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This study examined the reciprocal prospective associations between commitment, forgiveness, and different aspects of marital well-being (marital satisfaction and marital instability) among Chinese newlywed couples and the gender differences in these associations. The Vulnerability-Stress-Adaptation (VSA) model posits reciprocal associations between adaptive processes and relationship satisfaction. However, the directionality of the associations between adaptive processes and marital satisfaction may differ from the associations between adaptive processes and marital instability in Chinese societies due to the emphasis on relationship maintenance. Based on three annual waves of data from 268 Chinese newlywed couples (Mage = 29.59, SD = 3.25 for husbands; Mage = 28.08, SD = 2.51 for wives), a cross-lagged approach was used to examine the reciprocal associations between commitment, forgiveness, and marital satisfaction/instability. We found: (a) reciprocal associations between commitment/forgiveness and marital satisfaction (wives only); (b) reciprocal associations between forgiveness and marital instability (husbands only); and (c) wives' commitment at Wave 2 mediated the association between wives' commitment at Wave 1 and wives' marital satisfaction at Wave 3. Extending the VSA model, findings suggest different reciprocal associations between commitment, forgiveness, and different aspects of marital well-being among Chinese newlywed couples. Results highlight the important role of culture and gender in marital relationships and clinical practice., (© 2023 Family Process Institute.)

Although sexual satisfaction is a defining feature of marriage, research has consistently found that sexual satisfaction declines over time. Recently, however, emerging findings provide a more optimistic perspective on sexual satisfaction development by suggesting that couples may follow diverse sexual satisfaction trajectories. Using Dyadic Latent Class Growth Analysis, the current study is among the first to examine heterogeneity in couples' sexual satisfaction trajectory patterns during the early years of marriage and the first to do so in a non-Western context. Specifically, we establish distinct trajectory classes among 268 mixed-sex newlywed couples in China based on two couple-level features - the absolute level of sexual satisfaction and synchrony over time - and then compare these classes on subsequent ratings of marital instability. Four distinct trajectory patterns were found: a stable high class, a wives low and simultaneous deterioration class, a husbands low decrease-wives high stable class, and a wives high decrease-husbands high stable class. Couples in the stable high class reported lower levels of marital instability at two-year follow-up compared to couples in the other classes, suggesting that high sexual satisfaction and synchrony is beneficial for couples' marital relationships. These results provide further evidence challenging the inevitability of sexual satisfaction declines and have important implications for interventions aiming to enhance couples' sexual relationship.

On the basis of three annual waves of data obtained from 268 Chinese couples, we tested an actor-partner interdependence mediation model in which spouses' neuroticism was linked to their own and partners' marital satisfaction through both intrapersonal processes (i.e., marital attribution) and interpersonal processes (i.e., marital aggression). Considering intra- and interpersonal processes simultaneously, four indirect, mediating pathways were identified: Time 1 Wives' Neuroticism → Time 2 Wives' Attribution or Aggression, while controlling for Time 1 Wives' Attribution or Aggression → Time 3 Wives' or Husbands' Marital Satisfaction, while controlling for Time 1 Wives' or Husbands' Marital Satisfaction. This study not only adds to a limited body of research examining why neuroticism is associated with conjugal well-being, but also extends prior research by focusing on Chinese couples and utilizing a longitudinal, dyadic mediation model. Such findings have important practical implications. Couples involving neurotic partners may benefit from interventions based on cognitive-behavioral approaches. When working with couples challenged by neuroticism, practitioners need to help them address dysfunctional interactive patterns as well as distorted cognitive styles., (© 2018 Family Process Institute.)

