The Interpersonal Toxicity of Excessive Reassurance-Seeking: Evidence From a Longitudinal Study of Romantic Relationships

• Published in: Journal of social and clinical psychology Vol. 34; no. 5; pp. 392 - 410
• Main Authors: Stewart, Jeremy G, Harkness, Kate L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Guilford Press 01.05.2015
• Subjects: Behavioural psychology; Couples; Depression; Depression (Psychology); Females; Interpersonal influence; Mental depression; Personal relationships; Psychiatry; Rejection; Risk; Risk theory; Romanticism; Social psychology; Toxicity
• ISSN: 0736-7236; 1943-2771
• DOI: 10.1521/jscp.2015.34.5.392

Interpersonal rejection is associated with a number of marked negative psychological sequelae, including the development of depression. Interpersonal theories (e.g., Coyne, 1976) propose that excessive reassurance-seeking (ERS) may be particularly linked to rejection, but this hypothesis has yet to be tested using an objective, behavioral indicator of interpersonal rejection. Using a sample of 118 women and their romantic partners, we examined whether women's baseline ERS was associated with partner-initiated break-ups over a 1-year follow-up period. Secondarily, we explored whether this effect was moderated by the reassurance-seeker's initial depressive symptoms. Results revealed that ERS was associated with a more rapid time to partner rejection, but not to general relationship dissolutions. Further, the effect of ERS was not moderated by women's dysphoria at baseline. These results suggest that ERS is interpersonally toxic in and of itself, and may thus be an important behavioral marker of risk for depression and other psychiatric problems.