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The longitudinal course of marital quality and stability: A review of theory, method, and research
Abstract
Although much has been learned from cross-sectional research on marriage, an understanding of how marriages develop, succeed, and fail is best achieved with longitudinal data. In view of growing interest in longitudinal research on marriage, the authors reviewed and evaluated the literature on how the quality and stability of marriages change over time. First, prevailing theoretical perspectives are examined for their ability to explain change in marital quality and stability. Second, the methods and findings of 115 longitudinal studies--representing over 45,000 marriages--are summarized and evaluated, yielding specific suggestions for improving this research, Finally, a model is outlined that integrates the strengths of previous theories of marriage, accounts for established findings, and indicates new directions for research on how marriages change.
... In a research conducted by Gattis, Berns, Simpson and Christensen (2004), a relationship between a decrease in marital adjustment and high-level neuroticism, low-level reconcilability, and the ability to express less positively has been found. Other research by Karney and Bradbury (1995) found a relationship between neuroticism and negative affection and low marital satisfaction. ...
... In research on romantic and marital relationships, the level of neuroticism of individuals is shown as the most consistent and powerful personality predictor. There is a negatively meaningful relationship between neuroticism scale and marital adjustment (Heller, Ilies, and Watson 2004;Kurdek 1995;Karney and Bradbury 1995). Research conducted by Zoby (2005) found a positive relationship between marital adjustment and agreeableness and openness to experience subscales and a negative relationship with neuroticism. ...
... It is stated that couples with high neuroticism scores have a more negative communication pattern, and this situation leads to a toxic effect on relationship satisfaction. According to the extroversion scale, while some research has found a positive relationship between marital satisfaction and extroversion (Hayes and Joseph 2003;Karney and Bradbury 1995), some research shows a negative relationship (Aluja, del Barrio, and García 2007;Kelly and Conley 1987). Research conducted by Akram and Malik (2011) found a positive relationship between marital adjustment and the extroversion and conscientiousness scales. ...
... It is well known that external stressors have different effects on different individuals depending on a set of predisposing vulnerability and resiliency factors. To account for interactions between external stressors and enduring dispositions, Karney and Bradbury (1995) proposed the vulnerability-stress-adaptation model (VSAM). The VSAM is a metatheoretical framework for understanding relationship stability and change. ...
... In this study, we sought to determine whether relationship and sexual satisfaction changed during the first year of the pandemic, and whether predictors of relationship satisfaction identified in pre-pandemic studies would have comparable effects during the pandemic. To this end, we assessed individuals in a close relationship at five prospective measurement time points, using the VSAM (Karney & Bradbury, 1995) as a general frame for articulating our main hypotheses. We defined the time in the pandemic (i.e., the five measurement time points) as an external stressor, along with the stringency of restrictions. ...
... Use of the vulnerability-stress-adaption model (Karantzas et al., 2021;Karney & Bradbury, 1995;Pietromonaco & Overall, 2020) to examine trends in relationship satisfaction and sexual satisfaction during the pandemic. a These variables were assessed only at the first measurement point; the other variables were measured at each measurement point. ...
Introduction:
The COVID-19 pandemic had a strong impact on many aspects of life, particularly social relationships. Although there is some evidence regarding short-term effects of the pandemic on cohabitating couples or individuals, it is unclear to what extent these effects persist over time and whether they also apply to non-cohabitating individuals. The purpose of this study was to investigate changes in relationship and sexual satisfaction among both cohabitating and non-cohabitating individuals during the first year of the pandemic, and to examine the extent to which these changes could be accounted for by personal vulnerabilities, pandemic-related stressors, and their interaction.
Method:
We assessed relationship and sexual satisfaction longitudinally with a cross-national sample (N = 2,859) that included five prospective measurement time points, and analyzed the data with multilevel models.
