"What Makes Us Strong?": Dyadic Coping in Italian Prospective Adoptive Couples

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Family Studies
• Social Sciences

Background:

• Adoption presents unique stressors for couples, impacting relationship dynamics.
• Dyadic coping, a collaborative approach to managing stress, is under-researched in adoption contexts.
• Understanding how couples cope together is crucial for supporting prospective adoptive parents.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the association between dyadic coping and relationship functioning (satisfaction and generativity) in prospective adoptive couples.
• To investigate the roles of positive, negative, and common dyadic coping strategies.
• To explore actor and partner effects within couples' coping and relationship outcomes.

Main Methods:

• 103 prospective adoptive couples undergoing international adoption in Italy participated.
• Self-report questionnaires were used to collect data on dyadic coping and relationship functioning.
• The Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM) was employed for data analysis.

Main Results:

• Couples reported high positive/common and low negative dyadic coping, indicating effective joint coping.
• High relationship satisfaction and average couple generativity were observed.
• Individual perceptions of partner's dyadic coping significantly influenced own relationship satisfaction and generativity.
• Partner's dyadic coping generally predicted relationship satisfaction, with some exceptions.
• Negative dyadic coping significantly impacted couple generativity for both partners.

Conclusions:

• Dyadic coping is a vital factor in prospective adoptive couples' relationship success.
• Both individual and partner's coping behaviors influence relationship satisfaction and generativity.
• Interventions promoting positive dyadic coping may enhance the adoption journey and couple well-being.