Sexuality is an integral component of many intimate relationships, and research has consistently demonstrated a positive association between sexual and marital satisfaction. However, the temporal dynamics of this association remain controversial and understudied with rigorous longitudinal dyadic approaches, and empirical efforts examining this association in non-Western samples remain sparse. Based on three annual waves of data from 268 Chinese couples during the early years of marriage, this study tested a cross-lagged, actor-partner interdependence model examining the association between sexual and marital satisfaction. Results indicated that (a) across three waves, husbands' earlier sexual satisfaction predicted their later marital satisfaction, rather than the reverse; (b) from Wave 1 to Wave 2, wives' earlier marital satisfaction predicted their later sexual satisfaction, rather than the reverse, but no association between wives' sexual and marital satisfaction was found from Wave 2 to Wave 3; and (c) four longitudinal indirect associations linking sexual and marital satisfaction were identified, including three actor associations and one partner association. Such findings shed light on the complexity inherent within the dynamic association between sexual and marital satisfaction over the early years of marriage in the Chinese cultural context.

We examined the mediating roles of communication and marital affect in the association between marital quality and neuroticism. Guided by the social investment theory and the personality-relationship transactions model, we tested the actor-partner interdependence mediation model to examine the associations among the variables. Participants were 268 Chinese newlywed couples who were a maximum of 3 years into their first marriage. The path model indicated that, first, both spouses' marital quality at Time 1 was related with their own neuroticism at Time 3 after controlling for confounding variables. However, after controlling for neuroticism at Time 1, husbands' marital quality was not directly associated with their own neuroticism. Second, for wives, communication and marital affect at Time 2 fully mediated the association between marital quality and neuroticism. Conversely, for husbands, the multiple specific indirect effects were not significant. These findings suggest that communication and marital affect are mediators underlying the association between marital quality and neuroticism. Moreover, the potential mechanisms underlying the relationship effects differ between husbands and wives. The implications and future directions of these results were discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Based on three annual waves of data obtained from 268 Chinese couples in the early years of marriage and using a three-wave, cross-lagged approach, the present study examined the associations among daily marital communication, marital conflict resolution, and marital quality. Results indicated unidirectional associations linking daily marital communication or marital conflict resolution to marital quality (instead of reciprocal associations); and when considered simultaneously in a single model, daily marital communication and marital conflict resolution explained variance in marital quality above and beyond each other. Furthermore, the authors also found a significant longitudinal, indirect association linking husbands' daily marital communication at Wave 1 to husbands' marital quality at Wave 3 via husbands' marital conflict resolution at Wave 2. Taken altogether, the current study adds to an emerging body of research aimed at clarifying: (a) the directionality of the associations between couple interactive processes and marital well-being; (b) the unique roles of daily marital communication and marital conflict resolution in predicting marital outcomes; and (c) how daily marital communication and marital conflict resolution may operate in conjunction with each other to shape the development of couple relationship well-being. (PsycINFO Database Record, ((c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).)

Based on data obtained from 203 Chinese couples during the early years of marriage and utilizing the actor-partner interdependence model, this study examined the prospective associations between different aspects of marital well-being (i.e., marital satisfaction, instability, commitment, and closeness) and depressive symptoms (assessed 2 years later) while controlling for critical intrapersonal (i.e., neuroticism and self-esteem) and contextual (i.e., stressful life events) confounders. Results indicated that (a) when considering different aspects of marital well-being as predictors of depressive symptoms separately, each aspect was significantly associated with spouses' own subsequent depressive symptoms; (b) when examining various aspects of marital well-being simultaneously, only husbands' commitment, husbands' instability, and wives' instability were significantly associated with their own subsequent depressive symptoms above and beyond the other aspects; and (c) the associations between husbands' commitment, husbands' instability, and wives' instability and their own subsequent depressive symptoms remained significant even after controlling for potential major intrapersonal and contextual confounders. Such findings (a) provide evidence that the marital discord model of depression may apply to Chinese couples, (b) highlight the importance of going beyond marital (dis)satisfaction when examining the association between marital well-being and depression, and (c) demonstrate that marital well-being can account for unique variance in depressive symptoms above and beyond an array of intrapersonal and contextual risk factors. (PsycINFO Database Record, ((c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).)

