Adverse childhood experiences and romantic relationship satisfaction: The role of dyadic coping

Abstract Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are unfavorable events occurring before age 18. ACEs can negatively affect social functioning in adulthood, including relationship satisfaction (Ross et al., 2020). However, studies document that when partners have strong dyadic coping skills (strategies they build together to deal with daily external stressors), they experience high levels of relationship satisfaction (Bodenmann et al., 2019). The current study expanded on that literature and explored the direct and indirect associations of ACEs and relationship satisfaction and the role of dyadic coping as a potential mechanism in that process. The sample included 361 Turkish unmarried emerging adults who were 18 to 30 years old and in a committed relationship for at least six months. Data were collected from December 2021 to May 2022 through Qualtrics. Participants' individual coping strategies and gender were investigated as moderators. Data were analyzed using a Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) paradigm to test the moderated mediation model. Results suggested that there was a negative and a significant relationship between ACEs and relationship satisfaction (ß = -.19, p = .01). Besides, dyadic coping was positively associated with relationship satisfaction (ß = .49, p < .001) but negatively associated with ACEs (ß = -.32, p < .001). Mediation analysis suggested that dyadic coping partially mediated the relationship between ACEs and relationship satisfaction. There were no moderating effects of gender (ß = -.05, p = .40) or individual coping style (ß = -.01, p = .74) in the final model. These findings illustrate the need for early intervention efforts for individuals with ACEs to mitigate potential risks to their relational well-being.