Past to Present: The Role of ACEs in Emotion Regulation and Emotion Regulation's Subsequent Association With Relationship Satisfaction in Couple Therapy

Abstract

This study examines the longitudinal associations between relationship satisfaction and emotion regulation (ER) difficulties across 8 sessions of couple therapy. It further tests adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) as a predictor of these constructs and therapeutic alliance as a moderator of the effects of ACEs. A cross-lagged panel model was used to test actor and partner effects in a sample of 972 different-sex couples at intake, session four, and session eight of relationship therapy. Results suggest there is neither a long-term bidirectional relationship between relationship satisfaction and ER difficulties nor that ACEs are directly related to relationship satisfaction for actors. Instead, ACEs predict ER difficulties at session four, through which there is also an indirect effect on ER difficulties at session eight. Additionally, men's ER difficulties at intake predict women's relationship satisfaction at session four. The therapeutic alliance did neither predict nor moderate the effect of ACEs. Clinical implications include assessing for and intervening on the effects of ACEs, attending to men's early ER and its impact on their partners, and treating ER difficulties and relationship satisfaction concurrently in couple therapy.