Marital interaction in middle and old age: a predictor of marital satisfaction?

Stress Perception and Marital Instability Across the Family Life Cycle: An Actor-Partner Perspective

This study aimed to reveal the association between spousal stress perception and marital instability across different stages of the family life cycle, focusing on the actor and partner effects and exploring the mediating role of daily communication in this relationship. With rising divorce rates, it's essential to examine factors affecting marital instability. Drawing from the stress-divorce model, spouses' stress perception likely permeates into marriage via daily communication. It is important to consider challenges unique to different marital stages to understand variations among couples through the family life cycle. The study used the Perceived Stress Scale, the Primary Communication Inventory, and the Marital Instability Scale to survey 654 couples in the newlywed, couples with pre-school children, couples with school-age children, and empty-nest stages. The study revealed that the actor-partner effects between stress perception and marital instability were initially present in the early stages of marriage. As the duration of the marriage progressed, during the stages of pre-school age and school-age children, only actor effects existed. In the empty nest stage, the actor-partner effects gradually diminish. Throughout the life cycle, daily communication served as a mediating factor in the relationship between stress and marital instability. This research uncovers a dynamic evolution in the association between couples' stress perception and marital instability across marital longevity: at the beginning of marriage, spouses have interactive effects; at the stage with child(ren), the interactive effect diminishes; at the empty-nest stage, the role is imposed only through the medium of daily communication. Our research reveals that maintaining communication during all stages of marriage is key to effectively managing stress and maintaining marital instability.

Social Support for Grief, Attachment, and Mental Health Among Bereaved Spouses During COVID-19 Pandemic

This study explored the associations of grief support between social support for grief and pandemic grief symptoms, attachment, and mental health through accounting for sociodemographic factors among bereaved spouses widowed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. From September 10 to November 23, 2020, a cross-sectional mobile online survey was conducted, involving 92 participants with a mean age of 44.21 years. The sample was predominantly Islamic (91%) and female (88.8%), with an average marriage duration of 18.73 years. Participants completed assessments, including the Grief Support Assessment Scale, Brief Symptom Rating Scale-5, Pandemic Grief Scale, Revised Adult Attachment Scale, and Couple Interaction Scale for Marital Support. Results showed that the extent to which grief support was received (β = -0.36, p = 0.03) and that bereaved spouses were satisfied with (β = -0.29, p = 0.03) grief support were negatively correlated with pandemic grief. Age, education, and attachment directly influenced mental health. A k-means cluster analysis identified a younger cluster (Mage = 34.76 ± 4.63) experiencing greater mental health difficulties (14.84 ± 3.9), pandemic grief (7.23 ± 3.06), and attachment needs (51.80 ± 8.06). The findings highlight that the grief support needed was higher than the support received and the satisfaction with that support during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, participants were dissatisfied with the higher demand for resources from governmental and nongovernmental organizations. The study emphasizes the importance of accessible, high-quality grief support services that are culturally and religiously sensitive, especially in diverse contexts like Indonesia.

Couples' Psychological Resources and Marital Satisfaction: The Mediating Role of Marital Support

The aim of this study was to assess the interdependent relations among psychological resources, marital support, and marital satisfaction in married couples from the perspective of both dyad members, using the Actor-Partner-Interdependence-Model (APIM) approach. One hundred and fifty-one heterosexual married couples (N = 302) completed questionnaires assessing psychological resources (dispositional optimism and sense of mastery), marital support, marital satisfaction, social desirability, and demographic variables. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test a proposed mediation model adopting the dyadic approach. It was found that husbands' and wives' own psychological resources contributed positively to their own perceptions of marital support and that marital support mediated the effects of these resources on their own (actor-actor effect) and on their spouses' marital satisfaction (actor-partner effect). The results highlight the important contribution of each dyad member's own psychological resources, as well as the valuable role of perceived support as a mediator, regardless of gender. Hence, clinical practice should encourage individuals to invest in maintaining their personal assets and abilities because of their positive effect on expanding intra- and inter- processes of well-being within the marriage.

Concordance in Spouses' Intention to Move After Retirement Among Korean Middle-Aged Couples

This study examined the concordance in spouses' intention to move after retirement among midlife couples and its association with couples' marital characteristics (i.e., marital satisfaction and dyadic coping). Using a sample of 1,285 middle-aged couples in Korea (aged 49-64), we conducted logistic/multinomial regression controlling for individual and household characteristics. The majority of couples (83%) were concordant in their moving desires-by either agreeing to move (29%) or to stay (54%), whereas 17% of couples were not in agreement-either only husband (9%) or wife (8%) desires to move. Couples who made daily decisions together and where wives perceived higher marital satisfaction were more likely to have concordant moving desires. Couples where spouses shared each other's stress and discussed life after retirement were more likely to agree to move than to stay. Our findings suggest the importance of marital dynamics in understanding midlife couples' residential mobility after retirement.