Employing a multicontext observational design, using a person-centered approach, and treating the marital dyad as the unit of analysis, this study examined the within-couple communication patterning of 144 Chinese newlywed couples and its association with relationship satisfaction. Latent profile analysis consistently revealed 3 profiles of spouses' interactive behaviors across contexts differing in both topic nature (i.e., problem-solving vs. social support) and initiator (i.e., husbands vs. wives): (a) traditionally undemonstrative profile, (b) emotionally quarrelling profile, and (c) warmly supportive profile. The prevalence of communication profiles changed markedly with the nature of the discussion topic and the topic initiator. Further, using latent class analysis, we classified couples into subgroups based on their identified profile memberships across contexts (i.e., consistency of interaction mode across contexts). Three classes were identified: (a) consistently quarrelling class, (b) consistently supportive class, and (c) modestly traditional class. Both the consistently supportive class and the modestly traditional class reported significantly higher levels of marital satisfaction than did the consistently quarrelling class., ((c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).)

The present longitudinal study investigates the development of both positive and negative personal traits (i.e., self-esteem and neuroticism, respectively) among newlywed couples. The aim is to identify distinct joint trajectories of self-esteem and neuroticism and then compare marital quality across different trajectory classes. A sample of 268 Chinese newlyweds completed self-esteem, neuroticism, and marital quality questionnaires at three time points. Dyadic Latent Class Growth Analyses were used to examine the joint trajectory of self-esteem and neuroticism. The study identified three trajectory groups: the adaptive couples group (c1), the stable couples and husbands more adaptive than wives group (c2), and the stable husbands and wives more adaptive than husbands group (c3). The adaptive couples group had the highest level of initial marital quality. The two other groups, characterized by initial differences between partners in self-esteem and neuroticism, had relatively lower baseline marital quality. In comparison, wives in the c3 group initially displayed higher levels of marital quality than those in the c2 group. This research improves our understanding of personal development in couples and sheds light on the complex associations between personal and relational development in the context of marriage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marriage is embedded in the web of spouses' broader social ties, and relationship quality with parents and parents‐in‐law is associated with marital quality. Guided by Family Systems theory and using three waves of dyadic data from 268 Chinese different‐sex couples across the first several years of marriage, we first conducted a Random‐Intercept Actor‐Partner Interdependence Cross‐lagged Panel Model (RI‐APIM‐CLPM) to examine the within‐family longitudinal associations among husbands' and wives' relationship quality with parents, parents‐in‐law, and spouse. Then, husbands' and wives' filial obligations were added as predictors of between‐family differences in their own and their partner's relationship quality in the three social ties. Among husbands, increased relationship quality in one social tie (e.g., with parents) predicted reductions in relationship quality in the other social ties (e.g., relationships with parents‐in‐law and marital quality). Our examination of between‐family differences demonstrated that high levels of filial obligations predicted higher intergenerational relationship quality and marital quality. By simultaneously considering the within‐family associations of multiple social ties and how filial obligations account for between‐family differences in relationship quality, we contribute to a nuanced understanding of how Chinese couples' romantic partnerships are embedded in their broader family system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing from the stress resistance process within the conservation of resources theory, this study examined how resources at multiple ecological levels—personal (self-esteem), relational (spousal support), and social network (relationships with parents and parents-in-law)—moderate the spillover and crossover effects from external stressors to trajectories of marital quality. We used three-annual-wave, dyadic data from 268 heterosexual Chinese couples who were at the beginning stages of marriage. Consistent with theory, personal, relational, and social network resources all buffered the detrimental effects of external stressors for marital quality. Further, nuanced findings emerged, likely given the social cultural context in contemporary China. Specifically, gender differences emerged in whether a specific resource attenuated the detrimental effects of external stressors (e.g., husbands' vs. wives' self-esteem attenuated detrimental effects of external stressors). Moreover, opposite patterns existed for the short-term versus long-term results for husbands' relational resources. In sum, our findings highlight that when helping couples cope with stressors, it is necessary to (a) include available resources at multiple ecological levels (personal, relational, social network) and (b) consider whether social cultural backgrounds may have influenced the effectiveness of a specific resource. