Dimensions Of Marital Quality Research Articles

Relationship between Communication Pattern and Marital Happiness of Army Couples

For longevity of a marriage, happiness plays a vital role in contemporary India. Marital happiness, a dimension of marital quality is determined by various marital factors such as self-esteem, communication, intimacy and marital satisfaction of couples. Communication plays a major role in marriage, and they are the key predictors of marital satisfaction in couple (Lavner, Karney and Bradbury, 2016). In marital life, communication is not simply the flow of information from the sender to the receiver but the ability of couples to share their thoughts and feelings to their spouses. This study aimed to have a focal point on the relationship between communication patterns and marital happiness of army couples. As army couples being a breed of its own this study was conducted among 128 army couples (128 husbands and 128 wives) in the age group of 21 to 30 years of age and within their five years of marriage life. Using the Marital Happiness Scale (Azrin, Naster, & Jones, 1973), the marital happiness level and the Communication Patterns Questionnaire (CPQ; Christensen, 1988) the communication pattern of army couples was measured. After statistical analysis, results indicated that the relationship between each pattern of communication is different and significantly correlated with marital happiness of army couples.

A Typology of Marital Quality among Javanese People

Marital quality typologies have been the subject of many studies in Western psychology, and dimensions of marital quality have been associated with various positive life outcomes. However, marital quality in the context of a collectivist culture, where marriage could have a different quality, has not been explored extensively. This study aimed to classify marital quality among Javanese people, one of the largest groups representing collectivist culture in Indonesia. Using data collected online from participants in five regions in Java ( N = 889), we conducted a cluster analysis based on a two-dimensional marital quality scale (relationship and well-being). Three types of marital quality emerged from the analysis, namely, flourishing, functional, and surviving marriages. The flourishing type was the most positive marital quality indicator. Participants belonging to this type reported better relationship quality and well-being compared to the other two types.

A comparative study of the relationship between lifestyles and the tendency to control overweight and the quality of marital relationships in pregnant and non-pregnant women

Objective: This study aimed to compare the relationship between lifestyle and the tendency to control weight and the quality of marital relationships in pregnant and non-pregnant women. Method: The method of this study is descriptive-correlational. The statistical population includes all women referred to health centers in Ardabil in 2021; a sample of 300 people (150 pregnant women and 150 non-pregnant women) was chosen. Data collection tools included Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale (RDAS) et al. (1995), the Lifestyle Questionnaire (LSQ) and Dietary Adherence Questionnaire. The data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and multivariate regression tests. Results: The results showed that there is a positive and significant relationship between different types of health-oriented lifestyles with a tendency to weight control and dimensions of marital quality and regression analysis also showed that the dimensions of lifestyles can be a positive and significant predictor of a tendency to control weight and dimensions have the quality of marital relationships. Also, comparing lifestyle relationships with the tendency to control weight and the quality of marital relationships in pregnant and non-pregnant women showed that the intensity of relationships is in favor of non-pregnant women. Conclusion: Considering the importance of pregnancy and the special conditions of this period, the attention of pregnant women to physical activity, nutrition and spiritual health will control weight and increase the quality of life during pregnancy.

Doprinos dijadne empatije doživljaju kvaliteta partnerskog odnosa

The aim of the study is to examine the relationship between dyadic empathy and marital quality in formal and informal marital relationships in Serbia. The sample consisted of 738 respondents of different socioeconomic background, aged between 19 and 80, living together between 1 and 52 years (M = 8.29, SD = 9.71). The Interpersonal Reactivity Index for Couples (IRIC; Pé loquin & Lafontaine, 2010) was used to assess the cognitive and affective dimensions of dyadic empathy, and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS; Spanier, 1976, 1989) was used to measure marital quality. The latter assesses four dimensions of marital quality: Consensus, Dyadic Satisfaction, Affectional Expression and Cohesion. The results of structural modelling indicate a positive contribution of affective empathy to the assessment of spousal agreement regarding issues that are important for everyday functioning, the assessment of general satisfaction with marriage, as well as to the assessment of the degree of closeness and quality of communication between partners. Cognitive empathy positively contributes to the assessment of spousal agreement regarding issues that are important for everyday functioning, the assessment of the agreement of spouses concerning displays of affection, sexual relations, lack of love and denials of sex, as well as the assessment of the degree of closeness and quality of communication between partners.

