Abstract
Social support positively affects physical health, mental health, and overall well-being (Cohen & Syme, 1985; Pasch & Bradbury, 1998). Although support from others is helpful, support from intimate partners cannot be compensated for by general others (Cutrona & Suhr, 1994). The purpose of this study was to better understand associations between intimate partner support and relationship and life satisfaction and identify differential relationships between types of support. Individuals from the United States were recruited through MTurk (N = 231) and completed questionnaires that identified the frequency of support they perceived from their partners, their perceived stress, and their relationship and life satisfaction. The frequency of support was positively associated with relationship and life satisfaction, irrespective of perceived stress. However, support was not related to life satisfaction after controlling for relationship satisfaction. There were no gender differences in the effects of support. Finally, all support types (emotional, physical, informational, and tangible) were similarly associated with levels of relationship or life satisfaction, with the exception that physical support was not related to life satisfaction. The results demonstrate the importance of intimate partner support (all types) for relationship and life satisfaction for all couples, not just those experiencing high levels of stress. By involving a less exclusive sample, this study also demonstrates that the effects of intimate partner support are widespread among individuals of diverse relationship dynamics, including those who are not married. This study adds to the couples' literature and helps inform clinical interventions to promote positive outcomes in individual lives.