Marital Quality

This study examines the association between marital quality and personal well-being using meta-analytic techniques. Effects from 93 studies were analyzed. The average weighted effect size r was .37 for cross-sectional and .25 for longitudinal effects. Results indicate that several variables moderate the association between marital quality and personal well-being, including gender, participants’ marital duration, source of measurement, data collection year, and dependent variable. These results suggest that longitudinal effects are more likely to be uncovered when using standard measurement and that future research should use samples homogenous in marital length. The longitudinal finding that the strength of the association is stronger when personal well-being is treated as the dependent variable supports previous theorizing.

This article introduces the Dyadic Coping Inventory (DCI; Bodenmann, 2008 ) and aims (1) to investigate the reliability and aspects of the validity of the Italian and French versions of the DCI, and (2) to replicate its factor structure and reliabilities using a new Swiss German sample. Based on 216 German-, 378 Italian-, and 198 French-speaking participants, the factor structure of the original German inventory was able to be replicated by using principal components analysis in all three groups after excluding two items in the Italian and French versions. The latter were shown to be as reliable as the German version with the exception of the low reliabilities of negative dyadic coping in the French group. Confirmatory factor analyses provided additional support for delegated dyadic coping and evaluation of dyadic coping. Intercorrelations among scales were similar across all three languages groups with a few exceptions. Previous findings could be replicated in all three groups, sho...

This study examines the hypothesis that the effect children have on their parents' marriages is due to stress in the parental role. A multivariate model was specified to assess the relationship between fathers' and mothers' parenting stress and their psychological well-being and perception of marital quality. In addition, the effects of 6 other variables were assessed: 2 competing roles (mother's

As pornography use continues to increase in the United States, studies have sought to understand its potential influence on marital relationships. Yet, the primary focus of such studies has been pornography's association with marital quality, not stability. Consequently, we still know relatively little about whether pornography consumption at one time predicts marital disruption later on. Drawing on data from the 2006 and 2012 waves of the nationally representative Portraits of American Life Study (N = 445), this article examined whether married Americans who viewed pornography in 2006, either at all or in greater frequencies, were more likely to experience a marital separation by 2012. Binary logistic regression analyses showed that married Americans who viewed pornography at all in 2006 were more than twice as likely as those who did not view pornography to experience a separation by 2012, even after controlling for 2006 marital happiness and sexual satisfaction as well as relevant sociodemographic correlates. The relationship between pornography use frequency and marital separation, however, was technically curvilinear. The likelihood of marital separation by 2012 increased with 2006 pornography use to a point and then declined at the highest frequencies of pornography use. Ancillary analyses, however, showed that this group of married Americans with high frequencies of 2006 pornography viewing and low likelihood of later marital separation were not statistically distinguishable from either abstainers or moderate viewers in terms of marital separation likelihood. All findings held regardless of gender. Data limitations and implications for future research are discussed.

ABSTRAK Dalam konteks sosial kini, peranan wanita kian meluas di mana mereka bukan sahaja memainkan peranan sebagai seorang ibu dan isteri malah juga sebagai pekerja dalam masa yang sama. Rentetan itu, konflik peranan lazimnya akan dialami oleh wanita bekerjaya kerana mereka dibebani dengan pelbagai peranan dan mempunyai kekangan dari segi masa. Setiap peranan kerjaya dan keluarga mempunyai tuntutan daripada segi masa, tenaga dan komitmen. Selain itu, konflik peranan wujud apabila seorang wanita berasa dirinya berhadapan dengan dan tuntutan-tuntutan yang bukan sahaja tidak selari antara satu dengan lain, tetapi juga tidak dapat dipenuhi dengan sempurna secara realistik. Di samping itu, keseimbangan kerja dan hidup menjadi isu para ibu kerana didorong oleh jangkaan tradisional yang menganggap ibu bertanggungjawab untuk mengurus hal rumahtangga. Kertas kerja ini akan menganalisa dapatan-dapatan kajian lepas mengenai isu konflik peranan. Dilema dan cabaran ibu bekerjaya di pelbagai negara dan era akan dinilai untuk merungkai senario isu ini. Cadangan bagi mengatasi isu konflik peranan akan dikemukakan bagi membantu ibu bekerjaya keluar daripada kemelut ini. Kementerian dan agensi kerajaan perlu mengambil serius isu konflik peranan kerana ia boleh menggugat kesejahteraan psikologi wanita dan ibu khususnya.
Kata kunci: ibu bekerjaya, konflik peranan, dilema, cabaran

In response to the relatively high divorce rate of previous decades, the United States government has deemed marriage an important research topic (Fincham & Beach, 2010). Most researchers have focused on studying the deterioration of marriage, divorced couples, and marital dissatisfaction (Gottman & Notarius, 2002); unfortunately, they have not reached consensus on how to define long-term marriage. Qualitative research on happy long-term marriage is sparse and has focused on finding singular factors that explain marital success (Bachand & Caron, 2001) without considering a developmental perspective. The purpose of this study was to explore how happily married, heterosexual, long-term couples maintained happiness over time. This study used grounded theory methodology with an emergent and exploratory design (Flick, 2009). The sample consisted of ten adult heterosexual couples who self-identified as happily married, were in their first marriage, and had been married at least 30 years. Spouses were interviewed separately using a semi-structured interview guide. Nine themes emerged using the constant comparative method of analysis (Maykut & Morehouse, 1994). Results suggested that happily married couples go through a healthy development process by choosing their mate wisely, creating a strong foundation before marriage, identifying the changes and stressors brought on by childrearing, protecting their marital bond, learning dyadic coping, and eventually making new meaning during the empty nesting phase of their marriages. A developmental-stress model of happy marriage was proposed, which provided detailed descriptions on how married individuals achieved their healthy couple development together at each stage. Clinical applications and theoretical implications were discussed.

