Marital Behavior Research Articles

Incremental validity of spouse ratings versus self-reports of personality as predictors of marital quality and behavior during marital conflict.

The personality traits of neuroticism and agreeableness are consistently related to marital quality, influencing the individual's own (i.e., actor effect) and the spouse's marital quality (i.e., partner effect). However, this research has almost exclusively relied on self-reports of personality, despite the fact that spouse ratings have been found to have incremental validity over self-reports for a variety of other important outcomes. In a study of 300 middle-aged and older married couples, we examined the incremental validity of spouse ratings of neuroticism and agreeableness in predicting concurrent levels of self-reported marital quality, observations of behavior during a marital disagreement task, and depressive symptoms. Neuroticism and agreeableness had expected actor and partner effects on each of these outcomes. Spouse ratings of these traits demonstrated incremental validity in estimates of actor and partner effects on marital quality, marital behavior, and depressive symptoms. Results suggest that spouse ratings of personality may be important additions to the typical reliance on self-reports for research and clinical assessment in marriage.

초등학생 고학년 남아의 자기통제력, 부모의 양육행동, 부모간 갈등이 공격성에 미치는 영향

This research was conducted in order to find out the effects of boys' self-control, their parents' behaviors and marital conflict on boys' aggression. Subtypes of aggression in the present research consist of dimensions of the functions and forms (proactive-overt, proactive-relational, reactive-overt, reactive-relational). The participants of this study were 237 boys in the fifth and sixth grades in elementary schools located in Seoul and Gyeonggi province. The questionnaires were derived and modified from Lee Hong (2009) for boys' aggression, from Ju So Young and Lee Yang Hee (2008) for boys' self-control, from Jun Joo Ram (2008) and Heo Seung Yeon (2009) for maternal behaviors and from Kang Na Jung (2008) for marital conflict. In order to grasp the general characteristics of the participants, frequency and descriptive statistics were used. Also, Pearson's correlation was applied to the relationships amomg boys' self-control, marital behaviors and marital conflict on boys' aggression. Lastly, the variables that can predict boys' aggression were analyzed through multiple regression analysis by SPSS 19.0. The major results of this study were as follows. This research showed that this model fit well for boys. To summarize the important results, what is interesting in the present study is the effect of the mother's role in rearing their sons. It was found that mothers' criticism, negative behaviors, and excessive interference can cause boys' high level of aggressiveness. Also, having parents who fight frequently was strongly associated with boys' relational aggression. An interesting finding is that the mother's support influenced boys' reactive-overt aggression. Lastly, boys' self-control was highly associated with boys' proactive-relational aggression. This research may contribute to understanding boys' aggression' subtypes. To that end, the current results suggest that the dimensions of the functions and forms may be a useful tool in an effort to inform developmental theory and intervention. Also, this research may provide guidance for the resolution of problems caused by boys' aggression. Lastly, it was found that self- control training and parental education programs might prove beneficial for helping aggressive boys to overcome their aggressive impulses.

Marital, Reproductive, and Educational Behaviors Covary with Life Expectancy

Theories of "life history evolution" suggest that individuals might adjust the timing of marriage and reproduction, as well as their propensity to terminate a marriage or pregnancy and invest in skill development, in response to indicators of the locally prevailing level of life expectancy. In particular, such theories generate the hypothesis that foreshortened time horizons lead to hastened reproduction and marriage whereas lengthier time horizons increase the likelihood of reproductive and marital termination and lead to greater investment in education. Here, I show that the scheduling and occurrence of marital and reproductive behavior (including both initiation and termination), as well as levels of educational attainment and investment, covary with life expectancy, even after controlling for the effects of affluence. In analyses of variation in marital, reproductive, and educational behaviors at two jurisdictional levels in Canada, life expectancy was positively correlated with patterns of age-specific fertility, age at first marriage, divorce, abortion, conferral of high school and higher education degrees (with the exception of the trades) and mean number of years of schooling. The large and highly consistent relationships observed between life expectancy and the behaviors under investigation suggest that these associations may be mediated by individual "perceptions" of life expectancy, though more research is needed before conclusions can be firmly reached.

