This study compared individual and communal coping messages to highly person-centered support in the context of depression management within romantic relationships. The sample included 138 adults who had been diagnosed with depression, and they evaluated messages that were manipulated to vary in coping strategies and person-centeredness. Results showed that communal coping messages led to greater emotional improvement than individual coping and highly person-centered messages through an indirect effect conveyed by increased perceptions of joint efforts between partners. Cognitive reappraisal, relational connectedness, and shared appraisal did not significantly mediate the relationships between message features and emotional improvement. In addition, highly person-centered messages corresponded with more emotional improvement than individual coping messages. The discussion highlights the implications of partners’ coping-oriented versus supportive approaches to depression management.
Tian et al. (2026) studied this question.