Results:
We observed a decrease in relationship satisfaction over the course of the study, especially among non-cohabitants. Sexual satisfaction, in turn, conformed to a quadratic trend among non-cohabitants while changing only minimally in cohabitating individuals. Of the individual vulnerabilities examined, attachment avoidance was the greatest risk factor for both relationship and sexual satisfaction. Among pandemic-related stressors, mobility restrictions had a negative impact on the relationship and sexual satisfaction of non-cohabitating individuals.
... Contextual stress, such as low financial well-being, may contribute to the additional cumulative risks that individuals face every day and, in turn, affect romantic relationships and their impacts on individuals' health outcomes (Brock et al., 2019;Kanter & Proulx, 2021;Neff & Karney, 2004). As highlighted in the vulnerabilitystress-adaptation model (VSA; Karney & Bradbury, 1995) and the family stress model (FSM; Conger et al., 1990), low financial well-being can act as a risk factor for relationship qualityincreasing occurrences of tension, disagreements, and related negative processes. Within the VSA framework, the contextual stress generated by chronic financial instability can also impede adaptive relationship processes. ...
... Consistent with the VSA model and FSM (Conger et al., 1990;Karney & Bradbury, 1995), which predict poorer relationship functioning and subsequent individual health in the context of lower financial resources, we found that, prior to the Great Recession, individuals with lower financial well-being exhibited greater daily emotional reactivity to relationship tension (approximately half a standard deviation more of negative affect). To better understand the relevance of this difference, and given the well-established literature documenting agerelated decreases in negative affect (Charles et al., 2010;Scott et al., 2017), we compared this difference to the effect of age on negative affect. 2 We found that, on days individuals experienced tension in their relationships, the difference in negative affect between those with higher levels of financial well-being and those with lower levels of financial well-being was equivalent to losing all the advantages of age-related reductions in daily negative affect, as this difference was similar to the difference in negative affect between individuals in the current study who were 43 years apart. ...
Financial well-being may be an important context for daily emotional reactivity to relationship tension (e.g., arguments) whose salience varies across historical time or as a function of exposure to economic downturns. This study investigated how emotional reactivity, operationalized as daily fluctuations in negative and positive affect associated with the occurrence of daily relationship tension, varied by financial well-being among those who were and were not exposed to the Great Recession of 2008. Two matched, independent subsamples of partnered individuals from the National Study of Daily Experiences completed identical 8-day diary protocols, one before the Great Recession ( n = 587) and one after ( n = 351). Individuals reported higher negative affect and lower positive affect on days when relationship tension occurred. Further, results indicated that negative affect reactivity, but not positive affect reactivity, was moderated by both financial well-being and cohort status. For the pre-recession cohort, negative affect reactivity was stronger among those with lower financial well-being. However, among the post-recession cohort, financial well-being did not moderate negative affect reactivity to relationship tension. Findings highlight the utility of considering major societal events, such as economic downturns, to understand variability in emotional reactivity to day-to-day relationship tension in the context of financial well-being, as the salience of financial well-being in the ways relationship tension and negative affect are related on a daily basis appears to vary by historical context.
... Однако в последующих исследованиях с применением лонгитюдного метода эти данные были опровергнуты и было показано постепенное снижение счастья на протяжении всех лет супружества [Umberson et al., 2005;Van Laningham et al., 2001]. Подобный результат был обнаружен и в метаанализе более 115 лонгитюдных исследований Б.Карней и Т.Брэдбюри [Karney, Bradbury, 1995]. ...
