What Does Marriage Mean to Us? Marital Centrality among Newlywed Couples

2020 ◽  
pp. 0192513X2094990
Author(s):  
Brian J. Willoughby ◽  
Jeremy Yorgason ◽  
Spencer James ◽  
Erin Kramer Holmes
Keyword(s):  
Marital Quality ◽  
Married Couples ◽  
General Level ◽  
Positive Communication ◽  
Adult Relationships ◽  
Strongly Connected ◽  
Marital Beliefs ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Relational Belief

With marriage now delayed until later in the life course, developmental and young adult scholars have increasingly focused on how relational and marital beliefs of unmarried young adults influence developmental and relational trajectories. Yet little research has explored how these same perceptions and beliefs may alter adult relationships and marriages. Using a national U.S. sample of 1,755 newlywed couples, we explored how beliefs about the centrality of marriage were associated with marital quality and commitment. A common-fate approach that simultaneously allowed for both individual and couple-level analyses was used. Results suggested that higher marital centrality beliefs separately for each partner and jointly as a couple were strongly associated with higher interpersonal commitment to one’s spouse and the general level of commitment in the relationship. Significant indirect effects found for husbands, wives, and at the couple-level suggested that higher marital centrality beliefs had an indirect association through commitment with higher relationship satisfaction, less instability, and higher reports of positive communication. Marital beliefs around the centrality of marriage appear to be strongly connected to the establishment of commitment and relationship quality among married couples. Results call for the expansion of the marital and relational belief literature into the context of adult relationships.

scholarly journals Relationship Quality Among Cohabiting Versus Married Couples

2015 ◽  
Vol 38 (12) ◽  
pp. 1730-1753 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan L. Brown ◽  
Wendy D. Manning ◽  
Krista K. Payne
Keyword(s):  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Marital Quality ◽  
Diffusion Theory ◽  
Married Couples ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Union Type ◽  
The Relationship

Using data from the nationally representative 2010 Married and Cohabiting Couples Survey of different-sex cohabiting and married couples, we compared the relationship quality of today’s cohabitors and marrieds. Consistent with diffusion theory and recent conceptual work on the deinstitutionalization of marriage, we found that the relationship between union type and relationship quality is now bifurcated with direct marrieds reporting the highest relationship quality and cohabitors without marriage plans reporting the lowest marital quality. In the middle were the two largest groups: marrieds who premaritally cohabited and cohabitors with plans to marry. These two groups did not differ in terms of relationship quality. This study adds to the growing literature indicating that the role of cohabitation in the family life course is changing in the contemporary context.

scholarly journals The importance of feeling understood in marital conversations about end-of-life health care

2010 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 100-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara M. Moorman
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Medical Treatment ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Marital Quality ◽  
Married Couples ◽  
Treatment Preferences ◽  
Marital Communication ◽  
Power Of Attorney ◽  
Durable Power Of Attorney ◽  
The Relationship

This study investigates processes within marital discussions about end-of-life medical treatment preferences. The associations among marital quality, the perception of having been understood following discussion, and intentions for whom to appoint as a health care surrogate are addressed. Data from 2,969 white married couples in their mid-60s are analyzed. Four-fifths of primary respondents reported that their partners understood their preferences extremely well. Primary respondents’ perceptions of high marital quality were associated with feeling extremely well understood. In turn, feeling understood partially mediated the relationship between perceptions of marital quality and the intention to appoint the partner as durable power of attorney for health care (DPAHC). Implications for research on marital communication and quality end-of-life health care are discussed.

scholarly journals Cognitive Functioning, Gender, and Marital Quality Among Older Married Couples: A Dyadic Approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 605-605
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Gallagher ◽  
Jeffrey Stokes
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Functioning ◽  
Marital Quality ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Married Couples ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Quality Outcomes ◽  
Opposite Sex ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Marital Strain

Abstract Older spouses influence one another in myriad ways, and dyadic effects of marital quality on health and well-being have been well-established. However, little attention has been paid to dyadic implications of cognitive functioning, including for spouses’ perceptions of the relationship itself. This study examines associations of older husbands’ and wives’ cognitive functioning with both partners’ reports of four marital quality outcomes. Structural equation modeling analyzed data from 1,414 opposite-sex couples drawn from the 2016 wave of the Health and Retirement Study. Findings revealed that (a) wives’ poorer cognitive functioning was associated with wives’ reporting greater closeness and higher ratings of enjoying time with a spouse, whereas (b) husbands’ poorer cognitive functioning was associated with wives’ reporting greater marital strain, lower marital support, lower closeness, and lower ratings of enjoying time with a spouse. This suggests that cognitive functioning/impairment has dyadic consequences for marital quality, which are highly gendered.