Spousal collaboration mediates the relation between self-rated health and depressive symptoms of Chinese older couples: an actor-partner interdependence approach

BACKGROUND

Dyadic coping resources have been considered a potential explanatory mechanism of spousal interdependence in health, but the mediation of spousal collaboration for the relationship between self-rated health and depressive symptoms has yet to be examined. This study aimed to investigate the within- (actor effect) and between-partner effects of self-rated health on depressive symptoms in community-dwelling older couples facing physical functioning limitations and to examine the role of spousal collaboration in mediating the actor and cross-partner effects of self-rated health on depressive symptoms.

METHOD

Data from 185 community-dwelling older Chinese married couples were analyzed using the actor-partner interdependence mediation model (APIMeM). Couples were interviewed through trained research assistants using the 5-item common dyadic coping subscale of the Dyadic Coping Inventory (DCI), the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) of the QoL questionnaire EQ-5D and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9).

RESULTS

Husbands' self-rated health had an actor effect on their own depressive symptoms and a partner effect on their wives' depressive symptoms. Wives' self-rated health had an actor effect on their own depressive symptoms. The actor effects between self-rated health and depressive symptoms were partially mediated by their own perception of spousal collaboration. Furthermore, husbands' self-rated health not only affects wives' depressive symptoms directly but also indirectly by influencing wives' perceptions of spousal collaboration.

DISCUSSION

The findings from this study underscored the importance of viewing couples' coping processes from a dyadic and gender-specific perspective, since more (perceived) collaborative efforts have beneficial effects on both partners' mental health outcomes.

Relationship between sleep quality and marital satisfaction of working women during the premenopausal period

Sleep disorders can adversely affect physical, sexual, and marital health, particularly among middle-aged women. This study aimed to determine the relationship between sleep quality and marital satisfaction of working women during the premenopausal period. In this cross-sectional study, we selected 150 women working at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in Iran was selected using random cluster sampling. A demographic information form, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Evaluation and Nurturing Relationship Issues, Communication, and Happiness (ENRICH) marital satisfaction scale were used for data collection. The Data were analyzed using SPSS.22 software at a significance level of P < 0.05. Multiple linear regression analysis was employed to predict sleep quality based on marital satisfaction. Our results showed that 79 (52.7%) of the participants had undesirable sleep quality, 87 (58%) had high marital satisfaction, and 32 (21.3%) had very high marital satisfaction. Regression analysis revealed that the total marital satisfaction score could not predict the sleep quality score of the participants. However, as dimensions of marital satisfaction, personality issues negatively (β = 0.327, P < 0.05) and ideological orientation positively (β = 0.336, P < 0.01) predicted the sleep quality score. Based on the prediction of the sleep quality score by personality issues and ideological orientations among the dimensions of marital satisfaction, it seems that life skills training, especially in these two dimensions, may improve the quality of sleep and, as a result, the physical and mental health of working women.

A network perspective on marital satisfaction among older couples

It will be helpful for older people to maintain good mental health by improving their marital satisfaction. The present study investigates how the elements of marital satisfaction among older couples are related to each other and reveal the key elements. Four hundred ninety-four older people participated in the study. Marital satisfaction was assessed by the 10-item marital satisfaction subscale of the ENRICH scale. Network analysis was adopted to estimate the network structure of these 10 items and the strength centrality of each item was calculated. The results showed that all edges in the final network were positive. Four edges with the strongest regularized partial correlations appeared between “ leisure activities and spending time together” and “ emotional expression”; “ personality and habits” and “ communication and understanding”; “ economic status and the manner of determining economic affairs” and “ relationship with relatives and friends”; and “ make decisions and resolve conflict” and “ emotional expression.” In addition, “ emotional expression” had the highest node strength value in the network. “ Communication and understanding” and “ views are consistent” had the second and third highest node strength values, respectively. “ Views are consistent” was more central in males than females and was the second central node in male networks. In conclusion, the present study offers a new perspective to deepen the understanding about the internal structure of marital satisfaction among older couples via network analysis. The results might provide potential targets of intervention for social workers or family therapists to greatly improve marital satisfaction among older couples.

