects, but involving partners’ communication about and responses to positive events. How are dyadic coping and capitalization associated? The present symposium will delve into these issues with the aim of adding new knowledge on the dyadic coping process and deriving implication for preventive interventions designed to help couples cope together more effectively.

Dyadic coping - the way couples support each other in times of stress - has emerged as a strong predictor of long-term relationship functioning and stability. The theory of dyadic coping suggests that for providing adequate support, one would need an understanding of the stress-related emotions of the partner. However, research examining the importance of the understanding of the partner's emotions (e.g., being clear about the partner's emotions) on dyadic coping is rare. This study aims to address this gap by investigating the long-term influence of clarity of other people's feelings on dyadic coping. In a sample of 368 couples, clarity of other people's feelings and dyadic coping were measured annually over 3 years. Results suggest that clarity of other people's feelings predicts change in supportive dyadic coping (self and partner evaluation), especially in men. These findings suggest that individual emotional abilities, such as the emotional understanding of others, contribute to adequate dyadic coping.

Romantic couples usually try to provide support when one partner is stressed, but to what extent do couples differ in their sensitivity and responsiveness to the partners’ needs? Promptly reacting might be crucial in explaining differences in relationship outcomes. The central aim of this observational study was to disentangle the temporal dynamics of couple support conversations. The study was conducted with 132 couples of which one of the partners was experimentally stressed. After the stressful experience, couples were secretly videotaped during their reunion. Multilevel analyses were conducted with the intensive longitudinal observational data of the couple conversations. Preliminary results suggest that there is variety in how sensitive and responsive partners react to stress expression, which might also be associated with relationship outcomes. This line of research adds new knowledge on the importance of sensitivity and adequate reactions to the partners’ needs during periods of stress.

Emotion regulation has been related to more positivity and less negativity in couple relationships. Emotion regulation abilities (e. g., down regulation of negative emotions, emotional intelligence) have been associated with positive relationship outcomes (such as relationship satisfaction and constructive communication). The aim of the present research was to investigate the association between husbands and wives’ cognitive conscious emotion regulation strategies, dyadic coping behaviors and marital satisfaction. Using a sample of 295 couples from Romania (590 individuals), we found that adaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies (putting into perspective, positive refocusing, positive reappraisal and planning refocusing) have been related to positive dyadic coping (supportive, common and delegated coping in couples), which in turn increased both partners’ marital satisfaction. Analyses using actor partner interdependence modeling indicated that dyadic coping mediated the link between spouses’ cognitive emotion regulation and their own marital satisfaction. These findings support the importance of addressing both cognitive coping strategies and dyadic coping in prevention and intervention in couple and family.

Dyadic coping and capitalization processes, although different in several aspects, share conceptual similarities, but they have been rarely studied together and, there is little research on the interplay between these two processes. The aim of the present study is to analyze whether and how partners’ perceptions of the other’s dyadic coping and capitalization responses are correlated. One hundred seventy-five (Mean relationship duration = 18 years) completed two self-report questionnaires (six-months interval) containing scales designed to measure the perception of partner’s capitalization responses, dyadic coping, and relational well-being. Results showed that partners’ dyadic coping and capitalization responses associated so that the more a partner is perceived as positive and supportive during stressful situations the more he/she is also perceived as responsive to the partner’s communication of positive events. Gender differences and implications for intervention are discussed.