How both partners’ individual differences, stress, and behavior predict change in relationship satisfaction: Extending the VSA model

Abstract

We pooled data from 10 longitudinal studies of 1,104 married couples to test the Vulnerability-Stress-Adaptation (VSA) model of change in relationship satisfaction. Studies contained both spouses’ self-reports of neuroticism, attachment anxiety, and attachment avoidance; observational measures of engagement and opposition during problem-solving discussions at baseline; and repeated reports of both spouses’ stress and marital satisfaction over several years. Consistent with the VSA model, all three individual and partner qualities predicted changes in marital satisfaction that were mediated by observations of behavior and moderated by both partners’ experiences with stress. In contrast to the VSA model, however, rather than accentuating the association between individual differences and behavior, both partners’ stress moderated the strength, and even direction, of the association between behavior and changes in marital satisfaction over time. Taken together, these findings indicate that 1) qualities of both couple members shape their behavioral exchanges, 2) these behaviors explain how individuals and their partners’ enduring qualities predict relationship satisfaction, and 3) stress experienced by both couple members strongly determines how enduring qualities and behavior predict changes in relationship satisfaction over time. The complex interplay among both partners’ enduring qualities, stress, and behavior helps explain why studies may fail to document direct main effects of own and partner enduring qualities and behavior on changes in relationship satisfaction over time.

Three tests of the Vulnerability-Stress-Adaptation Model: Independent prediction, mediation, and generalizability

“…Extensive research supports basic bivariate paths within the VSA framework. Consistent with model predictions, for example, meta-analyses and large-scale studies corroborate expected main effects of enduring vulnerabilities (e.g., negative emotionality, Malouff et al, 2010 ; parental divorce, Dronkers and Härkönen, 2008 ), stress ( Randall and Bodenmann, 2009 ), and couple communication ( Woodin, 2011 ) on relationship quality and longevity (for recent reviews and analyses, see McNulty et al, 2021 ; Righetti et al, 2022 ). Other studies document associations among the three main model components.…”

“…Although a longer follow-up interval might have yielded more effects on slopes/trajectories, predicting changes in satisfaction has proven to be difficult (e.g., Lavner et al, 2014 ), perhaps because satisfaction itself is a relatively stable variable or because we relied on time-invariant independent variables collected at baseline (cf. McNulty et al, 2021 ). Second, strong causal claims are unwarranted.…”

“…Future studies are needed to examine whether enduring vulnerabilities and chronic stress might govern these construals, perhaps using new methods to assess satisfaction that minimize self-report bias (e.g., implicit measures of automatic attitudes; see McNulty et al, 2013 ). At the same time, we must emphasize that adaptive processes have been found to mediate effects of enduring vulnerabilities and stress on satisfaction, in a large sample of predominantly White couples ( McNulty et al, 2021 ); additional analyses are needed to clarify whether the discrepant findings are due to sample characteristics, observational tasks and coding, or some other factor.…”

How far is the reach of personality in relationship functioning during COVID-19? Reply to Pfund and Hill (2022).

“…Although we agree that more fully considering personality could be valuable, their title referencing “the far reach of personality traits in relationship functioning” does not align with current evidence on the relative role of personality compared to the vulnerability (and strength) factors that we outlined. Although neuroticism reliably predicts relationship quality similar to the factors we focused on (e.g., attachment insecurity, depressive symptoms), agreeableness and conscientiousness show much weaker, and unreliable, associations with relationship quality (Joel et al, 2020; McNulty et al, 2021; see also McNulty, 2013). Moreover, emerging evidence indicates that the effects of personality on well-being are attenuated during the confined situation of pandemic lockdowns (Anglim & Horwood, 2021).…”

Rank-order stability of relationship satisfaction: A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies.

“…In contrast, theory suggests that contextual factors outside of the relationship may destabilize the relationship (Bodenmann, 1995; Hill, 1958; Randall & Bodenmann, 2009). For instance, the vulnerability–stress–adaptation model (Karney & Bradbury, 1995; for a recent extension, see McNulty et al, 2021) emphasizes that stressful life events (e.g., birth of a child) may impair adaptive processes within the relationship (e.g., coping styles), which may compromise the relationship satisfaction of couple members. Thus, samples that experienced potentially stressful changes in the relationship context (e.g., samples of couples who had their first baby) might show lower rank-order stability of relationship satisfaction than samples who did not experience significant changes in the relationship context.…”