Between Constraints and Coercion: Marriage and Social Reproduction in Northern and Central Italy, 18th-19th Centuries

In this paper we review the main theories of household and marriage systems, highlighting their inability to account for the astonishing variety of family and marriage patterns that characterized modern Italy. We propose a new interpretative framework, where social reproduction is given pride of place as the main factor shaping marital behavior and household formation in the past. We test our theory analyzing five populations in northern and central Italy, characterized by different ecological, economic, and social conditions. We use an event history analysis approach to model the timing of marriage in the populations under study. The results confirm that coercion mattered much more than Malthusian economic constraints. We conclude suggesting a more general application of our approach to the study of marital behavior, family formation, and residential patterns in the past.

Knock, knock, anybody home? Psychological availability as link between work and relationship

This research investigated how negative and positive residuals of the workday spill over into the partner relationship. To unravel the mechanism of this spillover, this study introduces the concept of “psychological availability,” which refers to the individual's ability and motivation to direct psychological resources at the partner. A survey was conducted among 313 Dutch dual‐earner couples with children, using dyadic data analysis to analyze both partners simultaneously in 1 model. Psychological availability mediated the link between negative and positive work‐related residuals (i.e., work‐related negative mood, exhaustion, rumination and work‐related positive mood and vigor, respectively) and marital behavior. The findings suggest that partners' workday residuals spill over into the marital relationship through being more or less psychologically available for each other.

Migration consequences on marital behaviour in Kenya

This paper analysed the relationship between migration process and marital behaviour in Kenya. Data for analysis came from the Kenya Demographic and Health Surveys (KDHS) of 1988/89 and 1993. The hypothesis was that, women who migrate comprise those that act rationally to maximise other lifetime aspirations at the expense of reproductive behaviours. That is, migrants are involved in behaviours that negatively influence fertility determining factor of marriage compared to that of never-migrants. The paper contended that, migration dynamics are important in determining reproductive behaviour of women through time and space. The methods of estimating the association between migration process and marital behaviours were undertaken through several analysis techniques: Singulate mean age at marriage (SMAM); ordinary least squares (OLS) and; logistic regression (LR). Singulate mean age at marriage estimated patterns of marriage by migration status by background variables. Ordinary least square regression was used to identify the impact of migration process on marriage behaviour relative to other factors. Logistic regression determined the probability that a woman will marry early or late among the migrants and never-migrants. Findings confirmed that migration negatively affects age at first marriage. Migrants marry relatively late compared to never-migrants. Key words: Migration process, marriage behaviour, consequences, Kenya.

Marital interaction prior to parenthood predicts parent–child interaction 9 years later.

The well-established association between marital interaction and child well-being is sometimes interpreted as evidence that couple behavior "spills over" to affect parenting and child well-being. Nearly all such studies begin after couples become parents, however, raising the possibility that preexisting effects of children on the marriage are creating or inflating this association. To address this possibility, we observed 84 newlywed couples prior to parenthood as they engaged in standardized laboratory-based, problem-solving and social support interactions. We then used actor-partner interdependence modeling to relate the resulting positive and negative behavior codes to parent-child interactions observed 9 years later. Results show that marital behavior early in marriage predicted observed parenting behavior for mothers and fathers over this span, even after controlling for observed child negativity. To the extent that wives were more positive and husbands were less negative when offering support to each other as newlyweds, they tended to display behaviors promoting security and support in parent-child interactions at the later assessment. Most associations were within-person effects, though wives were more supportive with their children to their extent their husbands were more constructive during newlywed problem-solving conversations, and wives' supportive marital behavior predicted more affectively secure father-child interactions. These results suggest that spillover effects are not an artifact of preexisting effects of children on marital behavior while also raising the possibility that spillover effects have their roots in long-standing characteristics of how spouses converse with each other.

