Affection Deprivation in Marital Relationships: An Actor-partner Interdependence Mediation Analysis

Abstract

The current study sought to assess the dyadic effects of affection deprivation in marital relationships. We used the tenets of affection exchange theory to examine the actor and partner effects between affectionate communication, affection deprivation, and mental and relational outcomes. Moreover, we tested whether affection deprivation mediated the association between affectionate communication and outcome variables. In terms of actor effects, affectionate communication was associated with husbands’ depression, wives’ loneliness, and both husbands’ and wives’ marital quality and emotional intimacy. Affection deprivation was associated with all outcome variables for husbands and wives, except for wives’ emotional intimacy. We observed significant partner effects between affectionate communication and affection deprivation for both husbands and wives, as well as between wives’ affectionate communication and husbands’ emotional intimacy. Affection deprivation mediated some of the actor and partner effects between affectionate communication and outcome variables. Implications, connections to theory, and directions for future research are discussed.

Affection deprivation during the COVID-19 pandemic: A panel study

“…Two clarifications should be noted. First, the means for affection deprivation in this study at all three time points were not particularly high, and certainly not significantly higher than what has been found in previous studies of deprivation (e.g., Floyd & Hesse, 2017;Hesse & Tian, 2020). Second, the means for our outcome variables were also not particularly problematic at first glance, meaning that individuals did not score as particularly lonely or depressed (for example) during the study.…”

“…From an actor standpoint, deprivation was positively correlated with depression and loneliness for both husbands and wives, though it was negatively correlated with marital quality only for husbands. With respect to partner effects, the study found consistent negative effects from affectionate communication to deprivation for both husbands and wives, showing that the more an individual reported communicating affection to their spouse, the less likely their partner reported feeling deprived of affection (Hesse & Tian, 2020). Thus, AET's argument about the importance of a minimum amount of affection for relational and psychosocial health outcomes is supported by previous research.…”

“…In terms of sex, previous affection research has consistently shown that women tend to communicate more affection than men (see Floyd, 2019). However, this trend has not been consistently found in the affection deprivation literature (e.g., Hesse & Tian, 2020). Still, it is possible that the lockdowns differentially affected women due to the larger amount of affectionate communication that was unlikely to occur as compared to men, and thus that they would experience more deprivation in this specific context (and thus worsening outcomes as compared to men).…”

Affection deprivation is more aversive than excessive affection: A test of affection exchange theory

“…Within the context of romantic relationships, affection deprivation was negatively correlated with relational satisfaction and closeness (Hesse & Mikkelson, 2017). A study of marital dyads found consistent negative partner effects from affectionate communication to deprivation for both husbands and wives, meaning that the more an individual reported communicating affection to a spouse, the less likely the spouse was to feel deprived of affection (Hesse & Tian, 2020). Finally, a recent panel study conducted during the initial months of the COVID‐19 pandemic found that, over the span of four weeks, affection deprivation at the beginning of the study predicted stress, loneliness, and depression at the end of the study (Hesse, Mikkelson, & Tian, 2021).…”

Propiedades psicométricas de la versión en español de la Escala de Intimidad Emocional en personas heterosexuales, gais y lesbianas en pareja

“…La EIE presenta ventajas en comparación a otras escalas que miden el mismo constructo, principalmente debido a su brevedad, fácil administración y a su foco en la intimidad emocional percibida en una relación cercana. Esto ha implicado su amplia y creciente utilización en investigación en los últimos años, incluyendo personas en pareja, con buenos índices de confiabilidad, la mayoría de las veces incluso más altos que en el estudio original y manteniendo la estructura propuesta (Amichai-Hamburger, & Etgar, 2016;Carvalheira & Costa, 2015;Guschlbauer et al, 2019;Hesse & Tian, 2020;Lonza et al, 2020;Carvalheira et al, 2014;Šević et al, 2016;Štulhofer et al, 2020;Traeen et al, 2013;Veit et al, 2016). Pese a su amplio uso, se desconocen estudios que confirmen la estructura factorial de esta escala.…”