A longitudinal study of “we‐talk” as a predictor of marital satisfaction

Abstract

We‐talk, the use of first‐person plural pronouns over the use of singular pronouns when describing relationship events, is regarded as a linguistic indicator of marital relationship functioning. A meta‐analysis revealed that we‐talk is positively associated with relationship satisfaction. However, this literature is based mostly on cross‐sectional studies. This study tested the hypothesis that we‐talk would be associated with greater marital satisfaction over time. The sample comprised 77 couples enrolled in a longitudinal study of parents of preschool‐aged children. We‐talk was assessed at baseline during a marital discussion task about parenting challenges. Couples completed a measure of marital satisfaction at baseline, 6‐ and 12‐month follow‐ups. An actor–partner interdependence model examined the effects of spouses' we‐talk on their own marital satisfaction (actor effects), and their partners' marital satisfaction (partner effects). Results indicated a positive partner effect of we‐talk at baseline, but not over time. Moreover, there was an actor effect of we‐talk on changes in marital satisfaction over time, whereby low actor we‐talk was associated with a reduction in marital satisfaction, but high actor we‐talk was not associated with such a decrease. These findings suggest that greater cognitive interdependence, as indicated by we‐talk, may protect from declines in marital satisfaction over time.