Marital Satisfaction and Satisfaction With Life: Mediating Role of Sexual Satisfaction in Married Women

Background: Marital satisfaction is an integral part of the life of Pakistani women. Married women cannot get satisfied with their lives without marital satisfaction. But previous studies hint at the possible role of sexual satisfaction in addition to marital satisfaction to bring about overall satisfaction with life in married women.

Aims: This study was designed with an objective to assess the mediating role of sexual satisfaction in marital satisfaction as a predictor and satisfaction with life as an outcome in married Pakistani women. Previous studies have demonstrated a possible link among marital satisfaction, sexual satisfaction, and satisfaction with life.

Settings and Design: One hundred married women of childbearing age (18-48 years, M = 29 years) were recruited by a convenient sampling method from the three hospitals of Bahawalpur in the South Punjab state of Pakistan.

Methods and Material: Three questionnaires (a) Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale; (b) Index of Sexual Satisfaction, and (c) Satisfaction with Life Scale, were administered to collect the data.

Statistical Analysis: The results were analyzed by the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (IBM, USA), version 25, and Process Macro, version 3.4, and expressed in the form of descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, and frequencies), mediation analysis, analysis of co-variance, analysis of variance and t test.

Results and Conclusion: The unstandardized indirect effects yielded a significant mediation (IE = 0.4757, SE = 0.1786, P < .05, LL = 0.1736, UL = 0.8681). The sexual satisfaction fully mediated the relationship between marital satisfaction and satisfaction with life in married women. It was concluded that married women cannot get marital satisfaction and satisfaction with life without a satisfied sexual life.

Group Couples' Intervention to Improve Sexual Health Among Married Women in a Low-Income Community in Mumbai, India

This article describes the design and implementation of a group couples' intervention focused on improving women's sexual health as a component of a multilevel community, clinical, and counseling intervention project conducted in association with a gynecological service in a municipal urban health center in a low-income community in Mumbai, India. The group couples' intervention involved four single-gender and two mixed-gender sessions designed to address the dynamics of the marital relationship and establish a more equitable spousal relationship as a means to improve women's sexual and marital health. Involvement of men presented a major challenge to couple's participation. For those couples that did participate, qualitative findings revealed significant changes in couple and family relations, sexual health knowledge, and emotional well-being.

Marital stability, satisfaction and well-being in old age: variability and continuity in long-term continuously married older persons

OBJECTIVES

Recent research shows that the well-documented positive effects of marital stability on well-being and health outcomes are conditional upon the quality of marriage. To date, few studies have explored the relationship between marital satisfaction, well-being and health among very long-term married individuals. This study aims at identifying groups of long-term married persons with respect to marital satisfaction and comparing them longitudinally concerning their well-being outcomes, marital stressors, personality and socio-demographic variables.

METHOD

Data are derived from a survey (data collection 2012 and 2014) with 374 continuously married individuals at wave 1 (mean age: 74.2 years, length of marriage: 49.2 years) and 252 at wave 2. Cluster analyses were performed comparing the clusters with regard to various well-being outcomes. The predictive power of cluster affiliation and various predictors at wave 1 on well-being outcomes at wave 2 was tested using regression analyses.

RESULTS

Two groups were identified, one happily the other unhappily married, with the happily married scoring higher on all well-being and health outcomes. Regression analyses revealed that group affiliation at wave 1 was not any longer predictive of health, emotional loneliness and hopelessness two years later, when taking into account socio-demographic variables, psychological resilience and marital strain, whereas it remained an important predictor of life satisfaction and social loneliness.

CONCLUSION

Marital satisfaction is associated with health and well-being in older couples over time, whereas psychological resilience and marital strain are major predictors explaining the variance of these outcomes.

Health problems and marital satisfaction among older couples

OBJECTIVE

Older couples are likely to be confronted with health problems of both spouses and these health problems may negatively influence their marital satisfaction. The present study examined these possible negative effects using a dyadic perspective.

METHOD

Data from 78 independently living older couples were analyzed using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM). Health problems were modeled as a latent factor of functional disability, the number of chronic diseases, and self-rated health. The couple's health context, that is, similarity or dissimilarity, was examined with an actor-partner interaction variable.

RESULTS

For wives, spousal health problems were negatively associated with their marital satisfaction, but only under the condition that their own health was relatively good. For husbands, neither own nor spousal health problems were associated with their marital satisfaction.

DISCUSSION

Future research focusing on older couples needs to consider the couple's health context next to health at the individual level.