Marital Quality and Heavy Alcohol Use Among Older Couples

Supportive marital relationships may reduce partners’ problematic health behaviors, whereas unhappy relationships may lack efficacious spousal monitoring of health and increase the likelihood of using maladaptive coping strategies, such as heavy alcohol use, to deal with relationship problems. We used pooled data from the 2014 and 2016 waves of the Health and Retirement Study to examine how both partners’ perceptions of marital quality were associated with heavy drinking. Our analytic sample included married couples in which both spouses were over age 50, completed the leave-behind psychosocial questionnaire, and provided non-missing data on marital quality and alcohol use (n=2,095 couples). Measures included both positive and negative dimensions of marital quality and controls for sociodemographic, economic, health, household and marital characteristics. Using Proc Glimmix, we estimated a dual-intercept Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM), in which separate equations were computed simultaneously for husbands and wives. For husbands, higher negative marital quality was associated with an increase in the odds of their own heavy drinking (OR=1.27), but there was no significant association between wives’ marital quality and husbands’ heavy drinking behavior. For wives, marital quality was not significantly associated with their own heavy drinking, but husbands’ higher ratings of both negative and positive marital quality increased the risk of wives’ heavy drinking (OR=1.60 and OR=1.75, respectively). Results suggest that marital quality is associated with heavy drinking in later life: self-ratings of marital quality matter for men, whereas spousal perceptions of marital quality are more important for women.

Marital Experiences and Depression in an Arranged Marriage Setting.

Understanding the consequences of marital experiences for individual mental health provides insight into how social relationships shape individual wellbeing. Using newly available, clinically validated diagnostic interviews with more than 10,000 respondents integrated with the longitudinal Chitwan Valley Family Study (CVFS), we assess the associations between marital experiences, intimate partner violence (IPV), and mental health and how they differ by gender in a setting of universal marriage-Nepal. Particularly novel, we integrate measures of arranged marriage, IPV, and marital quality into a single comprehensive analysis of the marital experiences shaping subsequent depression. This study reveals that becoming married can be positively associated with major depressive disorder (MDD) for women. IPV is a strong and independent risk factor for depression, but it only mediates a small portion of the consequences of marriage on depression. Among women, having no say at all in the selection of a spouse is also a strong and independent risk factor for depression, and IPV can only mediate a small portion of the consequences of arranged marriage on depression. We also investigate the associations between the positive (i.e., husband-wife emotional bond) and negative (i.e., spousal criticism and disagreement) dimensions of marital quality and depression. Frequent spousal disagreement significantly increases depression for women, but strong husband-wife emotional bond is not significantly associated with depression. Overall, the associations between marital experiences and mental health should be understood as contingent on both gender and the social contexts of marriage. Depending on these factors, specific marital experiences have the potential to increase transitions to depression, not just protect from depression.

Dyadic Patterns of Marital Quality During Later Life

Although earlier cross-sectional studies suggested a U-shaped curve in marital quality over the life course, recent longitudinal studies find stability or continual decline (Proulx, Ermer, & Kanter, 2017). It is important to better understand patterns of marital quality during later life, as marital quality is associated with older adults’ marital stability, health, and longevity. However, few studies have utilized couple-level data to examine marital quality trajectories, and only one has examined dyadic patterns during later life (Wickrama et al., 2020). We use nationally-representative data from the 2006-2016 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) to examine positive and negative dimensions of marital quality among a sample of continuously-married couples over age 50 in which both partners provided data on marital quality at three time points (n = 1,389 couples). A survey-weighted latent growth curve model simultaneously examines two marital quality trajectories: own and spouse’s. Preliminary results show that mean baseline positive and negative marital quality are similar for own and spouse’s trajectories. Although growth rates are statistically non-significant for positive marital quality, the variance of growth rate is statistically significant for spouse’s trajectory (0.001, p < 0.05), and greater baseline own positive marital quality is associated with negative growth of spouse’s positive marital quality. Growth rates are similar for own and spouse’s trajectories of negative marital quality, and variance of growth rate is statistically significant for spouse’s negative marital quality trajectory. Results point to stability in marital quality over time, and suggest the importance of using couple-level data.