Implicit Theories of the Marital Institution: Associations and Moderation

The Implicit Theories of the Marital Institution (ITMI) framework distinguishes beliefs about how fixed or malleable marriage is, and might assist in investigating how such beliefs are formed and influence premarital and marital behavior. An initial study identified two distinct ITMI among a large, unmarried sample (n = 1,490). The ITMI were differentially predicted by a variety of background factors and other marital beliefs, and also served to moderate association between parents’ marital variables and young adults’ perspectives on getting married. ITMI also moderated the association between positive beliefs about marriage and perspectives on getting married.

Implicit Theories of the Marital Institution

Building on existing theory and literature regarding implicit theories, I propose an application of implicit theories that focuses on assumptions about the potentially changeable nature of the institution of marriage. Implicit Theories of the Marital Institution (ITMI) distinguish beliefs about how fixed or malleable marriage is and can potentially be used in investigating how such beliefs are formed and interplay with other variables that influence premarital and marital behavior. Research and theoretical implications of ITMI are discussed.

The Relationship Between Mother's Marital Satisfaction and the Behavioural Problems of Children with Down Syndrome and Comparing them to that of Normal Children

Abstract Marital satisfaction is a key variable in disturbing the equilibrium of the family due to behavioural problems of children. 100 mothers of students with Down syndrome (age range of 6-18) from 11 exceptional schools, and also 100 mothers of normal students at three educational levels of primary, secondary and high school (which matched the mothers of Down syndrome regarding education and location) were selected through multistage random sampling method. They completed the Marital Satisfaction questionnaire (Afrooz, 2006) and Children Behaviour Checklist (Achenbuch, 2001). The findings revealed that there was no significant relationship between the marital satisfactions of the two groups. But there was a significant relationship between the internalized and externalized behavioural problems of the two groups.

Predicting marital separation: Do parent–child relationships matter?

This study used a family systems perspective in modeling predictors of marital separation within married-parent families with adolescents. Specifically, we examined whether mother-adolescent closeness and negativity, father-adolescent closeness and negativity, and couple relationship quality (mothers' and fathers' positive marital behaviors) prospectively predicted the likelihood of marital separation, operationalized as the father moving out of the household. Data were derived from the first 4 waves of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1997 (n = 1649), assessing both biological and stepfather families. Results from complementary log-log analyses revealed that marital separations were related to complex family relationships. Specifically, greater mother-adolescent closeness predicted a higher likelihood of marital separation, whereas greater father-child closeness predicted a lower likelihood. In addition, mothers' more positive marital behaviors toward fathers predicted a lower likelihood of marital separation. Patterns were largely similar between biological and stepfather families, with the exception that mothers' positive marital behaviors toward fathers were more influential within biological father families.

Development and Validity of Marital Affection Behavior Scale(MABS)

Development and Validity of Marital Affection Behavior Scale(MABS)

Exploring Actor and Partner Effects in Associations Between Marriage and Parenting for Mothers and Fathers

Objective. The authors assessed positive and negative qualities of mothers' and fathers' marital interaction behavior in relation to each parent's observed parenting sensitivity, applying the actor–partner interdependence model. Marital behaviors expressed (actor effects) and marital behaviors experienced (partner effects) were distinguished to explore spillover processes between marriage and parenting for mothers and fathers. Design. Positive and negative marital interaction behaviors of 70 mothers and fathers were rated from observations of a discussion task when children were in first grade. Parental sensitivity was represented by a latent factor derived from observational ratings of mother–child and father–child interactions in Grades 1, 3, and 5. Results. Experiences of marital hostility and marital withdrawal from their spouse undermined mothers' and fathers' parenting sensitivity (partner effects), controlling for each parent's own marital behaviors (actor effects) and each parent's psychological adjustment. Expressed supportive marital behavior was positively related to mothers' and fathers' own parenting sensitivity (actor effects), controlling for marital behaviors experienced and the parent's psychological adjustment. Conclusions. Partner effects for negative marital behaviors and actor effects for positive marital behaviors insinuate associations between marriage and parenting. Predictions from marital qualities to parenting are similar for mothers and fathers.

