A systematic review of relationship maintenance: Reflecting back and looking to the future

2022/06/27 by Brian G. Ogolsky, Laura Stafford · 1 voice · 1 citation
Psychology · Social Sciences · #Attachment and Relationship Dynamics #Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior #Marriage and Sexual Relationships

paper · doi:10.1111/pere.12429

openalex publication_date 2022/06/27 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/27

Abstract

Abstract Relationship maintenance processes include a wide range of activities and cognitions that romantic partners engage in to sustain or enhance their relationships. In this article, we review literature from the past two decades (2002–2021). We focus on key definitional and conceptual issues in the study of relational maintenance. Guided by a lens of intersectionality, we then perform a theoretically‐driven review of the empirical articles published over the last 20 years paying careful attention to the nature of the samples, methods, and privileged research questions. We conclude by offering a reflection on the current state of this literature and provide suggestions for future research.

Citations

• Intersectionality and research in psychology.
• “To Be So Connected, Yet Not At All”: Relational Presence, Absence, and Maintenance in the Context of a Wartime Deployment
• A meta-analytic review of relationship maintenance and its correlates
• Racial Inequality in Psychological Research: Trends of the Past and Recommendations for the Future

Cited by

• Relational maintenance among separated Latina/o/x/e immigrant families: exploring the lived experiences of parents and children

Discussions

• They then performed a theoretically driven review of the empirical articles published over the last 20 years, critiquing the nature of the samples, methods, and privileged research questions. #Persona [bsky, 0 points, 0 comments]