This study simultaneously examined the relationship of daily positive processes, daily negative processes, and the relative impact of each on marital satisfaction and likelihood of divorce in newlywed couples over time. Within six months of marriage, 120 newly married couples were asked to complete measures of relationship quality as well as daily diaries for 21- consecutive days to assess several positive and negative processes (i.e., positive and negative affect, positive and negative behaviors, and responsiveness of partner to attempts of social support and capitalization). This study used a dyadic path analysis in a structural equation modeling framework to examine the hypothesized relationships between positive and negative intra- and interpersonal processes and subsequent marital outcomes over time. Results supported the idea that positive processes within marriages are indicative of marital satisfaction and divorce proneness, over and above negative processes. Overall, the findings of this study contribute to the marital literature in that they provide further evidence that both positive and negative processes should be considered when looking at predictors that contribute to marital outcomes.

This study examined the relationship between rituals and marital adjustment among a sample of newlyweds. Rituals and marital adjustment were defined and their importance in family life outlined. Five research questions guided the study: (1) Is ritual activity associated with marital adjustment and length of courtship for newlyweds?; (2) Is ritual activity associated with marital satisfaction and length of courtship for newlyweds?; (3) Is ritual activity associated with cohesion and length of courtship for newlyweds?; (4) Is ritual activity associated with consensus and length of courtship for newlyweds?; and (5) Is there a difference between husbands and wives on the number and types of rituals (family celebrations, family traditions, and family interactions) that couples report are most related to their overall marital quality? Ritual activity was measured by a new instrument created for the present study: the Ritual Inventory (RI). Marital adjustment and its components (satisfaction, cohesion, and consensus) were measured using the Revised Dyadi c Adjustment Scale (RDAS). Length of courtship was used as a control variable. The analysis revealed no relationship between rituals and marital adjustment for newlyweds. Length of courtship was a significant factor with marital adjustment and marital satisfaction . Implications and suggestions for future research are presented.

While there is a growing body of knowledge on newlyweds and the transitions they go through, very little is known about the experience of newlyweds who are also members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). The purpose of this study was to gain a picture of the LDS newlywed experience through in-depth interviews. Seeking to understand the overall experience of LDS newlyweds, this study was conducted using a phenomenological perspective to explore how these couples' expectations of marriage correspond with their actual experience of marriage, how the LDS faith influenced the expectations and/or experience of marriage, and finally to uncover what external and internal factors helped or hindered their transition to marriage. In-depth interviews were conducted with six young LDS newlywed couples and were coded for themes. The main themes found include the pressure to marry, process of discovering sexual intimacy and an overall evaluation of expectations and experience. Implications for therapists and future research are indicated. / Master of Science

Cross-sectional relationships between psychological symptoms, marital quality, and stress experienced over the past week were explored using data from 310 newly married couples. Couples were recruited through newspaper ads and paid to participate. Couples were eligible if they had been married for less than six months and were not receiving therapy when they contacted the researcher. The Global Severity Index (GSI) of the Brief Symptom Inventory measured psychological symptoms. The Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS) measured marital quality, and scaled ratings of 11 types of stressors experienced over the previous week measured stress. Husband and wife measures were taken of each variable and the dyad was the unit of analysis.Correlations between the six variables ranged from 0.13 to 0.60, with 12 of the 15 relationships meeting the Bonferroni-corrected significance level of 0.003. In regression analyses with both DAS and stress entered as predictors of GSI, only stress remained significant for both husbands and wives. For wives, the negative relationship between symptoms and marital quality was more evident at lower levels of stress. In regression analyses with both GSI and stress entered as predictors of DAS, only GSI remained significant for husbands, and only stress remained significant for wives. For husbands, the negative relationship between GSI and DAS was more pronounced at lower levels of stress. At high levels of stress, husband DAS was uniformly low regardless of GSI. The interaction of partner and actor effects of GSI on DAS was significant for both husbands and wives, but the interaction of partner and actor effects of DAS on GSI was not.