Mexican-Origin Couples in the Early Years of Parenthood: Marital Well-Being in Ecological Context

In this article, we draw from Huston's (2000) 3-level model of marriage to provide an informed and integrative template for organizing current knowledge and guiding future inquiry into the study of marital well-being among a rapidly growing segment of the United States' population: low-income, Mexican-origin couples in the early years of parenthood. More specifically, we advocate for a dyadic approach that attends to elements of the macroenvironment, such as cultural background, and how those elements interact directly and indirectly with spouses' individual characteristics and marital behavior. In so doing, we demonstrate the value of an ecological approach for understanding current research and for informing future work studying marriage among new parents of Mexican origin.

Autonomy or Efficiency: An Experiment on Household Decisions in Two Regions of India

Dyson and Moore (1983) posit that women in South India enjoy relatively more agency than in the North. Their conclusions have become part of the standard picture of Indian rural society. In this paper, we examine using experimental data the implications of this regional contrast in female autonomy for the efficiency of family decision-making. We take a sample of 1200 couples from two areas in the north of India (Uttar Pradesh) and one area in the south (Tamil Nadu) that are often taken to exemplify differences in the autonomy of women and the nature of marital relationships. Generally, we find large-scale and robust evidence of inefficiency and the hiding of assets when this is possible. Men invest more and are more generous to their partners. Women are more willing to invest in a common pool when their income is earned through working and when assets are publicly observable.Regarding the focus of our paper, we find continuing significant differences between North and South and we find relatively little evidence that urban living is associated with changes in the nature of marital behaviour. There are some differences between response to treatment but the key and striking difference between the North and the South is that in both rural and urban sites in the former region household efficiency is considerably greater than in the latter, which does on the face of it suggest a trade-off between autonomy and efficiency.

Religious Differences in Modernization of the Family

This research examines trends in a broad set of reproductive and marital behaviors in Ghana, focusing on religious group differences. These comparisons provide evidence of how family trends are constrained by religious identity in a less developed country. Three waves of the Ghana Demographic and Health Surveys are used to track trends in the age at family formation, marital status, contraceptive use, and family size. Results indicate that women are waiting longer to begin sexual relationships, to marry, and have children. At the same time, the frequency of informal unions, polygamy, and marital disruption show modest declines. Contraceptive use is increasing and family size is declining. Although religious group differences in these behaviors are substantial, some religious group differences appear to be widening over time, others are narrowing, and others remain relatively stable. Collectively, these measures provide evidence that family structure is being transformed in Ghana and that religion is an important context for family trends.

Husbands' and wives' alcohol use disorders and marital interactions as longitudinal predictors of marital adjustment.

In this longitudinal study, the relationships among wives' and husbands' lifetime alcoholism status, marital behaviors, and marital adjustment were tested. Participants were 105 couples from the Michigan Longitudinal Study (MLS), an ongoing multimethod investigation of substance use in a community-based sample of alcoholics, nonalcoholics, and their families. At baseline (T1), husbands and wives completed a series of diagnostic measures, and lifetime diagnosis of alcohol use disorder (AUD, as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed.), was assessed. Couples completed a problem-solving marital interaction task 3 years later at T2, which was coded for the ratio of positive to negative behaviors. Couples also completed a measure of marital adjustment at T4 (9 years after T1 and 6 years after T2). Results showed that husbands' lifetime AUD predicted lower levels of their wife's positive marital behaviors 3 years later but was not related to their own or their wife's marital adjustment 9 years from baseline. By contrast, wives' lifetime AUD had direct negative associations with their own and their husband's marital satisfaction 9 years later, and wives' marital behaviors during the problem-solving task predicted their own and their husband's marital satisfaction 6 years later. Findings indicate that marital adjustment in alcoholic couples may be driven more by the wives' than the husbands' AUD and marital behavior. Implications for intervention with alcoholic couples were discussed.

