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Maladaptive communication may often undermine the long-term stability of romantic relationships. We hypothesized that defensive denial may be a salient type of maladaptive communication that erodes relationship stability over time because it may lead to more caustic conflict-escalating behaviors. Additionally, we hypothesized that defensive denial observed in romantic relationships could be linked back to defensive denial observed in the family of origin. Using data from the Family Transitions Project, we specified longitudinal models in which observed defensive denial in romantic relationships affected self-reported and partner-reported relationship instability both directly and indirectly through self-reported and partner-reported conflict-escalating behaviors. Models also traced defensive denial observed in romantic relationships back to defensive denial observed in the family of origin nearly 10 years earlier, while participants were in late adolescence. Results from structural equation models supported the first two hypotheses. For both men and women, defensive denial was mediated by conflict-escalating behaviors to cause greater relationship instability over time. Additionally, there was evidence that the expressions of defensive denial in romantic relationships may have been learned in the family of origin for women, but not for men.

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