La vie de couple et de famille connaît depuis quarante-cinq ans de profondes mutations dans la sphère occidentale. A la faveur de la mondialisation, les modèles changent aussi dans les mégalopoles planétaires, voire des territoires plus reculés. Qu'on s'en désole ou qu'on s'en réjouisse, c'est là une réalité à prendre en compte pour un chercheur aujourd'hui, d'autant qu'elle s'inscrit dans une évolution quasi irréversible. Se contenter de la condamner de façon principielle se révèle de toute manière inopérant pour espérer rejoindre les couples actuels, devenus rétifs aux injonctions de toute nature. Trois raisons incitent de fait à s'y intéresser. 1. Invoquer un prétendu « âge d'or » de la conjugalité véritable face aux quêtes actuelles déforme la réalité. 2. Il faut prendre au sérieux leur vécu pour qu'un dialogue avec les couples de notre temps puisse s'engager. 3. Aider à ce que prenne chair au mieux le rêve de fonder une seule famille avec le même partenaire, qui est toujours celui du plus grand nombre à notre époque, a du sens. D'où le propos de notre thèse publiée chez LIT-Verlag dans la collection INTAMS studies 1. Appréhender le modèle actuel dominant, ou « couple électif », est une étape prioritaire, d'autant que, selon notre hypothèse, il est investi comme un lieu spirituel par nos contemporains. Dégager les traits de la « spiritualité coélective » qui en émane et y préside, un concept débordant les cadres traditionnels, est l'étape suivante. L'éclairage neuf qu'en reçoivent les couples, les Eglises et sociétés, et aussi la théologie transforme profondément la façon d'envisager la recherche interdisciplinaire dans ce champ. 1. Le « couple électif », un nouveau lieu spirituel Resituer historiquement notre approche est utile pour en saisir la nouveauté. 1.1 La construction de la notion de couple en Occident L'histoire du couple, même si elle reste à compléter, fait clairement apparaître en Occident le déploiement progressif de deux mouvements convergents. Le premier tend à conférer à la cellule conjugale une autonomie dans le corps social. Le second colore de manière intimement affective les relations qui s'y établissent entre conjoints, et, partant, avec les enfants qui en sont issus. Deux courants d'influences y contribuent principalement. Celui du droit gréco-romain et de l'Eglise valorise le mariage par consentement 1 S. BARTH, La voie de l'amour électif : une interpellation spirituelle pour notre temps, préface Ph. Bordeyne, Zürich, Ed. LIT-Verlag, collection INTAMS Studies, 2018.

Background Having close social relationships and being married specifically have been reliably associated with health benefits including lower morbidity and mortality. Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of marital status, relationship quality, and network support on measures of psychological and cardiovascular health. Method We examined ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) among 204 married and 99 single males and females (N = 303). Results We found that both marital status and marital quality were important. Married individuals had greater satisfaction with life (SWL) and blood pressure dipping than single individuals. High marital quality was associated with lower ABP, lower stress, less depression, and higher SWL. Importantly, contrasting those who are unmarried with those in low-quality marriages, we find that single individuals had lower ABP—suggesting that single individuals fare better than their unhappily married counterparts. Likewise, having a supportive network did not moderate (i.e., buffer) the effects of being single or unhappily married. Conclusions Findings indicate being married per se is not universally beneficial, rather, the satisfaction and support associated with such a relationship is important. However, marriage may be distinctive, as evidence further suggests that support from one’s network does not compensate for the effect of being single. These results highlight the complexities in understanding the influence of social relationships on long-term health, and they may help clarify the physiological pathways by which such associations exist.

Background The Bielefeld Partnership Expectations Questionnaire (BFPE) is a tool to assess attachment in the romantic relationships of adults. The attachment styles are operationalized as configuration patterns of scale scores. While convergent validity has already been investigated, discriminant validity is still lacking confirmation. Methods The present sample (n = 1509) is representative for the German population aged 18 to 50. The mean age was 34.6 years. Most of the participants lived in a relationship (77.3 %). Discriminant validity was analyzed using a marital quality questionnaire (PFB), a social support questionnaire (F-Soz-U K-14), and a life satisfaction questionnaire (FLZ). Results All the BFPE scales have a satisfying internal consistency between r = .79 and .86. Those individuals who showed a secure pattern, i.e. increased "Readiness for Self-Disclosure" and "Conscious Need for Care" as well as reduced "Fear of Rejection" experienced their partner as socially supportive, reported higher marital quality in all of its facets, and were more satisfied within the life-domains "family/children" and "relationship/sexuality". Standard values for each scale are presented. Conclusions The BFPE has repeatedly been verified as a short, reliable, and valid instrument applicable to research practice with healthy individuals as well as within clinical contexts.

