Article
Romantic Relationship Self-Efficacy and Relationship Satisfaction among Male and Female College Students: The Mediating Effect of Relationship Maintenance Behaviors
| e-ISSN | 2982-6845 |
| p-ISSN | 1226-4474 |
| Metrics | Views 0 / Downloads 0 |
Abstract
Grounded in social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1997), this study examines the mediating effects of multidimensional relationship maintenance behaviors on the association between romantic relationship self-efficacy and relationship satisfaction among college students. Participants were 351 college students currently involved in heterosexual romantic relationships and recruited from universities in Seoul and the Gyeonggi region. Data were collected using an online self-report survey measuring romantic relationship self-efficacy, relationship maintenance behaviors, and relationship satisfaction. Descriptive statistics, independent-samples t tests, correlation analyses, and mediation analyses using PROCESS macro Model 4 were conducted. The results indicate that, among male students, romantic relationship self-efficacy had a significant positive indirect effect on relationship satisfaction through positivity and assurances. Among female students, positive indirect effects were found through positivity and assurances. However, negative indirect effects were observed through openness and sharing tasks. These findings suggest that interventions to enhance relationship satisfaction among college students should focus on relationship maintenance behaviors and adopt differentiated approaches that consider gender-specific relational processes.