Older Couples’ Marital Quality and Health Behaviors

Health benefits of marriage may stem in part from spouses discouraging unhealthy behavior and encouraging healthy practices. Although studies show spousal effects on health behaviors, few have assessed whether spousal effects vary by the quality of the marital relationship. Spouses in low-quality marriages may be less likely to engage in joint activities that promote health (e.g., shared exercise), make fewer attempts at monitoring their spouse’s health behaviors, and be less successful in their attempts to intervene. Those in unhappy relationships may also use unhealthy behaviors as maladaptive coping strategies to deal with marital stress. We use dyadic data from couples over age 50 in the 2006 and 2008 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) to examine how both spouses’ ratings of positive and negative dimensions of marital quality are associated with their own and their spouses’ exercise and smoking (n=3,498 couples). Using HLM software, we estimated actor-partner interdependence models (APIM). Results indicate that both own and husbands’ ratings of positive marital quality are significantly associated with wives’ odds of smoking. Own perceptions of negative marital quality and wives’ perceptions of both positive and negative marital quality are associated with husbands’ odds of smoking. For wives, neither own nor spousal marital quality is significantly related to exercise. For husbands, however, wives’ higher positive marital quality and lower negative marital quality are associated with increased exercise. Strategies to improve marital quality may promote healthy behaviors among older adults, particularly for husbands.

The Role of Dyadic Coping to Marital Quality – The Conceptual Paper

In modern times, increasing divorce ratio should be addressed properly by the agencies concerned. There are numerous studies that found that dyadic coping plays a vital role in marital satisfaction as a significant predictor of marital quality. However, previous research overlooked the function of dyadic coping from both dimensions of marital quality: positive and negative marital quality. Factors that hinder marital satisfaction do not simply mean that they cause marital dissatisfaction. Thus, this conceptual paper aims to discuss the function of dyadic coping to marital quality from both domains.

Wives’ Relative Income and Marital Quality in Urban China: Gender Role Attitudes as a Moderator

This study attempted to examine the impact of relative income on marital happiness and instability among urban Chinese women. Using a sample of 1104 married women in Beijing, this study found that wives’ relative income was negatively associated with marital happiness, and positively associated with marital instability to a small extent. Traditional breadwinner role attitudes were positively associated with marital happiness, and negatively associated with marital instability. Feminine role attitudes were not associated with any dimension of marital quality. Hierarchical multiple regression indicated that the moderating role of feminine role attitudes on marital happiness was supported. In other words, the negative impact of wives’ income advantage on marital happiness was buffered by egalitarian feminine role attitudes. The implications of the findings for theoretical verification and family-friendly policy making are discussed.

Marital Quality and Income: An Examination of the Influence of Government Assistance

Using data from a random telephone statewide survey in Utah, the associations between income, government assistance and six dimensions of marital quality were explored with a sample of 295 married individuals with incomes below $40,000. Results indicate that income has a main effect on negative interaction and feeling trapped. An interaction of government assistance and income on two dimensions of marital quality was found. Individuals that experienced the combination of earning less than $20,000 per year while receiving government assistance had significantly lower levels of overall marital satisfaction and commitment than individuals receiving government assistance with higher incomes and individuals who have never received government assistance. Implications and possible explanations are discussed.

A Phenomenological Exploration of Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery As Experienced by Three Couples

The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of three couples in each of which one of the partners has undergone coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). Previous research has been largely quantitative and focused on discrete dimensions of marital quality, spousal support, or patient and spouse distress. However, few studies explored the experiences of couples as a marital dyad. This study expanded upon previous research to explore couples' experiences of bypass surgery and to examine the possibility of shared meanings about that event. Shared meaning refers to the congruent beliefs that a couple has about their CABG experience (Patterson, 1989; Radley & Green, 1986). Three couples from the Cardiac Wellness Institute of Calgary were interviewed and the transcribed interviews analyzed. The descriptive phenomenological psychological method (Giorgi, 2000) was used to identify the underlying meaning structures of the couples' experiences. The analysis revealed a single structure consisting of seven interrelated constituents describing the psychological essence of the couples' experiences of bypass surgery. The study extended the understanding of what CABG is like for a marital dyad, particularly for medical and psychological practitioners who work with CABG patients and their spouses.

