Stressful Life Events, Marital Satisfaction, and Marital Management Skills of Taiwanese Couples

Abstract

The association between stressful life events and marital satisfaction for 372 Taiwanese couples was examined, as was the moderating effects of three marital management skills (e.g., tolerance/sacrifice, empathy/consideration, soothing/alleviation) on that association. Multilevel modeling analysis showed that stressful life events reduced husbands' and wives' marital satisfaction. Spouses' marital management skills were associated with an increase in their marital satisfaction (actor effects) except for husbands' soothing and alleviation skills. Husbands' tolerance and empathy were also related to an increase in the wife's marital satisfaction (partner effects) and had significant interactions with the relationship between the wife's stress and her marital satisfaction. Husbands' and wives' soothing skills also had significant interactions with the association between stressful life events and their own satisfaction. These results are discussed in relation to the life course, stress process, coping theories, and Chinese cultural values as well as their clinical implications of working with Chinese population.

Longitudinal changes in marital satisfaction during middle age in Taiwan

“…These unanticipated obligations may stimulate stress and pressure that spill over into marital relationships. Cross‐sectional research has suggested that stressful life events are negatively associated with marital satisfaction (Chi et al, ; Li & Wickrama, ). A longitudinal study with newlyweds showed that experiences of negative life events were related to decreases in marital satisfaction over time (Karney, Story, & Bradbury, ).…”

Psychological Well-Being, Marital Satisfaction, and Parental Burnout in Iranian Parents: The Effect of Home Quarantine During COVID-19 Outbreaks

“…Marital satisfaction as the indicator of the marriage quality ( Fincham and Beach, 1999 ) is defined as the mental experience of happiness in a marital relationship ( Hendrick et al, 1998 ), which reflects the perceived benefits and values of marriage ( Baumeister and Vohs, 2007 ), a subjective evaluation that varies under the influence of happy and unpleasant life events ( Li and Wickrama, 2014 ). The challenging events in the context of the family are changes, and people no longer simply feel satisfied after the changes ( Maltas, 1992 ); changes caused by stressful events led to stress and act as a threat to satisfaction and intimate relationships ( Randall and Bodenmann, 2009 ).…”

“…Some studies have shown that external stressors including natural disasters are associated with decreased MS ( Chi et al, 2011 ). Studies have also shown that stressful events (e.g., declining level of welfare and low income) have a significant association with decreasing marital stability ( Bahr, 1979 ), poorer marital interactions and low MS, especially in the first years of marital life ( Bodenmann, 2000 ; Bodenmann and Cina, 2006 ), sexual problems in intimate relationships ( Bodenmann et al, 2007 ), criticism of spouse, and reduction of dyadic support ( Neff and Karney, 2009 ), low MS, and high psychological distress with mediating role of problem-solving ( Cohan and Bradbury, 1997 ) or management skills ( Li and Wickrama, 2014 ) and coping strategies ( Fink and Shapiro, 2013 ).…”

Marital Adjustment in the Framework of Vulnerability-Stress-Adaptation Model

“…Sonuçlar, yüksek oranda olumsuz yaşam olaylarının etkisini hisseden kadın ve erkeklerin evlilik uyumlarının daha az olduğunu göstermiştir. Daha önce yapılan çalışmalarla (Li ve Wickrama, 2014;Neff ve Karney, 2009) bu anlamda tutarlılık söz konusudur. Bu çalışmalar da benzer şekilde, olumsuz yaşam olaylarının etkisini olumsuz ve stres etkeni olarak deneyimleyen çiftlerin evliliklerinden daha az doyum sağladıklarını göstermiştir.…”

“…Williams'a (1995) göre çiftlerin başlarına gelen olayları olumsuz ya da stres sebebi olarak algılaması olayların nesnel deneyiminden çok evliliğin niteliğine bağlıdır. Yapılan araştırmalar, olumsuz ya da stres etkeni olaylardan daha çok şikayetçi olan çiftlerin, evliliklerinden doyumlarını az olarak değerlendirdiklerini göstermiştir (Li ve Wickrama, 2014;Neff ve Karney, 2009). Bunun yanı sıra, olayların etkisini olumsuz olarak hisseden kadın ve erkeklerin eşlerinin, evliliğe uyumunun daha az olduğu belirlenmiştir (Neff ve Karney, 2007).…”