Приводится анализ современных зарубежных исследований, посвященных изучению факторов, влияющих на динамику супружеских отношений, удовлетворенности браком в период после рождения ребенка. К факторам, которые влияют на динамику супружеских отношений в период перехода к родительству, относятся следующие: половозрастные характеристики родителя и ребенка, супружеский стаж; социально-экономический статус и работа родителей; личностные особенности родителя и ребенка; особенности взаимоотношений супругов до рождения ребенка; особенности отношений в родительской семье; распределение домашних обязанностей между родителями и время, которое родители проводят вместе после рождения ребенка. Позитивная динамика удовлетворенности браком у супругов в период после рождения ребенка наблюдается при таких личностных особенностях, как низкий уровень депрессии, адекватная самооценка, сензитивность и безопасный тип привязанности взрослого, «легкий» темперамент у ребенка. Факторами системы отношений, положительно влияющими на отношения при переходе к родительству, являются: модель позитивных отношений в родительской семье; позитивные отношения и умение конструктивно решать конфликты еще до рождения ребенка; справедливое и равное распределение домашних обязанностей после рождения ребенка; также как достаточность времени, проводимого супругами совместно. Изучение влияния фактора пола родителя выявило противоречия в результатах исследований, а анализ влияния фактора пола ребенка выявил, что при рождении девочки вероятность снижения удовлетворенности отношениями у супругов выше. Факторы возраста, супружеского стажа и социально-экономического положения влияют негативно на удовлетворенность супружескими отношениями при крайних значениях этих факторов.
... Brabury [16] 115 、 、 。Pavica、 Eletra James [42] 、 。 。 。 Collins [43] VSA 。 ...
The Vulnerability -Stress -Adaptation Model reveals the quality and stability of marriage relying on the interaction among three factors: vulnerability of partners, stressful events, and the adaptation from the angle of dynamic development. Much studies based on the model have been carried out in intimate relationships of different stages, different subgroups, and different cultures. This model not only
provides a framework for the study of intimate relationships in marriage, but also has its implications in improving the quality and stability of marriage in terms of policy making, marriage guidance or treatment and marriage education.
Objectives: This study examined the applicability of Bodenmann’s stress model in the context of collectivist culture among Chinese older couples. Method: Utilizing an actor-partner interdependence model, the moderating effect of marital communication between perceived stress and marital quality was tested using dyadic data from 95 Chinese older couples (67.22 ± 4.98 for husbands; 66.57 ± 4.89 for wives). Results: The study found no crossover effect on perceived stress in older couples after controlling for the couple’s annual income. Marital quality of older couples was significantly negatively associated with their own perceived stress, but not with their spouse’s perceived stress. In addition, the marital communication of older couples moderated the influence of stress on marital quality, and both actor and partner effects were established. Specifically, compared to low communication scores, high communication scores alleviated the negative impact of stress on marital quality of older couples. Discussion: Research indicated that couple communication training based on stress coping could be used to improve the quality of marriages in later life.
Although negotiators need to build and sustain high‐quality relationships, relatively little attention has been given to how they might accomplish this. Negotiation researchers have focused largely on the role of trust and trust violations in dealmaking, neglecting the insights that relationship science can offer. In this article, I integrate research from the close relationships and marriage therapy literatures with negotiation research. Based on this integration, I identify three common themes—relationship history, shared meaning, and relationship work—and draw out nine lessons for repair following actions that disrupt a relationship between negotiators. Drawing on these three themes and their associated lessons, I conclude by identifying four guiding principles for developing strong positive relationships. The first principle highlights the importance of acting within a critical window. Using the opening moments of a negotiation to establish positive emotional tone and cognitive interdependence builds a constructive foundation. Reappraising temporary impasses as transformational opportunities and resetting positive affect immediately after a temporary impasse stabilizes relationships and returns them to a positive trajectory. The second principle highlights the role of pauses. Stepping back from the moment of a temporary impasse enables negotiators to neutralize negative emotions, creating the psychological space to positively reappraise the impasse as a transformational opportunity. The third principle draws attention to the benefits of creating a positive skew within relationships, that is, increasing the salience of positive moments in a relationship's history. Finally, the fourth principle draws upon the concept of positivity resonance to highlight the benefits of synchronicity: the alignment of cognitions and emotions in a way that establishes a shared perspective and a shared response to temporary impasses.
Home-based family treatment (HBFT) is the most provided service in youth care, serving families with complex child and parenting problems. Empirical evidence indicates varying outcomes of HBFT, and thus it is important to examine factors that may contribute to desirable outcomes. The current dissertation aimed at investigating such an important factor: the working alliance. The central aim was to investigate alliance processes in (home-based) family treatment in relation to outcome, paying particular attention to the therapists’ role and to the systemic complexity of building multiple interacting alliances with and within the family. The dissertation opens with a meta-analytic review of previous studies on the alliance-outcome association in family-involved treatment for youth problems. In the remaining chapters the working alliance is investigated from multiple perspectives, based on multi-informant questionnaire and observational data on alliances and treatment outcome in a Dutch HBFT for youth problems.
