The Demand/Withdraw Pattern of Communication as a Predictor of Marital Satisfaction Over Time.

2002 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
John P. Caughlin
Keyword(s):  
Marital Satisfaction ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Demand Withdraw

scholarly journals Maximizing Tendencies in Marriage: Accentuating the Implications of Readily Observable Partner Characteristics for Intimates’ Satisfaction

2019 ◽  
Vol 45 (10) ◽  
pp. 1468-1481
Author(s):  
Juliana E. French ◽  
Andrea L. Meltzer
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Marital Satisfaction ◽  
Romantic Relationships ◽  
Physical Attractiveness ◽  
Romantic Partners ◽  
Relationship Outcomes ◽  
Partner Characteristics ◽  
Potential Alternative ◽  
Over Time

People differ in their tendencies to labor over decisions and to make choices that maximize their outcomes—a difference known as maximization. Here, we used two independent, 3-year longitudinal studies of newlywed couples to demonstrate that this individual difference in decision making has important implications for romantic relationships. Consistent with the idea that maximizers are more likely to compare their current romantic partners to potential alternative partners’ readily observable qualities, such as their physical attractiveness and status, results demonstrated that intimates’ maximization moderated the implications of these sex-differentiated variables for marital satisfaction. Specifically, maximizing men who had attractive (vs. unattractive) wives were more satisfied at the start of their marriages. Likewise, maximizing women who had high (vs. low) status husbands experienced less steep declines in satisfaction over time. These findings demonstrate that maximization has important implications for long-term romantic relationships by accentuating the effects of readily observable partner qualities on relationship outcomes.

Quantifying the Sexual Afterglow: The Lingering Benefits of Sex and Their Implications for Pair-Bonded Relationships

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 587-598 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea L. Meltzer ◽  
Anastasia Makhanova ◽  
Lindsey L. Hicks ◽  
Juliana E. French ◽  
James K. McNulty ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Marital Satisfaction ◽  
Sexual Activity ◽  
Longitudinal Studies ◽  
Sexual Satisfaction ◽  
Pair Bonding ◽  
Cognitive Mechanism ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Evolutionary Perspectives

Sex presumably facilitates pair bonding, but how do partners remain pair-bonded between sexual acts? Evolutionary perspectives suggest that sexual afterglow serves this purpose. We explored how long sexual satisfaction would remain elevated following sex and predicted that stronger sexual afterglow would characterize more satisfying partnerships. We pooled the data from two independent, longitudinal studies of newlywed couples to examine these issues. Spouses reported their daily sexual activity and sexual satisfaction for 14 days and their marital satisfaction at baseline and 4 or 6 months later. Results demonstrated that sexual satisfaction remained elevated approximately 48 hr after sex, and spouses experiencing a stronger afterglow reported higher levels of marital satisfaction both at baseline and over time. We interpret these findings as evidence that sexual afterglow is a proximal cognitive mechanism through which sex promotes pair bonding.

Effects of a Military Overseas Peacekeeping Deployment on Marital Quality, Satisfaction, and Stability

2000 ◽  
Vol 87 (3) ◽  
pp. 815-821 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walter R. Schumm ◽  
D. Bruce Bell ◽  
Paul A. Gade
Keyword(s):  
Marital Satisfaction ◽  
Effect Size ◽  
Marital Quality ◽  
Marital Stability ◽  
Sinai Peninsula ◽  
Stable Marriages ◽  
Open Question ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Military Lifestyle

Changes in self-reported soldier marital satisfaction and marital quality were assessed at three points in time, 1994–1997, before, during, and after a 1995 peacekeeping deployment of approximately 100 married soldiers to the Sinai peninsula. Analysis shows a moderate decline in marital satisfaction during the deployment (effect size of 0.27–0.29) but no overall change in the long term. Marital quality did not change significantly over time. Marital stability rates were especially low for soldiers who reported that their marriage was in trouble prior to the deployment. It appears that stable marriages can survive 6-mo. deployments without long-term decrements in satisfaction or quality. How many couples will continue to accept voluntarily a military lifestyle that requires frequent sacrifices of marital satisfaction as may occur during separations and deployments remains an open question, even though intentions for retention did not appear correlated with marital satisfaction or changes in marital satisfaction over the deployment in this study.

The Implications of Sociosexuality for Marital Satisfaction and Dissolution

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (10) ◽  
pp. 1460-1472 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliana E. French ◽  
Emma E. Altgelt ◽  
Andrea L. Meltzer
Keyword(s):  
Marital Satisfaction ◽  
Sexual Satisfaction ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Preliminary Evidence ◽  
Growth Curve Modeling ◽  
Curve Modeling ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Marital Success ◽  
Human Mating ◽  
Over Time

Most people will get married, and maintaining a quality marriage is critical to well-being. Nevertheless, many intimates experience declines in marital satisfaction, and a substantial proportion of marriages dissolve. Drawing from functional perspectives of human mating, we argue that one source of marital discord and dissolution is that people vary in their motivations to pursue uncommitted sex—that is, sociosexuality. We examined this possibility using data from two independent longitudinal studies of 204 newlywed couples and used actor–partner interdependence growth-curve modeling. Results demonstrated that relatively unrestricted (vs. restricted) sociosexuality was associated with an increased probability of relationship dissolution through declines in marital satisfaction over time. Additional exploratory analyses provided preliminary evidence suggesting that frequent sex, high sexual satisfaction, and low stress weaken this association. These primary findings suggest that strong motives to pursue uncommitted sex may interfere with marital success, and the latter findings suggest potential buffers for these negative outcomes.

scholarly journals Trajectories of the Marital Satisfaction among Middle and Old Aged Couples Using Parallel Latent Growth Model: Actor and Partner Effects

2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (3) ◽  
pp. 333-341
Author(s):  
Kyuyoung Cho ◽  
Seolah Lee
Keyword(s):  
Marital Satisfaction ◽  
Growth Model ◽  
Family Life ◽  
Initial Level ◽  
Family Life Cycle ◽  
Latent Growth Model ◽  
Latent Growth ◽  
The Family ◽  
Partner Effect ◽  
Over Time

This study examined the trajectories of the marital satisfaction among middle and old aged couples for 8 years. This study focused on middle and old aged couples who were relatively uninterested in family research. Using the 1-5 Waves of Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing (KLoSA) 2006-2014, the study included 635 middle and old aged couples whose husbands were 65-74 years old at baseline. First, a latent growth model indicated that a husband’s and wife’s marital satisfaction trajectories decreased over time. Second, a parallel latent growth model indicated that a husband’s marital satisfaction trajectories decreased more quickly, when the initial level of their own marital satisfaction was higher (husband’s actor-effect); in addition, a wife’s marital satisfaction trajectories also decreased more quickly, when the initial level of their own marital satisfaction was higher (wife’s actor-effect). Wife’s marital satisfaction trajectories decreased more slowly, when the initial level of their husband’s marital satisfaction was higher (husband’s partner-effect); however, the husband’s slope was not associated with the initial level of their wife’s. The methodological value of this work shows the application of a parallel latent growth model that includes the actor and partner effect of APIM. The findings extend our understanding of longitudinal marital dynamics between couples and promote a study on the trajectories of marital satisfaction at stages of the family life cycle.

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