Marital satisfaction among older couples: the role of satisfaction with social networks and psychological well-being

Marital satisfaction is important for health and well-being, although determinants of satisfaction among older couples are unclear. Much of the marital literature has focused on the role of the spouse, in isolation from satisfaction with broader social relationships. We conducted separate semi-structured interviews with both members of n = 40 couples (mean age 76 years) to measure satisfaction with particular types of social networks (confidant, friend, children, other relatives) as well as levels of physical and psychological well-being. In order to account for the likely interdependence among observations within married couples, a series of multi-level models, culminating in a full actor-partner interdependence model, were fitted. Results indicate that an individual's own depressive symptoms were related to their levels of marital satisfaction, whereby higher scores on the depression scale predicted lower marital satisfaction scores for the individual. None of the individual's other variables (physical well-being, sociodemographic, or social network satisfaction), nor any of the spouse variables, were related to individual levels of marital satisfaction. These findings reinforce the importance of psychological well-being as influencing the quality of older couple relationships.

Dyadic Coping and Marital Satisfaction of Older Spouses in Long-Term Marriage

The present study examines the association between coping behavior and their relationship satisfaction in older spousal dyads. We examined N = 132 couples (M age = 68 years) and found that their dyadic coping strategies – a prime indicator of functional adaptation to daily stress in marital context – were significantly linked to relationship satisfaction. Our findings suggest that the partners’ subjective perception of their spouses’ supportive behavior was more strongly linked to their relationship satisfaction than self-reported support. Furthermore, individual support perception was more important for marital satisfaction than coping congruency. Overall, the dyadic coping of older adults may serve as an effective tool to stabilize relationship satisfaction when facing the challenges of older age and long-term marriage.

Personality disorders in later life: questions about the measurement, course, and impact of disorders

Lifespan perspectives have played a crucial role in shaping our understanding of many forms of psychopathology. Unfortunately, little attention has been given to personality disorders in middle adulthood and later life. Several issues are responsible for this deficiency, including difficulty applying the diagnostic criteria for personality disorders to older people and challenges in identifying appropriate samples of older participants. The goal of this review is to explore the benefits of considering older adults in the study of personality disorders. Later life offers a unique opportunity for investigators to consider links between personality pathology and consequential outcomes in people's lives. Many domains are relevant, including health, longevity, social adjustment, marital relationships, and the experience of major life events. We review each domain and consider ways in which the study of middle-aged and older adults challenges researchers to evaluate how personality disorders in general are defined and measured.

Personality trait levels within older couples and between-spouse trait differences as predictors of marital satisfaction

In this study of 125 older couples married for an average of 34 years, multilevel models were computed to simultaneously examine intra-couple personality trait averages and between-spouse trait similarity as predictors of marital satisfaction. Our findings suggest that higher intra-couple levels of extraversion predict marital satisfaction, both husbands and wives. In addition, between-spouse similarity in openness to experience appears associated with higher levels of marital satisfaction as reported by husbands; concomitantly, between-spouse similarity in agreeableness predicts wives' marital satisfaction. With respect to openness (husbands) and agreeableness (wives), it did not matter which spouse within couples reported higher or lower trait levels. The most notable finding to emerge from this study is that neuroticism is not associated with marital satisfaction, neither husbands nor wives. This result stands in contrast to previously reported findings--the vast majority of prior research conducted with dating and newlywed couples. Conflicting results may reflect the degree to which neuroticism determines divorce within the first years of married life, adaptation to the foibles of one's spouse over time, overreliance on younger samples in marriage and family research, or some combination of these alternate explanations.

Toward a better understanding of psychological well-being in dementia caregivers: the link between marital communication and depression

Dementia research has frequently documented high rates of caregiver depression and distress in spouses providing care for a partner suffering from dementia. However, the role of marital communication in understanding caregiver distress has not been examined sufficiently. Studies with healthy couples demonstrated an association between marital communication and the partners' psychological well-being, depressiveness, respectively (e.g., Heene, Buysee, & Van Oost, 2005). The current study investigates the relationship between caregiver depression and communication in 37 couples in which the wives care for their partners with dementia. Nonsequential and sequential analyses revealed significant correlations between caregiver depression and marital communication quality. Caregivers whose husbands used more positive communication reported less depression and distress. Additionally, caregiver depression was negatively correlated with rates of positive reciprocal communication indicating dependence between the couples' interaction patterns. This study is one of the first to illustrate the relevance of spousal communication in understanding caregiver distress and depression.