Marital Problems Occurring in Midlife: Implications for Couples Therapists

Abstract

The ability of therapists to adequately address the presenting problems of couples impacts the process and outcome of therapy. Although research has examined the types of problems that couples commonly experience, little is known about problems among midlife couples. Midlife marital problems were examined using data from a national random sample of 632 married people between the ages of 40 and 50. The results indicated that the most common problems were financial matters, ways of dealing with children, and sexual issues. Values, commitment, spiritual matters, and violence were the least common problem areas. There were few differences when gender, remarriage, and length of marriage were considered.

Perceptions of Attachment Style and Marital Quality in Midlife Marriage*

“…Marital relationships in midlife also are different from those in earlier marriages (Henry & Miller, in press; Miller, Yorgason, Sandberg, & White, 2003). Although some midlife couples have been married only for a few years because of late marriage or remarriage, most have been married for at least 10 years, with some being married as long as 30 years.…”

Aging and Family Therapy: Exploring The Training and Knowledge of Family Therapists

“…First, older and younger persons face different developmental challenges in individual lives (e.g., Erikson, 1982), in couple relationships (see Henry & Miller, 2004;Henry, Miller, & Giarrusso, 2005), and in family relationships (e.g., Walker, Allen, & Connidis, 2005). Second, wisdom that comes with experience can be beneficial in solving life's practical problems (Smith, Staudinger, & Baltes, 1994).…”

Optimising clinical interventions for sexual difficulties within a relationship

“…Ostensibly couples may indicate that at certain times of their life cycle certain factors may be more important -e.g. financial matters, ways of dealing with children and sexual issues are all reported as the most common problems in couples between the ages of 40 and 50 years [20]. However, couples' therapies that focus specifically on these issues may fail to address the cause for any of the sexual problems.…”