Findings underline the importance and complexity of building strong working alliances with families receiving (home-based) treatment. It indicates that clinical practice as well as education and training of providers of (home-based) family treatment may benefit from a focus on actively engaging family members in the treatment process and investing in strong emotional bonds. The findings also underscore the importance of a more systemic perspective on the working alliance both in research and practice. This includes addressing the process of building multiple interacting alliances with different family members, engaging children and adolescents in a conjoint treatment process with parents, and promoting the family’s collaboration on shared goals.
The study investigated religiosity, personality (neuroticism), emotional labour and socioeconomic status as determinants of marital satisfaction among police officers in the Ibadan metropolis, Oyo state, Nigeria. Two hundred (200) police officers were randomly selected for the study. Valid and standardized instruments were used to measure the variables. Three research questions were raised and answered. Data collected were analyzed using the Multiple Regression Analysis and Pearson Product Moment Correlation at 0.05 level of significance. The results revealed that marital satisfaction negatively correlated with personality (neuroticism) (r =.-336, p<0.05), and emotional labour (r=-.137, p<0.05) while it was positively correlated with religiousity (r = .767, p<0.05) and socioeconomic status (r = .109, p<0.05). The combination of the independent variables accounted for 93.6% (Adj.R 2 = .936) of the total variance in the prediction of marital satisfaction. The independent variables made relative contribution to marital satisfaction in the following order: religiosity (Beta = .967, t= 48.254, P<0.05), socioeconomic status (Beta = .139, t = 1.613, P<0.05), emotional labour (Beta = .456, t= 7.069, P<0.05), and personality (neuroticism) (Beta = .133, t = 1.711, P<0.05). Based on the findings, it was recommended that counseling psychologists and allied professionals should endeavour to sensitize the benefits of religious involvement by the couples, especially among the police officers as their joint participations in religious activities could reduce stress, anxiety and strain which could promote marital disharmony among the couples. The police administrators should engage in policies that could boost police officers' socioeconomic status as it will have great influence on their adjustment in their micro-system which is the family, starting from their partners. Psychological assessment of officials and intervention should be inculcated into the Nigerian police system to ensure healthy personalities and of course the promotion of healthy living at home with significant others especially their spouses.
Experience sampling methodology was used to examine the effects of current and prior problems on negative mood within and across days. Forty male community residents wore signal watches and kept diary records of problem occurrence and mood 8 times a day for 8 consecutive days. Trait negative affectivity (NA), prior mood, and concurrent stress were related to mood during the day. Mood in response to a current problem was worse if the prior time had been problem free than if the prior time had been stressful. High NA Ss were more reactive to concurrent stressors than were low NAs, but the effect was small. NA and current-day stress were the major influences of mood across days. High NAs were more distressed by current-day problems and recovered more slowly from problems of the preceding day. The benefits of conceptualizing the effects of daily stressors on mood in terms of spillover, response assimilation, habituation, and contrast are discussed.
Twenty-nine married couples engaged in 2 videotaped discussions: 1 in which the husband requested a change in the wife and 1 in which the wife requested a change in the husband. Conflict behavior was assessed by self-report and observer ratings. Neither conflict structure (who requested the change) nor gender was associated with the positivity or negativity of spouses' behavior. During discussions of husbands' issues, wives and husbands did not differ in demand/withdraw behavior, whereas when discussing wives' issues, wives were more demanding and husbands were more withdrawing. Husband-demand/wife-withdraw interaction predicted an increase in wives' satisfaction 1 year later, whereas wife-demand/husband-withdraw interaction predicted a decline in wives' satisfaction 1 year later. These results replicate and extend those of our earlier study (Christensen & Heavey, 1990).