Navigating Financial Storms: Does Dyadic Coping Buffer the Association Between Daily Financial Stress and Emotional Well-Being?

This study evaluated prospectively (1) the effects of daily financial stress on both partner’s daily positive and negative affect, and (2) the extent to which these patterns are buffered by dyadic coping, particularly perceived partner emotion- and problem-focused supportive dyadic coping at baseline. Using a dyadic 14-day daily diary design with a sample of 100 different-gender couples within the United States (200 individuals, predominantly White) aged 19–65 years, we examined the conditional main effects of actor and partner daily financial stress and interactions with perceived partner emotion-focused and problem-focused dyadic coping at baseline in predicting individuals’ daily positive and negative affect. Results showed that on days when participants experienced higher-than-usual financial stress, they reported a decrease in positive affect and an increase in negative affect, while their partners did not show this effect. This association for negative affect was qualified by interactions with perceived partner emotion- and problem-focused dyadic coping at baseline. Whereas emotion-focused dyadic coping buffered the association between daily financial stress and negative affect, problem-focused coping exacerbated it. We moved beyond focusing solely on the individual to recognize dyadic processes that may play a role in understanding emotional well-being in the face of financial stress. Our findings have implications for interventions aimed at improving partners’ emotional well-being by promoting dyadic coping, specifically perceptions of emotion-focused supportive dyadic coping provided by the partner, as well as individual-based approaches for each partner.