Religion and marital quality among low-income couples

In this paper, we examine the question of whether religion—affiliation, beliefs, and practice—provides a source of marital strength and stability in the lives of American couples. Unlike most previous studies, we focus on religion and marital quality among 433 low-income married couples with co-residential minor children, using recently collected survey data on both spouses sampled in the Marital and Relationship Survey (MARS). Our working hypothesis is that religiosity is a positive force for marital quality among low-income couples, and that a practicing faith can buffer the negative effects of economic stress on marital quality. The results indicate that most low-income couples have unexpectedly high scores on the various dimensions of marital quality (e.g., commitment, emotional support, etc.). Religious affiliation and personal religious beliefs are less important for marital quality than if couples share similar beliefs about God’s divine plans for them and their relationship, if they pray together, or if they attend religious services together. On the other hand, the stress-buffering hypothesis received little support in our analysis. At a minimum, the results clearly highlight the potential role of religion in the marital lives of low-income couples. The implication is that faith-based organizations (including churches and synagogues) may have a particularly strong role to play in nurturing the spiritual lives and enhancing the quality of the intimate marital relationships of their flocks.

Race-ethnic differences in marital quality and divorce

Blacks report lower marital quality and face a higher risk of marital dissolution than Whites, but little is known about how Hispanics compare to these two groups. We examine five dimensions of marital quality as well as marital dissolution for Blacks, Whites, and Mexican Americans using data from the National Survey of Families and Households ( N = 6231). Mexican Americans and Whites have similar levels of marital quality, whereas Blacks report poorer marital quality than these two groups. Blacks face higher odds of marital disruption than either Mexican Americans or Whites, but this is because of Blacks’ lower marital quality. Consistent with the paradox of Mexican American nuptiality, we conclude that aspects of Mexican American culture may play a role in preserving marital quality and stability for this group despite their precarious economic situation.

The Role of Marital Quality in Physical Health During the Mature Years

This study examined the role of marital quality in the physical health of mature adults. Participants were from the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States aged 50+ years who were in their first marriage. Five dimensions of marital quality and four indicators of physical health were used. Regression analyses indicated that marital quality indices accounted for a significant amount of explained variance in physical health. Most notably, higher levels of negative spousal behaviors uniquely contributed to physical health, predicting more physical symptoms, chronic health problems, and physical disability, and poorer perceived health. The occurrence of negative spousal behaviors was consistently associated with poorer physical health. The negativity effect observed regarding the costs and benefits of social support in general also applies to the context of marriage in that negative spousal behaviors outweigh positive spousal behaviors in contributing to mature adults' physical health.

Dimensions of Marital Quality and Retirement

This study examines whether the meaning of marital conflict and marital solidarity are affected by the transition to retirement, whether the retirement transition alters stability and variability of, and cross-spouse influences on, marital quality, and whether retirement influences latent means of marital quality. Data from both waves of the National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH) addressed these questions ( N= 407 couples for wives’ retirement, and N= 550 couples for husbands’ retirement). Results suggest that the structure of marital conflict is unaffected by husbands’and wives’transition to retirement, but that wives’ continued employment may be associated with greater conflict longitudinally. Husbands’ and wives’ constructs of marital solidarity differ from one another; they were unaffected by wives’ retirement but converged with husbands’ retirement through changes for each partner in the importance of joint time together and potential for divorce. Effects of the retirement transition are far subtler than previously believed.

Marital equality and the quality of long-term marriage in later life

The study examines the relationship between husband-wife equality in late adulthood and two dimensions of marital quality: burn-out, and satisfaction with marriage. Husband-wife equality has been examined on the basis of marital power relations and the division of roles in three areas: in-home tasks, financial management, and social life. Equity theory provided the conceptual framework for the hypothesis that equality in various aspects of marriage enhances marital quality. The research sample consisted of 116 retired Israeli couples. Negative correlations were found between equality in family roles and burn-out among both husbands and wives. Surprisingly, equality in the performance of in-home roles correlated positively with burn-out among husbands. Moreover, equality in power relations correlated positively with marital satisfaction among wives. In addition, an interaction was found for wives' perceptions of equality in power relations and their husbands' level of burn-out. State of health correlated negatively with burn-out for both partners. Furthermore, husbands' religiosity explained a substantial percentage of the variance in their level of burn-out and marital satisfaction. On the whole, wives reported a higher level of burn-out and a lower level of marital satisfaction than did their husbands.