Previous longitudinal studies on predictors of marital satisfaction have specifically focused their attention on using sociodemographic (distal) and proximal mediating factors as predictive variables for the advancement in the study of marriage satisfaction. This current study sought to add to these previous studies by using a combination of distal and proximal (mediator) variables to test a model to help explain the risk and protective factors that influence marriage from newlywed to established marriage. This task was accomplished by running a series of multiple regression analyses using a mediator regression model. This study found that a difficult transition to marriage at time 1, while mediated by time 1 total problem subscale score and a time 1 marital satisfaction score, was significantly negatively correlated with marital satisfaction five years later (time 3). In addition, this study focused on the evolving nature of problem area issues in marriage from newlywed to established marriage. This focus is based on previous work done by the Center for Marriage and the Family, but primarily on the updated work by Schramm and colleagues, who simplified the 42-item problem issue questionnaire by creating six problem subscales. This study found significant differences between time 1 (newlywed) and time 3 (established marriage) problem subscale scores. Participants tended to report that problem subscale issues worsened over time. Furthermore, newlywed participants deemed “at-risk” (with any one or more distal and or proximal risk factor) reported a significant increase in all problem subscales from time 1 to time 3. Moreover, gender played an important role in that husbands reported higher problem subscale issue scores at time 3 than wives. Overall, this research should contribute to those who work with, design programming, or conduct research on married couples. The findings from this study advance existing knowledge on newlywed and established marriage as well as suggest future directions of study.

The purpose of this study was to examine the types of connection rituals and negotiation patterns that newlywed couples use in their marriage. Past research has shown that rituals can have a positive effect on marital satisfaction . Five research questions guided the study: (1) Who initiates rituals and the frequency in which the rituals are performed? What process does the couple go through to negotiate them? (2) What percentage of rituals do newlywed couples take from their family of origin? (3) Are women the "kin keepers" in their fami ly/relationship? (4) Are there certain factors newlyweds take into consideration when negotiating? and (5) Are there some rituals more important to marital satisfaction? The research questions were tested with data from twenty newlywed couples who completed a survey designed specifically for this study. Results found that women initiate rituals more frequently in newlywed couples, verbal communication was the highest reported process couples go through to negotiate, family of origin practices are more often taken from the wife's family, and there are connection rituals both for husbands and wives that aid to their marital sati satisfaction. Implications and suggestions for future research are also presented.

Scholars have established cross-sectional connections between how married couples navigate their finances and their sexual relationship. For example, financial management behaviors have been shown to predict sexual satisfaction among newlywed couples. However, we know very little about the direction of the association between financial management behaviors and sexual satisfaction. Understanding which might predict the other, or if there might be a bidirectional association between the two, could provide direction on where to intervene to help newlywed couples with financial and/or sexual obstacles in their marriage. With three waves of dyadic data (N = 1,208 U.S. newlywed couples), I used structural equation modeling to examine the cross-lagged, indirect associations between husbands' and wives' financial management behaviors and their own sexual satisfaction through their own marital satisfaction. Overall, I found that financial management behaviors indirectly predicted changes in sexual satisfaction through changes in marital satisfaction for both husbands and wives. I also found limited evidence that husbands' sexual satisfaction indirectly predicted changes in their own financial management behaviors through changes in their own marital satisfaction. Additionally, these indirect associations differed by gender. Implications of these findings for those who help newlywed couples with their sexual relationship are discussed.

Remarriages are more structurally diverse, last less time, are more vulnerable, and at greater risk for divorce than first marriages. The newlywed stage of marriage is a critical time when relationship patterns are established or reinforced that can impact a relationship for years to come, yet very few studies have examined remarried relationships in the newlywed stage. This study examined the association between marital interaction, positive communication, and marital instability in 348 newlywed remarried couple participants from a nationally representative sample. Using structural equation modeling (SEM) and actor-partner interdependence model with mediation (APIMeM), the findings indicated that positive communication was indirectly related to increased marital interaction and decreased marital instability. Wife and husband increased marital interaction was related to their own (individual) increased positive communication. Wife and husband increased positive communication was related to their own decreased marital instability and to their partner's decreased marital instability. These findings suggest that marital interaction and positive communication are important factors in promoting marital stability in newlywed remarriages. Implications for relationship educators and therapists are proposed.