Relational uncertainty and dyadic synchrony within the interaction of couples

Relational uncertainty refers to the questions people have about their perceptions of involvement within close relationships. To complement a wealth of research examining the link between relational uncertainty and people’s self-reported communication strategies, we investigate relational uncertainty as a predictor of behavioral sequences within interaction. We draw on both seminal and contemporary theorizing to hypothesize that relational uncertainty impedes dyadic synchrony, or the coordination between partners within interaction. Couples (N = 97) participated in a 5-minute discussion designed to facilitate expressions of intimacy; we coded these interactions using the circumplex-based Structural Analysis of Social Behavior (SASB) model. We evaluated whether couples experiencing relational uncertainty exhibit forms of dyadic asynchrony in which self-disclosure and validation are met by a partner’s hostility. Sequential analyses revealed that, after covarying relationship quality, relationship uncertainty was associated with sequences of self-disclosure/hostility among men (H1), and self uncertainty and relationship uncertainty were associated with sequences of validation/hostility among both men and women (H2). Partner uncertainty did not predict dyadic asynchrony in either form. These findings advance scholarship on relational uncertainty by underscoring the importance of sequential exchanges within couple interaction.