Gender differences in the associations between relationship status, social support, and wellbeing.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Observational national panel study
PubMed 31094543 · doi:10.1037/fam0000540
What was done
Analyzed data from a national panel study in New Zealand (N = 20,774) to test whether perceived social support mediated the relationship between having a romantic partner and subjective wellbeing (life satisfaction and self-esteem), and whether these associations differed by gender.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical values, effect sizes, confidence intervals, or p-values. It qualitatively reports that perceived social support partially mediated the association between having a romantic partner and higher wellbeing, and that this pathway was stronger for men than for women.
Why it matters
This study provides empirical panel data to support the theory that relationship status confers greater subjective wellbeing benefits to men partly because of a stronger reliance on romantic partners for perceived social support.
Limits
The abstract provides no numerical data, effect sizes, or test statistics. The study relies on observational self-report data from a single country (New Zealand), which limits causal inference and cross-cultural generalizability.