Which Comes First? Associations Between Communication Patterns and Relationship Satisfaction in Couples Over a 1-Year Period

Public Significance Statement Feeling satisfied in our relationship and communicating effectively with our partner are both of crucial importance in our romantic relationships. The aim of the present study was to examine whether communication patterns in couples predict how satisfied they are in their relationship, or whether their relationship satisfaction predicts their communication patterns. The results showed that only negative communication patterns in one partner were associated with a reduction in their own relationship satisfaction 1 year later, providing insight on how to improve couples' well-being. Feeling satisfied in our relationship and communicating effectively with a partner are both important for people involved in a romantic relationship and clinicians working with these couples. Thus, decades of research have been dedicated to understanding how communication influences relationship satisfaction, but only a few looked at how satisfaction may impact communication. The present study aimed to examine the bidirectional associations between communication patterns and relationship satisfaction by using a cross-lagged actor-partner interdependence model in a sample of 311 Canadian mixed-sex couples over a 1-year period. Results revealed only one relevant statistically significant association. Negative communication in both partners was a significant predictor of their own relationship satisfaction over time. No statistically significant associations between one's satisfaction or communication and their partner's satisfaction or communication were found. Our discussion will highlight the importance of decreasing negative communication behaviours between partners to increase their couple's well-being through different interventions.