Relationship Self-Regulation: An Integrative Review of the Literature

This article reviews the literature on a teachable couple relationship skill called relationship self-regulation and its use in couple therapy and education. Using comprehensive search techniques in multiple databases, 20 studies were included and subsequently analyzed in terms of study design, research question, variables studied, measures used, and key findings. The results from this review suggest that relationship self-regulation is positively correlated with relationship quality, relationship effort is a stronger predictor than relationship strategies of relationship quality, and stronger overall effects are seen for women than men. Implications for future research and practical intervention strategies for couple therapists and educators are discussed.