Religiosity and pornography use are often closely connected. Relatively few studies, however, have examined how this religion-pornography connection plays out within the context of committed romantic relationships. Moreover, virtually all studies of religion and pornography use conceptualize religiosity as a quality intrinsic to the person that typically reduces pornography viewing. Focusing on married Americans, this study shifted the focus to consider whether the religiosity of one’s spouse relates to one’s own pornography viewing and under what circumstances. Analyses of the nationally-representative Portraits of American Life Study (N = 1026) revealed that spousal religiosity was strongly and negatively related to participants viewing pornography, controlling for participants’ own religious or sociodemographic characteristics or sexual satisfaction. This relationship held whether spousal religiosity was measured with participants’ evaluations of their spouses’ religiosity or spouses’ self-reported religiosity. The association between spousal religiosity and pornography use was also moderated by participants’ religious service attendance, gender, and age. Considering mechanisms, the association between spousal religiosity and pornography use was mediated by frequent participation in religious bonding activities as a couple, suggesting that spousal religiosity may decrease pornography viewing among married Americans by promoting greater religious intimacy and unity between the couple, consequently decreasing one’s interest or opportunities to view pornography.

An examination of how members of military marriages were affected by and adapted to OIF/OEF deployment found three themes: communicating to stay connected, emotional and marital intimacy, and managing change. The findings demonstrate the nuanced and subtle nature of deployment-related challenges. While open and frequent communication was important in the adaptation process, communication was not synonymous with transparency. Unshared stories created a void that prevented couples from confiding in and supporting their partners. Although wives maintained their marriages by restraining sexual desires and over-extending their responsibilities post-deployment, these behaviors had a negative effect on marital quality. Clinical and research implications are discussed.

Editor's note: In a departure from the typical sequence of events, which necessitates publishing comments and replies long after an article appears, the debate over the following article occurred during the review process. This made it possible to present the critic's feed- back and the author's reply along with the article itself. The difference in the two approaches to structural equation modeling is an important topic in family research. Honey- cutt and Godwin have sharpened and advanced the issue in their exchange.
A structural equation model of maritalfunctioning based on an attraction paradigm and social-penetration variables was tested. The attraction paradigm has traditionally focused on factors related to attraction (e.g., perceived attitudinal similarity, proximity, and homogeneity), while social-penetration theory has stressed the importance of communica- tion in developing relationships. The model posited that the attraction paradigm factors of being satisfied with marital issues and of perceived attitudinal similarity would have an im- pact upon marital happiness as well as perceived partner understanding, which would also affect marital happiness. The model also posited that social-penetration variables, opera- tionally defined in terms of openness, attentiveness, flexibility, and expressiveness, would reflect communication effectiveness, which would lead to partner understanding as well as marital happiness. The model provided a good fit to the data. A further test of a nonrecursive model provided additional support for the model. Partner understanding mediated be- tween attraction and social-penetration variables and marital happiness. The results are discussed in terms of the causal impact of theoretical variables and the use of more causal modeling for research in marital and relational communication.

Marriage is a very important union between a man and women. There are several factors that can affect quality of marital relationship. The present paper attempts to explore various psychological and social factors that can impact marital relationship.Present paper is based on review method for which more than 30 research papers and articles were reviewed. Several psychological and social factors were identified through present analysis that impacts the quality of marital relationship among couples.

The present study aims to understand how different configurations of affective investment in romantic relationships are associated with aspects of marital quality and other psychosocial constructs, such as beliefs and social skills. Participated in the study 650 people, 310 (47.3%) were male participants. The average age of participants was 23.6 years (SD = 6.9 years). Among the participants, 283 (43.5%) reported being involved in a romantic relationship at the time of the survey and 367 (56.5%) reported being no longer involved in romantic relationship. The study results show that higher levels of affective investment are associated with marital quality, intimacy, passion, commitment and beliefs of rational and friendly love. These data shed light on important aspects of romantic relationship.

In this study, we examined the issue of secondary traumatic stress (STS) among spouses of Holocaust survivors who were children during the World War II. STS is defined as comprising the same components as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), except that the person evidencing the symptoms has not actually been exposed to the traumatic event(s), but has developed them as a result of caring for someone with PTSD. Participants were 90 couples who completed self-report questionnaires regarding posttraumatic symptoms, psychological distress, and marital quality. The results showed that about one-third of the spouses suffered from some degree of STS symptoms. Secondary traumatic stress symptoms and psychological distress among spouses were significantly related to hostility, anger, paranoia, and interpersonal sensitivity in the survivor, but unrelated to whether the survivor had shared his/her reminiscences with the spouse. Female spouses were found to suffer more distress than male spouses, especially when their partner suffered high levels of PTSD. The results suggest that STS is, to a large degree, related to the demands of living with a symptomatic survivor, possibly more than to the empathic element thought to be central to this syndrome.