Development of Self-Esteem and Relationship Satisfaction in Couples: Two Longitudinal Studies

We examined the effects of self-esteem development on the development of relationship satisfaction in 2 samples of couples. Study 1 used data from both partners of 885 couples assessed 5 times over 12 years, and Study 2 used data from both partners of 6,116 couples assessed 3 times over 15 years. The pattern of results was similar across the 2 studies. First, development of relationship satisfaction could be modeled as a couple-level process. Second, initial level of self-esteem of each partner predicted the initial level of the partners ’ common relationship satisfaction, and change in self-esteem of each partner predicted change in the partners ’ common relationship satisfaction. Third, these effects did not differ by gender and held when controlling for participants ’ age, length of relationship, health, and employment status. Fourth, self-esteem similarity among partners did not influence the development of their rela-tionship satisfaction. The findings suggest that the development of self-esteem in both partners of a couple contributes in a meaningful way to the development of the partners ’ common satisfaction with their relationship