Mothers but Not Wives: The Increasing Lag Between Nonmarital Births and Marriage

This study analyzed trends in marital behavior for unwed mothers who gave birth between 1960 and 2004. With nationally representative data on 15,353 White and Black unmarried mothers, results indicated that mothers who gave birth after 1989 were waiting much longer to marry than were mothers giving birth before 1968. The most pronounced delays were found immediately after a birth. Over the study period, the cumulative proportion of women who married within three years of a birth decreased for Whites by 27% and for Blacks by 60%. Findings underscore the separation that has developed between first births and first marriages in the United States, and they highlight the older ages at which children are experiencing a transition to marriage.

Changes of marital behavior and family patterns in post-socialist countries: Delayed, incomplete or specific second demographic transition?

The paper starts by questioning the theory of second demographic transition (SDT) and its universal relevance in the field of marriage behavior and family organization in low fertility context, arguing for more differentiated approaches. With an aim to illustrate the contextual specifics of post-socialist countries in general and of Serbia in particular, the author claims that analyzed changes have not just been delayed or incomplete in comparison to more developed European countries, but shaped by specific modernization processes, which led to rationally developed strategies in overcoming structural risks, although, without ideational changes typical to the theory of SDT. Slow changes in marital behavior and family organization in Serbia are illustrated in recent sociological (empirical) research findings. The perceived changes are linked to specific structural risks (war, slow transformation and enduring economic hardships, weak state and low trust in institutions, etc) and value characteristics (persistence of materialism and traditionalism, but with increasing ambivalence). The connection between structural and ideational changes is considered through social stratification variable by relying on Coale's model on necessary preconditions for behavioral changes as well as on social deprivation concept. Having in mind upper social strata (more educated and better off), the value changes precede the behavioral that are adapted to economic uncertainty, which still force more traditional marital and family patterns. Therefore, there is a rank of different options, from extended family (for a short period at the beginning of marriage or after divorce) to separated leaving (of married partners) in parental households (due to refusing the extended family option thus creating quite specific "living apart together" form), combined with dominant strategy of prolonging the marriage. Hence, for upper social strata, marriage is still a universal but negotiable institution since more alternative options (although attractive and in accordance to changing values) are deemed irrational (have no obvious benefit). As regards the lower social strata (less educated and worse off), marriage is more in accordance with their higher inclination to traditional values, but general value liberalization legitimizes possible failures (divorces, extra marital births), which, even if not desired or economically rational, happen due to lower capacity to command life. For that reason, cohabitations and extra marital births are more common among actors at the lower end of the stratification ladder. The paper concludes that adaptive strategies related to traditional patterns of family organization dominate in Serbia, which might be illustrated by the fact that every third of one parent families lives in extended families. Even with significant structural changes (and economic improvements) in Serbia in the near future it is realistic to expect familism as an influential context, which suggests the spreading of cohabitation primarily as a pre- marital option (but more desired than forced).

A Microsimulation Model to Study the Interaction between Fertility and Union Formation and Dissolution: An Application to Canada and Quebec

Union formation and dissolution are among the main determinants explaining variations in fertility. Compared to the rest of Canada, Quebec’s marital histories are more complex and its prevalence of common-law unions much higher. The objective of this article is to examine the role of marital behaviours on fertility by comparing different indicators of fertility and conjugal life that were obtained through microsimulation. Parameters of the microsimulation model were estimated from hazard regressions performed on the marital and fertility histories collected in two retrospective longitudinal surveys: the Canadian General Social Survey (GSS) 2001 and 2006. Results show that the more complex marital histories of Quebecers can explain more than one-quarter of their fertility differences with the rest of the country.