Marital Interaction in Middle and Old Age: A Predictor of Marital Satisfaction?

Abstract

Many studies point out the importance of marital satisfaction for well-being. However, although being married is still the norm in middle and old age, research on the determinants of marital satisfaction has neglected long-term marriages. While research on short-term marriages mainly focuses on partner fit (e.g., in personality traits and socio-economic status), marital interactions should be more important for marital satisfaction in long-term marriages. In this article we examine the role of both stable, dispositional factors and of marital interaction in predicting marital satisfaction in long-term marriages in middle and old age. With data from 588 married women and men in middle and old age who participated in the Interdisciplinary Longitudinal Study of Adult Development (ILSE), we examined age and gender differences in the role of socio-economic status, personality, and marital interaction as predictors of marital satisfaction. Results showed a) that socio-economic factors and personality played a minor role in predicting marital satisfaction, and b) that a high quality of dyadic interaction was particularly important for the marital satisfaction of women. The implications of these findings for future research and interventions on marital interaction in middle and old age are discussed.

Marital Satisfaction, Sex, Age, Marriage Duration, Religion, Number of Children, Economic Status, Education, and Collectivistic Values: Data from 33 Countries

“…Few studies have explicitly examined age effects on reports of marital satisfaction (see Schmitt et al, 2007). Thus, no clear predictions concerning age-related patterns of results can be derived from the literature.…”

Personality Disorders in Later Life: Questions About the Measurement, Course, and Impact of Disorders

“…Most research on satisfaction in marriage has focused on young adults, but some evidence does point toward increased happiness in couples that have been together for many years. Well-being in long-term marriages seems to be influenced by factors that are somewhat different from those factors that have been identified in younger couples (Schmitt et al 2007, Seider et al 2009, Smith et al 2009). …”

Personality trait levels within older couples and between-spouse trait differences as predictors of marital satisfaction

“…A recurrent finding to emerge from personality and marriage studies has been that neuroticism appears particularly problematic to marital satisfaction and relationship stability (Belsky & Hsieh, 1998;Karney & Bradbury, 1995;Kelly & Conley, 1987;Kurdek, 1993;Schmitt, Kliegel, & Shapiro, 2007). As described by Costa and McCrae (1992b), neuroticism is the propensity to experience negative emotions; as a result, persons high in this trait tend to have difficulty with impulse control and cope more poorly under stress.…”