Abstract
In recent years, central research on relationships has focused mostly on the quality of relationships. It has been postulated that married and dating couples tend to rate the quality of their relationship differently. The present study aims to explore this statement in addition to examining the role of gender in couple satisfaction and consensus. A total of 160 participants that were made up of 80 married individuals and 80 individuals who were dating were surveyed for this purpose. The Dyadic Consensus and Dyadic Satisfaction subscale from the Dyadic Adjustment Scale were administered to the couples. Independent-samples T-test was used to analyse the gender differences in regards to dyadic consensus and dyadic satisfaction. It was found that there was a significant difference between married and dating couples in regards to dyadic satisfaction in a relationship. However, it was found that there was no significant difference between married and dating couples in relate to dyadic consensus in a relationship. In addition, findings of this study revealed that there was no significant difference in satisfaction and consensus among males and females. Further investigation is recommended on couple’s problem-solving styles which may lead to noticeable differences between genders, married and dating couples as relate to their level of satisfaction and consensus.
Highlights
General trends in the existing literature show that married couples were more satisfied and committed in their relationship
The two dimensions of relationship quality presented in this study are Dyadic Consensus and Dyadic Satisfaction; both components are derived from DAS (Dyadic Adjustment Scale)
The dyadic consensus mean for married couples was 31.14 and dating couples was 31.36 [t (158) = -0.139, p>.05]
Summary
General trends in the existing literature show that married couples were more satisfied and committed in their relationship. Dyadic Consensus concerns the degree of harmonious accord between partners on matters of importance to the dyadic functioning of the relationship (Kurdek, 1992). Kurdek suggested that dyadic consensus consists of high frequency of agreement between partners. He specified that dyadic satisfaction can be measured through low instances of quarrels, discussions of separation, and negative interactions. Miller and Salkind (2002) further elaborated dyadic consensus as “The degree to which the couple agree on matters of importance to the relationship” Miller and Salkind (2002) elaborated dyadic satisfaction as “The degree to which the couple is satisfied with the present state of the relationship and is committed to its continuance” Miller and Salkind (2002) elaborated dyadic satisfaction as “The degree to which the couple is satisfied with the present state of the relationship and is committed to its continuance” (p. 546)
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