Examining Patterns of Mexican Immigrant Spouses’ Contextual Pressures and Links with Marital Satisfaction and Negativity

Abstract

Previous research examined links from economic and cultural adaptation pressures to marital satisfaction and marital behavior. Results generally suggested a negative association between these sources of pressure and marital outcomes. However, the extant research is lacking given its inattention to the extent to which husbands and wives experience varying patterns of interrelated pressures and the differential links between patterns of economic and cultural adaptation pressures and marital outcomes. Using latent profile analysis, we identified four distinct patterns of economic and cultural adaptation pressures, underscoring the diversity in experiences among a seemingly homogeneous population of low-income Mexican immigrant couples. Furthermore, differences in marital satisfaction and marital negativity were identified, highlighting how varying patterns of pressures are differentially linked to marital quality.