The Relationship Between Play and Couple Satisfaction and Stability

Abstract

Play in couple counseling has been proposed as an intervention, but research has not determined the effectiveness of couple play in increasing satisfaction and stability in couples. This study examined the influence of couple play on relationship factors that predict couple satisfaction and stability. The 30 couples in the study completed measures of couple play, relationship satisfaction, communication, conflict resolution, the couple’s view of the relationship, physical health, and individual emotional health. The frequency of couple play was predictive of the relationship measures, but not of individual physical or emotional health. The implications of the findings for using couple play in assessment and intervention in couples counseling are discussed.

Role of Religious Orientation in Predicting Marital Adjustment and Psychological Well-Being

“…Another finding of current research is the positive meaningful correlation between marital adjustment and psychological well-being which is in consistency with researches of Vanderbleek et al (2011), Yalcin BM, Karahan (2007, Stutzer et al (2006), Wilson & Oswald (2005), DePaulo & Bella (2004), Diener et al (2002). Vanderbleek et al (2011) show that those couples which spent more times with each other and have common entertainment will have more verbal and emotional communication, therefore it affects their physical and psychological health. Yalcin & Karahan (2007) believe that training components of psychological well-being such as sympathy, responsibility and self-analysis increases marital adjustment.…”

Marital Satisfaction and General Happiness among urban Malays in Klang Valley

“…The validity of this test tool is good and has been widely used in the field of marriage research. Among the studies that have used this test tool were confirmatory factor analysis [11], sexual dysfunction [12] and couple satisfaction and stability [13]. The reliability of the measurement tool in this study is also good at .87 (α = .87).…”

Play Behavior and Playfulness in Adulthood

“…Activities fall into six categories: social play (e.g., “attending parties”), cultural play (e.g., “going to museums or art galleries”), humor (e.g., “telling and listening to jokes or funny stories”), games (e.g., “playing board games”), physical play (e.g., “participating in sports”), and love play (e.g., “taking a bath or shower with your partner”). High scores were associated with self‐reported marital satisfaction, better communication skills, better conflict resolution, and idealistic views of the partner (Vanderbleek et al, ). However, responses were not associated with self‐reported health and well‐being.…”

“…This is surprising given that play in adulthood clearly falls within the domain of social psychology as it often occurs within a social context. Also, researchers have used labels other than ‘play’ (e.g., “shared leisure”) when describing or studying this behavior (Ablon, ; Baxter, ; Betcher, ; Casado‐Kehoe et al, ; Vanderbleek, Robinson, Casado‐Kehoe, & Young, ). Our goal is to piece together the disconnected literature to illuminate the state of the research on play in adulthood, which we hope will provide a springboard for future programmatic work on this topic within social psychology.…”

“…More recently, Vanderbleek et al () devised the Couple Play Assessment (CPA), in which respondents indicate the frequency and enjoyment of sharing 30 activities with one's partner. Activities fall into six categories: social play (e.g., “attending parties”), cultural play (e.g., “going to museums or art galleries”), humor (e.g., “telling and listening to jokes or funny stories”), games (e.g., “playing board games”), physical play (e.g., “participating in sports”), and love play (e.g., “taking a bath or shower with your partner”).…”