Xie Yuxi, Feeney Brooke C
Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Sleep Adv. 2024 Jul 20;5(1):zpae049. doi: 10.1093/sleepadvances/zpae049. eCollection 2024.
Although a significant body of research has revealed associations between romantic relationship experiences and sleep quality, there has not been clarity regarding the mechanisms underlying such associations. Toward this end, we review the existing studies that have tested mechanisms linking romantic relationship experiences to sleep quality. Guided by both theory and existing research, we organize our review around five key categories of mechanisms that may explain associations between romantic relationship experiences and sleep quality: emotional/affective responses, self-perceptions, social perceptions, self-regulation, and biological functioning. Our review of the literature indicates strong evidence in support of the mediating effects of emotional/affective mechanisms (e.g. emotions and mood states) in explaining associations between various aspects of romantic relationships (e.g. relationship satisfaction, partner conflicts, and attachment orientation) and sleep quality. Although there is ample theoretical support for the other mechanisms proposed, and although all proposed mechanisms have been separately linked to both romantic relationship experiences and sleep quality, few studies have directly tested them, pointing to profitable directions for future research. Understanding underlying mechanisms will enable the development of wise, process-based interventions that target specific mechanisms to improve couple members' sleep quality and romantic relationship functioning.
尽管大量研究揭示了浪漫关系经历与睡眠质量之间的关联，但此类关联背后的机制尚不明晰。为此，我们回顾了现有研究，这些研究检验了将浪漫关系经历与睡眠质量联系起来的机制。在理论和现有研究的指导下，我们围绕五个关键机制类别组织了本次综述，这些机制类别或许可以解释浪漫关系经历与睡眠质量之间的关联：情绪/情感反应、自我认知、社会认知、自我调节以及生理机能。我们对文献的综述表明，有充分证据支持情绪/情感机制（如情绪和心境状态）在解释浪漫关系的各个方面（如关系满意度、伴侣冲突和依恋取向）与睡眠质量之间的关联时所起的中介作用。尽管对于所提出的其他机制有充分的理论支持，并且尽管所有提出的机制都已分别与浪漫关系经历和睡眠质量相关联，但很少有研究直接对它们进行检验，这为未来研究指明了有益的方向。了解潜在机制将有助于开发明智的、基于过程的干预措施，这些措施针对特定机制，以改善伴侣双方的睡眠质量和浪漫关系功能。
