Table 2.
Categories, specific romantic variables, and measurement constructs of the included studies.
| Category | Variables (Number of Studies) | Measurement Constructs | Included Studies (Reference) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Relational Variables | Relationship status (17) | Singlehood; relationship status (single/married/engaged/cohabiting/divorced, dating steadily/dating multiple people, etc.). | [44,46,62,63,74,75,81,82,89,94,97,112,119,127,138,141,144] | |
| Relationship quality (15) | Relationship adjustment; intimacy; communication; expectations about the future; conflicts; companionship; intimacy; reliable alliance; affection; relationship satisfaction; commitment; trust; passion; love; social support; depth; conflict; relationship happiness; acceptance; understanding; dyadic adjustment; positive and negative partner behaviors. | [13,22,33,39,40,46,60,85,92,97,112,133,139,145,147] | ||
| Relationship history and experiences (12) | Relationship development; oral history coding; gratitude; daily interactions with partner; perception of partner responsiveness to gratitude expression; reminiscing about laughter; positive and negative events; relationship power; abuse; conflicts or disagreements; courtship story; relationship violence; negative romantic experiences; turning points. | [34,38,64,65,67,73,91,120,125,126,128,137] | ||
| Commitment and intimacy (7) | Expression of commitment; mutuality; level of commitment; relationship status; long term orientation; feelings of psychological attachment; closeness; security; care; understanding; perceptions of positive intimacy; intimacy frequency and intensity; sexual intimacy; intimacy narrative. | [46,61,84,88,106,115,118] | ||
| Romantic attachment (7) | Romantic attachment style. | [36,40,80,98,114,123,146] | ||
| Communication and conflict resolution (5) | Partner messages; reciprocity; affect; disclosure of sexual problems; dyadic empathy; self-compassion. | [95,96,121,132,149] | ||
| Need fulfillment (7) | Autonomy, competence and relatedness satisfaction (SDT); social support. | [33,77,98,102,114,129,130] | ||
| Relational and personal goals (6) | Michelangelo phenomenon; goal progress; goal congruence; goal support. | [87,92,93,110,111,134] | ||
| Dating violence (7) | Physical/verbal/sexual/psychological/ emotional victimization; physical/emotional/verbal aggression; rape. | [47,48,49,78,83,116,142] | ||
| Sexual minority youth (3) | Same sex relationships. | [68,72,86] | ||
| Interracial relationships (2) | Interracial daters; same-sex daters; non-daters. | [52,140] | ||
| Sexuality (2) | Sexual activity; sexual health. | [45,100] | ||
| Others (7) | Emotional interdependence | Daily interactions; mood; partner support; daily emotions. | [90,99,136] | |
| Shared efficacy | Relationship efficacy of dyad. | [66] | ||
| Partner perfectionistic concerns | Socially prescribed perfectionism; concern over mistakes; self-criticism. | [117] | ||
| Neurological effect | Striatum gray matter density. | [109] | ||
| Personal Variables | Romantic relationship inauthenticity (1) | Ideal romantic relationship events vs. actual events. | [37] | |
| Sense Of Coherence (1) | Comprehensibility; manageability; meaningfulness. | [122] | ||
| Positive and negative affect (1) | Affective arousal. | [107] | ||
| Relationship expectations and believes (4) | Relationship scripts; marriage myths; benevolent sexism; positive illusions. | [32,35,101,124] | ||
| Behaviors (9) | Negative maintenance behaviors; authenticity; theory of mind; sexual compliance; self-control. | [59,69,76,79,108,113,125,143,149] | ||
| Motivation (8) | Forgiveness; approach and avoidance motives; emotional suppression and expression; sacrifice. | [79,103,104,105,113,135,148,150] | ||
| Coping (4) | Explicit attitudes towards partner; mindfulness; coping strategies. | [70,71,120,128] | ||
| Others (4) | Reactance | Attitude toward infidelity. | [31] | |
| Gender role conflict | Men’s thoughts and feelings concerning gender role behaviors. | [131] | ||
| Romantic Competence | Insight; mutuality; emotion regulation. | [43] | ||
| Abilities | Self-efficacy; relational anxiety. | [146] | ||