Variability in daily relationship satisfaction has been shown to undermine future relationship well-being. The current study suggests that the relationship climate may moderate this effect. Namely, and in light of prior work showing that ignoring relationship issues can be detrimental for long-term relationship well-being, it is argued that when the relationship is characterized by more negative relationship experiences, variability in daily satisfaction may actually represent an adaptive acknowledgement of those experiences. Seventy-eight newly-married couples completed a 10-day daily diary task which assessed the variability of daily marital satisfaction, the positive and negative marital events taking place each day, and the daily coping strategies used to manage negative marital events. Spouses then reported on their global marital happiness as well as the severity of their marital problems every six months over the first two and a half years of marriage. Results revealed that when the marriage was characterized by more negative than positive marital events (i.e., a more negative marital climate), greater variability in daily satisfaction predicted initially lower levels of global marital happiness and more severe marital problems. However, greater variability in a more negative marital climate also was associated with less steep declines in global marital happiness and fewer increases in marital problems over time compared to low variability. Together, these findings suggest that variability in daily relationship satisfaction may temporarily feel unpleasant but over time may allow couples to address important relationship issues. / text

Marital roles have become a subject of major concern in recent years. Many critiques consider traditional marriage roles to be responsible for hindering appropriate social-emotional development of the wife, in particular, and also the husband. Past research in assessing the relationship between marital roles and the happiness and well-being of husbands and wives is limited in quantity and generally is inconclusive or controversial. This study was designed to clarify the relationship between marriage roles and two dependent variables, marital happiness and self concept. The sample population consisted of 124 volunteer couples selected from the teaching staffs of eight school districts in Southeastern Idaho and Northern Utah. Each participant provided information for this study by completing a questionnaire, the Tennessee Self Concept Scale, the Marriage Adjustment Scale, and the Marriage Role Expectation Inventory. Forty-three variables were generated from these measures which, when factor analyzed produced 12 factors for husbands and 10 factors for wives, served as dependent and independent variables for this study. Stepwise multiple regression analysis was used to identify relationships between dependent variables (self concept and marital happiness of husbands and wives) and independent variables {i.e., level of education; hours spent as an employee, religious volunteer, and in community service; freedom to choose present role; income level). Husbands and wives were assessed independent of each other. None of the independent variables explained a significant amount of the variance on marital happiness or self concept neither when considered alone nor when stepped together in the multiple regression model. Thus, no significant relationship was determined between marital roles and marital happiness or self concept. Recommendations were made for studying more diversified populations and for controlling sample bias resulting from the use of volunteers.

Military spouses are often left at home when their service member deploys to areas outside the United States. These deployments can have a lasting impact on the military spouses' perception of marital happiness. Communication problems can occur within the marriage and military spouses may use their religious orientation to alleviate the stress that comes from deployments. This quantitative study used an online survey method to conduct bivariate correlations and multiple regression analysis from a sample of 128 military spouses. This study focused on the family stress theory and used the Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale, Extrinsic and Intrinsic Religious Orientation Scale, and Primary Communication Inventory. Bivariate correlations indicated a significant relationship between communication, extrinsic religious orientation, intrinsic religious orientation, and marital happiness. Multiple regression indicated a strong significant relationship with communication and a negative significant relationship with extrinsic and intrinsic religious orientation. After controlling for the covariates, communication and age of spouse were significant, while the remaining variables were nonsignificant. In addition, binary logistic regression was conducted, and communication and intrinsic religious orientation were significant, while extrinsic religious orientation was nonsignificant with marital happiness. The experiences that military spouses undergo with deployments may be useful for therapists, chaplains, or military leaders to provide learning techniques on coping after deployments, promote longevity with military marriages through premarital workshops, chaplain-sponsored marital retreats, and marriage therapy for military spouses to promote marital happiness.

Using data from a nationally representative sample of 723 married adults, this study explored the association of age differences between spouses at the time of marriage on various aspects of marital quality years into the marriage. Four groups (full sample, husband-older, wife-older, and same-age marriages) were compared to see how marital quality was affected by age difference and several other moderating variables. Spousal interactions increased among wife-older marriages, but not among the other groups. An increased level of husband participation in household labor was linked with an increase in marital happiness and a decrease in marital problems for wife-older marriages. It also was related to a decrease in marital happiness for husband-older marriages as well as a decrease in spousal interaction for all groups except wife-older marriages, which showed no significant association to the division of household labor. Finally, a more traditional approach to gender roles among the same-age marriages was associated with a decrease in marital problems and a decrease in spousal interaction.