PROBLEMS AND SATISFACTION IN MARRIAGE: A LONGITUDINAL STUDY.

Abstract

The present study is a longitudinal exploration of problems and satisfaction in the marriages of 60 participants. The Marriage Adjustment and the Confidential questionnaire were administered to these participants in 1973 and again in 1981, and their results were examined both descriptively and empirically for female/male differences in patterns of problems and satisfaction. In terms of empirical findings, eight hypotheses used either t-tests for dependent means or Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficients to test the frequency of problem endorsement relating to patterns of increase, persistence, and covariation with satisfaction levels. Satisfaction patterns over time and female/male differences were also explored. Females in the study showed significant increases in numbers of problems over time, whereas males did not. Females also showed significant decreases in satisfaction levels, whereas males did not. Both females and males showed an inverse relationship between number of problems and level of satisfaction in 1981, but not in 1973. Both females and males showed a relationship between frequency of problems endorsed in 1973 and the number of those problems persisting in 1981. There were no significant differences between female and male satisfaction ratings. In terms of descriptive findings, several research questions explored the content of most prevalent problems and problem categories in each year and persisting with time. Sex and communication problems were the highest ranked categories in both years for both sexes, and tended to persist and increase in number with time.