Dyadic coping as relationship maintenance

Perhaps not surprisingly, romantic couples experience stress. Stress can originate both within the relationship, such as differing viewpoints between partners, or outside the relationship, such as learning about a poor performance review at work or having an argument with a friend. Irrespective of the origin of the stress, romantic partners are able to combat its negative effects by recognizing stress as an interdependent experience, one that is shared between partners, and engaging in positive dyadic coping. Conceptualized by Bodenmann’s systemic transactional model, positive dyadic coping is defined as supportive behaviors that help to downregulate partners’ negative experiences of stress and include providing emotional or problem-focused support. The purpose of this chapter is to present compelling evidence to conceptualize positive dyadic coping as a relationship maintenance strategy, one that helps preserve the relationship during times of distress and contributes to relationship satisfaction and longevity.