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. 2024 Jun;41(6):1577-1599.
doi: 10.1177/02654075241227454. Epub 2024 Jan 17.

How individuals perceive their partner's relationship behaviors when worrying about finances

Johanna Peetz  1 , Odin Fisher-Skau  1 , Samantha Joel  2
Affiliations

How individuals perceive their partner's relationship behaviors when worrying about finances

Johanna Peetz et al. J Soc Pers Relat. 2024 Jun.

Abstract

What role do financial worries play in close relationship functioning? In this research, we examine how financial worry - negative thoughts and feelings about finances - is associated with perceived relationship behaviors. Participants recalled how their partner acted during a recent disagreement (Study 1, N = 97 couples) or recalled the frequency of positive and negative behaviors enacted by their partner during the previous week (Study 2, N = 99 couples). Feeling more worried about finances was associated with recalling less supportive behavior from one's partner at the disagreement (Study 1) and with perceiving more negative behaviors from one's partner in the last week (Study 2). Truth and Bias Model analyses suggest that part of this link may be attributed to biased perceptions, as the link between financial worry and perceiving more negative behaviors persisted even after controlling for participants' own reported behaviors (i.e., accounting for similarity) and for their partner's own reported behaviors (i.e., accounting for accurate perceptions). In sum, financial worry is linked to how partners notice and interpret a loved one's actions within their relationship.

Keywords: Financial stress; financial worry; interpersonal perception; perception accuracy; relationship behaviors; truth and bias model.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Conceptual model of the actor-partner model of financial worry (Study 1).
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Conceptual model of the actor-partner model of financial worry (Study 2).
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Conceptual model of the truth and bias model of financial worry (Study 2).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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