Emotional Suppression and Psychological Well-Being in Marriage: The Role of Regulatory Focus and Spousal Behavior

Unji An, Haeyoung Gideon Park, Da Eun Han and Young-Hoon Kim
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Unji An: Department of Psychology, Yonsei University, Seoul 120-749, Korea
Haeyoung Gideon Park: Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada
Da Eun Han: Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL 61820, USA
Young-Hoon Kim: Department of Psychology, Yonsei University, Seoul 120-749, Korea

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 2, 1-17

Abstract: Emotional suppression has been considered a critical factor in determining one’s mental health and psychological well-being in intimate relationships such as marriage. The present study aimed to delineate the nuanced association between emotional suppression and psychological well-being in marriage by considering two critical factors: (a) individual differences in motivational orientation and (b) the perceived level of a partner’s emotional suppression. A set of two online survey studies were conducted on a large sample of married participants. The participants were asked to indicate (a) their own level of emotional suppression, (b) the perceived level of their spouse’s emotional suppression, (c) relationship motivation, and (d) satisfaction with marital life. The results consistently indicated that for prevention-focused individuals being emotionally suppressive was associated with greater marital satisfaction, but only for those who perceived their spouses as also emotionally suppressive. Conversely, for promotion-focused individuals, being less emotionally suppressive was associated with greater marital satisfaction, but again, only for those who perceived their spouses as also being less emotionally suppressive. These findings provide insights into research on emotion regulation and self-regulatory strategies in influencing psychological well-being and mental health in an intimate relationship.

Keywords: emotional suppression; regulatory focus; spousal behavior; psychological well-being; marital satisfaction (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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