Quality and Equality in Marriage: A Cross- Cultural View

Recent textbook treatments of marital quality and equality treat equality as a precondition for marital quality. Other comparative treatments have viewed quality and equality as unrelated or in versely related. Using data from a sample of 186 preindustrial societies, one dimension of marital quality is examined against 13 indicators of sexual inequality and 4 indicators of marital role sharing. The findings show that role sharing is the more crucial factor to marital quality. Implications for research and theory are discussed.

Coparenting during the Child's 2nd Year: A Descriptive Account

New parenthood calls for husbands and wives to work together, coordinate attitudes and beliefs, and to respect, and perhaps negotiate between, one another's unique ideas about raising children. The contribution of such marital processes to parent-child relationships is highlighted by more than 2 decades of research examining the interrelation of marriage, parenting, and child development (Gable, Belsky, & Crnic, 1992). Presently, it is recognized that happy marriages are frequently associated with supportive parenting and with favorable child outcomes (e.g., Belsky, Youngblade, Rovine, & Volling, 1991; Howes & Markman, 1989, 1991) and that troubled marriages are often related to less effective parenting and problematic child behavior (e.g., Jouriles, Murphy, Farris, Smith, Richters, & Waters, 1991; Kerig, Cowan, & Cowan, 1993). Because associations between marriage, parenting, and child development are not uniform and are often modest (Reid & Crisafulli, 1990), the need to move beyond global assessments of marital quality and to investigate marital processes from a more differentiated perspective is now widely acknowledged (Jouriles, Farris, McDonald, 1991; Jouriles, Murphy, et al., 1991; Vuchinich, Vuchinich, & Wood, 1993). Recent efforts to specify which aspects of the marital relationship impede parenting and place children at risk repeatedly highlight overt inter spousal arguments (Gottman & Katz, 1989; Holden & Ritchie, 1991; Jenkins & Smith, 1991; Jouriles, Murphy, & O'Leary, 1989; Katz & Gottman, 1993). Cummings and his colleagues have reported that characteristics of interparental anger (e.g., frequency, mode, topic of conflict) and its resolution (e.g., the silent treatment, compromise) are linked with child well-being (e.g., Cummings, Ballard, El-Sheikh, & Lake, 1991; Cummings & Davies, 1992; Cummings, Vogel, Cummings, & El-Sheikh, 1989; Cummings, Zahn-Waxler, Radke-Yarrow, 1981). Furthermore, in a study that considered disputes about parenting as a dimension of marital quality, Jouriles, Murphy, et: al. (1991) found that marriages characterized by high levels of conflict about childrearing were more strongly and positively associated with boys' behavior problems than were self-reports of general, non-child-related conflicts. In light of such findings, the main goal of this study is to widen the window on the marital relationship and describe how spouses function as coparents. Family systems and psychoanalytic theorists have characterized the coparenting relationship as the extent to which husbands and wives function as partners or adversaries in their parenting roles (P. Minuchin, 1985; S. Minuchin, 1974; Weissman & Cohen, 1985). Despite the apparent significance of these ideas, few studies of coparenting processes have been conducted (for exceptions, see Buchanan, Maccoby, & Dornbusch, 1991; Floyd & Zmich, 1991; Frank, Jacobson, Hole, Justkowski, & Huych, 1986; Maccoby, Depner, & Mnookin, 1990). Some researchers have indirectly estimated coparenting by comparing mothers' and fathers' childrearing attitudes and beliefs (e.g., Block, 1965; Block, Block, & Morrison, 1981; Vaughn, Block, & Block, 1988); still others have interviewed parents about their perceptions of their partner as a supportive coparent (Frank et al., 1986). Although this research adds to the understanding of parental alliances, it is striking that a naturalistic, behavioral data base about coparenting has not emerged. Thus, the purpose of this investigation is to characterize the nature of coparenting processes using home-based observations of family interaction. Toward this end, a behavior-based classification system designed expressly for measuring naturally occurring coparenting events will be detailed, and evidence pertaining to stability and change in the frequency and style of coparenting over a 6-month period during the 2nd year of life will be presented. …

Consequences of Participating in a Longitudinal Study of Marriage

Consequences of Participating in a Longitudinal Study of Marriage