This study examined the associations between two factors of depressive experience (dependency and self-criticism) and satisfaction in adult romantic relationships. The Depressive Experiences Questionnaire, along with measures of attachment and relationship satisfaction, were administered to 107 men and 140 women attending local community colleges. Self-criticism was associated with global relationship distress and sexual dissatisfaction. In a combined regression equation, measures of self-criticism, attachment security, and attachment activation all contributed to predicting general relationship distress. Only scores on self-criticism predicted sexual dissatisfaction. The relationship dissatisfaction reported by those with high scores on self-criticism appears to be a relational aspect of the “destructiveness of perfectionism” described by Blatt.
Economic Hardship, Parents’ Depression, and Relationship Distress among Couples With Young Children