Predicting dysphoria and relationship adjustment: Gender differences in their longitudinal relationship

Gender differences were explored in the longitudinal association between re lationship satisfaction and dysphoria in 145 dating college students attend ing a large public university. Of the participants, 80% were Caucasian, 14% , were African American, 3% were Asian, and 3% represented other racial/eth nic groups. Based upon a preview longitudinal investigation (F. D. Fincham, S. R. H. Beach, G. T. Harold, & L. N. Osborne, 1997) and recent theoretica l explanations for the gender difference in depression, it was hypothesized that initial relationship satisfaction would predict later dysphoria in wo men bur not in men. Conversely, it was predicted that initial dysphoria wou ld be predictive of later relationship satisfaction for men but not women. Hypotheses were tested using hierarchical multiple regression analyses in w hich initial levels of the predicted variables were controlled. Whereas res ults supported the first hypothesis, initial dysphoria was predictive of la ter relationship adjustment for both men and women.