While there has been a wealth of research examining the link between stress and self-esteem, little is known about how partner communication quality may influence the relationship between stress and self-esteem. The present study examines to what extent perceptions of romantic partner communication quality mediates the relationship between stress and self-esteem. Our sample consists of 821 individuals who are between 18-70 years old and currently in a romantic relationship. Participants completed the Active-Empathetic Listening Scale, Perceived Stress Scale, and the Self-Esteem Questionnaire. Following the mediation analysis outlined by Baron and Kenny, we found that communication did partially mediate the relationship between stress and self-esteem, F (2,819) = 181.84, p=<.001. Results provide empirical support for the potential of quality communication within romantic relationships to ameliorate the detrimental effects of stress and self-esteem.