This study explored the impact of self-disclosure among college students' couples on their satisfaction with intimate relationships, as well as the mediating role of perceived partner responsiveness and the moderating role of interpersonal trust. A survey was conducted on 905 college students from four universities in Guangdong and Jiangxi provinces, using the Self-disclosure Scale, Perceived Partner Responsiveness Scale, Interpersonal Trust Scale, and Intimate Relationship Satisfaction Scale. The research results indicate that Self-disclosure was positively correlated with perceived partner responsiveness, interpersonal trust, and intimate relationship satisfaction (r values were 0.47, 0.18, and 0.32, respectively, with p values<0.001); Perceived partner responsiveness is positively correlated with interpersonal trust and intimate relationship satisfaction (r values are 0.34 and 0.51, respectively, with P values<0.001); There is a positive correlation between interpersonal trust and satisfaction with intimate relationships (r value of 0.34, p values<0.001); The mediation effect analysis shows that self-disclosure significantly positively predicts intimate relationship satisfaction, and perceived partner responsiveness plays a partial mediating role in it. Interpersonal trust moderates the relationship between perceived partner responsiveness and intimate relationship satisfaction. Compared to college student couples with low interpersonal trust, perceived partner responsiveness has a greater positive predictive effect on intimate relationship satisfaction among college student couples with high interpersonal trust. Self-disclosure among college student couples predicts intimate relationship satisfaction through perceived partner responsiveness, and interpersonal trust moderates the latter half of the pathway.

Wang Meiying. Self-disclosure and Intimate Relationship Satisfaction: The Mediation Role of Perceived Partner Responsiveness. Academic Journal of Humanities & Social Sciences (2025), Vol. 8, Issue 4: 16-20. https://doi.org/10.25236/AJHSS.2025.080403.

[1] Li Xue, Zheng Yong. Is beauty good? The role of physical attractiveness in intimate relationships. [J]. Progress in Psychological Science, 2019, 27(10):1743–1757.

[2] Jin Xiaoyi, Liu Shiqi. Who is happier? A Study on the Influence of Contemporary Youth's Marriage and Love Status on Subjective Well being: A Survey from Shaanxi Province [J]. Journal of Shandong Women's College, 2025, (02): 44-58.

[3] Li Rulin, Zhang Jinfu, Liang Xingang. Theoretical factors influencing subjective well-being. [J]. Chinese Journal of Mental Health, 2003, 17(11):783–785.

[4] Wu Guobang. The Influence of College Students' Belief in Intimate Relationships on Love Satisfaction [D]. Jiangxi Normal university, 2018.

[5] Willems YE, Finkenauer C, Kerkhof P .The role of disclosure in relationships. [J]. Current Opinion in Psychology, 2020, 31:33–37.

[6] Li Linying, Chen Huichang. A survey and research on self-disclosure among college students. [J]. Psychological Development and Education, 2004(03):64–69.

[7] Altman I, Taylor DA. Social penetration: The development of interpersonal relationships. [M]. Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1973.

[8] Sprecher S, Treger S, Wondra JD, et al. Taking turns: Reciprocal self-disclosure promotes liking in initial interactions. [J]. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 2013, 49(5):860–866.

[9] Finkenauer C, Engels R, Branje S, et al. Disclosure and Relationship Satisfaction in Families. [J]. Journal of Marriage and Family, 2004, 66(1).

[10] Qian Fei. A Study on the Influence of Self Disclosure on Intimacy among College Students. [D]. Shanghai Normal University, 2017.

[11] Sprecher S, Hendrick SS. Self-Disclosure in Intimate Relationships: Associations with Individual and Relationship Characteristics over Time. [J]. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 2004, 23(6):857-877.

[12] Reis HT, Clark MS, Holmes JG. Handbook of closeness and intimacy. [J]. Mahwah, NJ, US: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2004, 201–225.

[13] Reis HT, Shaver P. Intimacy as an interpersonal process. [J]. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 1988, 33(4):367–389.

[14] Coker B, Mcgill AL. Arousal increases self-disclosure. [J]. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 2020, 87:103928.

[15] Kim K, Hyun MH. The Effects of Self-disclosure About Negative Emotion to Partner on Intimacy in the Dating Relationships of Early Adulthood: Focused on Perceived Partner Responsiveness. 2020.

[16] Gable SL, Gonzaga GC, Strachman A. Will you be there for me when things go right? Supportive responses to positive event disclosures. [J]. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2006, 91(5): 904–917.

[17] Miller LC, Berg JH, Archer RL. Openers: Individuals who elicit intimate self-disclosure. [J]. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1983, 44(6):1234–1244.

[18] Patrick H, Knee CR, Canevello A, Lonsbary C. The role of need fulfillment in relationship functioning and well-being: a self-determination theory perspective.[J]. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2007, 92(3), 434–457.

[19] Yang Shucheng, Wang Zixiang, Liu Zhenliang, Li Yansong. Reliability and validity testing of the Chinese version of the Perceived Partner Responsiveness Scale. [J]. Chinese Journal of Clinical Psychology, 2019, 27(05): 950–953.

[20] Guo Aili A study on the relationship between adult attachment, self-disclosure, and intimate relationship satisfaction among college students.[D]. Changjiang University, 2016.

[21] Tang N, Bensman L, Hatfield E. Culture and Sexual Self-Disclosure in Intimate Relationships. Interpersonal. [J]. An International Journal on Personal Relationships, 2013, 7(2):227–245.

[22] R Zhang. The stress-buffering effect of self-disclosure on Facebook: An examination of stressful life events, social support, and mental health among college students. [J]. Computers in Human Behavior, 2017.

[23] Laurenceau, Jean-Philippe, Barrett, et al. Intimacy as an Interpersonal Process: The Importance of Self-Disclosure, Partner Disclosure, and Perceived Partner Responsiveness in Interpersonal Exchanges. [J]. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 1998.

[24] Jia Yanru. Attachment anxiety, inability to tolerate uncertainty, perception of partner response and relationship conflict. [D]. Harbin Normal University, 2019.

[25] Bar-Kalifa E, Hen-Weissberg A, Rafaeli E. Perceived Partner Responsiveness Mediates the Association between Social Anxiety and Relationship Satisfaction in Committed Couples. [J]. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 2015, 34(7):587–610.