The Relationship between Personality Traits and Marital Quality in Married Couples in Turkey

2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 34-44
Author(s):  
Zafer Cirhinlioglu ◽  
Yeliz Kindap Tepe ◽  
Fatma Gul Cirhinlioglu
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Marital Quality ◽  
Married Couples ◽  
The Relationship

Relational Maintenance Behaviors, Marital Satisfaction, and Commitment in Tatar, Russian, and Mixed Russian-Tatar Marriages

1999 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 677-697 ◽  
Author(s):  
DEBORAH S. BALLARD-REISCH ◽  
DANIEL J. WEIGEL ◽  
MARAT G. ZAGUIDOULLINE
Keyword(s):  
Marital Satisfaction ◽  
Quality Indicators ◽  
Marital Quality ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Communication Strategies ◽  
Married Couples ◽  
Soviet Republic ◽  
Maintenance Behaviors ◽  
Relational Maintenance Behaviors ◽  
The Relationship

The cultural context in Tatarstan is currently characterized by uncertainty and change. Since perestroika, glasnost, and ultimately the fall of communism, the cultures of the former Soviet Republic have been struggling to regain stability and balance. This has put incredible pressure on families and, especially, the marital relationship. This study explores the relationship among communication strategies designed to maintain marriages and marital quality indicators in Tatar, Russian, and mixed Russian-Tatar couples. Data collected from 321 married couples indicated that the behavior of both self and spouse are related to perceptions of satisfaction and commitment.

scholarly journals The Impact of Partner Phubbing on Marital Quality among Married Couples in Malaysia: Moderating Effect of Gender and Age

2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-16
Author(s):  
Sonia Khodabakhsh ◽  
Yong Le Ong
Keyword(s):  
Interpersonal Communication ◽  
Marital Quality ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Married Couples ◽  
Dyadic Adjustment ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Gender And Age ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract. Smartphones and the internet have indeed revolutionized our lives in innumerable ways, among them the emergence of a social phenomenon called ‘phubbing.’ Phubbing is a portmanteau combining the words “phone” and “snubbing”. A person engaging in “phubbing” interacts obsessively with his/her phone rather than communicating with nearby people. Partner phubbing (Pphubbing) is defined as phubbing behaviour when in the presence of one’s spouse or significant other. The aim of this study is to explore the relationship between Pphubbing and marital quality, and to investigate the moderating role of gender and age in this relationship. The participants in the survey were 390 married adults living in Kuala Lumpur. The respondents were selected randomly and volunteered to answer a series of questionnaires made up of the Partner Phubbing Scale, the Dyadic Adjustment Scale and a section on demographic data. Results showed that Pphubbing behaviour has a significant negative relationship with marital quality. Moreover, gender and age were found to have significant moderating effects on the relationship between Pphubbing and marital quality. The reported impact of Pphubbing on marital quality was stronger among females than males, and the effects were also stronger among younger adults. These findings may have implications for family and couple counselling and for the coaching profession. Future research should be done to address this phenomenon more thoroughly. Keywords: interpersonal communication; marital quality; partner phubbing; phubbing; relationship

scholarly journals Dyadic Patterns of Marital Quality During Later Life

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 344-344
Author(s):  
Jennifer Bulanda ◽  
Taka Yamashita ◽  
J Scott Brown
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Marital Quality ◽  
Married Couples ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Marital Stability ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
The Life Course

Abstract 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.

Effect of Daily Stress on Desire for Physical Proximity and Emotional Closeness

2021 ◽  
pp. 0192513X2110075
Author(s):  
Roi Estlein ◽  
Yoav Lavee
Keyword(s):  
Marital Quality ◽  
Married Couples ◽  
Daily Hassles ◽  
Mixed Method Research ◽  
Daily Stress ◽  
Personal Traits ◽  
Emotional Closeness ◽  
External Sources ◽  
Survey Instruments ◽  
The Relationship

The current study explores how fluctuations in proximity seeking and emotional closeness in married couples are associated with stress experiences of daily hassles and with global evaluations of the relationship and personality traits. To document the associations of daily experiences of self-related, relational, and external sources of stress with both partners’ regulation of closeness and distance, perceived marital quality, attachment, and neuroticism, we employed a mixed-method research that included a repeated time sampling approach (a daily diary) and survey instruments. Multivariate multilevel statistical and actor–partner interdependence models revealed that all sources of stress were negatively associated with proximity seeking and dyadic emotional closeness but somewhat varied across men and women. In addition, global assessments of marriage and personal traits related to experiences of daily hassles and to dyadic closeness. Findings are discussed in terms of their theoretical, operational, and practical implications.

Work Stress and Organisational Citizenship Behaviours (OCBs) in Call Centers Employees

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sunita ◽  
Urvashi Singh ◽  
Shalini Singh ◽  
Rajnee Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Negative Impact ◽  
Call Centers ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Married Couples ◽  
Call Centre ◽  
Simple Correlation ◽  
Nuclear Families ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Stress At Work ◽  
The Relationship

The present study was conducted to examine the relationship between organisational stress and organisational citizenship behaviours (OCBs) in employees of call centers. The study also further explored as how stress at work set-up has negative impact on OCBs. A sample of 250 employees working in call centre of Gurgaon belonging to an age group of 25-30 years were selected on availability basis. All were working married couples living in nuclear families. Job stress survey (Spielberger & Vagg, 1999) and Organisational Citizenship Behaviour (Bateman & Organ, 1983) were administered. Data was analysed by using simple correlation and multiple regression. Results showed the negative relationship between organisational stress and OCBs. Results of regression analysis also exhibited the negative impact of stress on OCBs. The implications for the employees are discussed.

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