Self‐esteem and caregiving in romantic relationships: Self‐ and partner perceptions

Keywords

self-esteem, caregiving, romantic relationships, partner perceptions

Abstract

Self‐esteem may be associated with romantic partners' experience of emotional support and caregiving. Using a sample of 6,385 heterosexual couples in committed relationships gathered from the RELATionship Evaluation (RELATE) data set (see www.relate‐institute.org), structural equation modeling was used to compare two actor–partner interdependence models examining the associations between both partners' self‐esteem and perceptions of partner caregiving responsiveness (i.e., accessibility, responsiveness, and engagement). Male and female self‐esteem was significantly related to partners' caregiving responsiveness while controlling for family‐of‐origin attachment experiences and relationship stability. Female self‐esteem was also significantly associated with females' caregiving responsiveness. These findings yield important implications, demonstrating that higher self‐esteem may be associated with improved caregiving behaviors between romantic partners. Relevant implications and future research directions are discussed.

Original Publication Citation

Knapp, D. J., Durtschi, J. A., Clifford, C. E., Kimmes, J., Barros-Gomes, P., & Sandberg, J.G. (2016) Self-esteem and caregiving in romantic relationships: Self and partner perceptions. Personal Relationships, 23(1), 111-123.

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2016-02-05

Permanent URL

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/5267

Publisher

Personal Relationships

Language

English

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Family Life

University Standing at Time of Publication

Full Professor

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