Maintenance Strategies and Romantic Relationship Type, Gender and Relational Characteristics

TLDR

The study is framed within a developmental perspective on relational maintenance. The study investigates how perceptions of relational maintenance strategies differ by relationship type and gender, and how these perceptions influence control mutuality, commitment, liking, and satisfaction. Five maintenance strategies—positivity, assurances, openness, sharing tasks, and social networks—were identified via factor analysis. Relationship type moderately influenced perceptions of partner maintenance strategies, while gender had a weaker effect; positivity, assurances, and sharing tasks strongly predicted control mutuality, commitment, liking, and satisfaction.

Abstract

This study examines the manner in which perceptions of relational maintenance strategies used in romantic dyads vary according to relationship type (married, engaged, seriously dating and dating) and gender. Additionally, this study investigates how perceptions of partners' maintenance behaviors differentially affect the relational characteristics of control mutuality, commitment, liking and satisfaction. Research assumptions were cast within a developmental framework. Five maintenance strategies were derived through factor analyses: positivity, assurances, openness, sharing tasks and social networks. Results indicate that relationship type moderately affected perceptions of partner maintenance strategies and gender weakly affected perceptions of maintenance behaviors. The findings also reveal that positivity, assurances and sharing tasks were consistent and strong predictors of control mutuality, commitment, liking and satisfaction.