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To examine how couple interactions shape changes in marital affection during the early years of marriage, we used two-wave, dyadic data from 268 Chinese couples and integrated variable-centered (i.e., the actor-partner interdependence model; APIM) and person-centered analytic approaches (i.e., the latent profile analysis; LPA). Employing variable-centered analyses, we found that husbands' stalemate and verbal aggression as well as wives' collaboration and avoidance were particularly predictive of changes in marital affection. Using person-centered analyses, we found that (1) three groups of couples can be identified based on husbands' and wives' marital conflict resolution strategies (i.e., Collaborative Couples, Aggressive Wife-Defensive Husband Couples, and Defensive Couples); and (2) the changes of marital affection varied systematically across these groups. Variable-centered and person-centered approaches each generate unique insights above and beyond each other when considering marital phenomena. Integrating the two approaches can depict a more complete and nuanced picture of the association between marital conflict resolution and marital affection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on three annual waves of data obtained from 265 Chinese couples during the early years of marriage and using an actor–partner interdependence mediation model with latent difference scores, this study examined the associations among adult children's perceived parents' satisfaction with their (i.e., adult children's) marriage, in-law relationship quality, and adult children's marital satisfaction. Results indicated that husbands' and wives' perceived parental satisfaction with their (i.e., adult children's) marriage was indirectly associated with the changes in their (i.e., adult children's) marital satisfaction via their (i.e., adult children's) perceived relationship quality with either fathers-in-law (FILs) or mothers-in-law (MILs); however, when husbands' and wives' perceived relationship quality with FILs and MILs was considered simultaneously in a single model, only two indirect pathways were still retained: Husbands' and wives' perceived parents' satisfaction (HPS and WPS) with adult children's marriage was associated with the changes in wives' marital satisfaction exclusively via wives' perceived relationship quality with their MILs. Such findings suggest the particularly salient roles of the relationship between daughters-in-law and MILs in shaping Chinese adult children's marital well-being and also highlight the importance of conceptualizing families as configurations of interdependent relationships across multiple households and examining marital well-being from ecological and social network perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on three annual waves of data obtained from 194 Chinese couples during the first few years of marriage, this study examined how couples' marital conflict resolution styles might change over time and also the association between such patterns of changes and the developmental trajectories of marital quality. Using latent transition analysis, at each of the three waves, we consistently identified four groups of couples based on the various types of strategies they employed when resolving marital conflicts: Cooperative Couples, Avoidant Couples, Aggressive Couples, and Aggressive Wife-Avoidant Husband Couples, and then we further classified couples into five groups based on their conflict resolution style transition patterns across the three waves: Steadily Constructive Pattern Group, More Constructive Pattern Group, Unpredictable Pattern Group, More Destructive Pattern Group, and Steadily Destructive Pattern Group. Lastly, utilizing the dyadic growth curve model, we linked the conflict resolution profiles identified at the first wave to both the initial levels of and the change rates of marital quality across waves and also linked the further identified conflict resolution style transition pattern groups to the change rates of marital quality across waves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This study assessed how couples interdependently influence the relationship between family-of-origin triangulation and marital satisfaction across sub-samples in Stage III and Stage IV of the family life cycle. The total sample consisted of 569 couples between 24 and 49 years of age in Beijing, China. The analyses were performed in two sub-samples using the actor-partner interdependence model, a dyadic analysis technique. We found that couples in Stage III reported higher family-of-origin triangulation and less satisfaction and cohesion than couples in Stage IV. Furthermore, couples who lived with their parents or in-laws reported less affectional expression than those who lived on their own. The family-of-origin triangulation of both husbands and wives predicted marital satisfaction in the two sub-samples. Husband marital satisfaction was predicted by wife family-of-origin triangulation in the two sub-samples, whereas wife marital satisfaction was predicted by her own family-of-origin triangulation only in family Stage III. Moreover, model comparisons demonstrated that husband marital satisfaction was predicted equally by his own and his wife's family-of-origin triangulation in the sub-sample of couples in Stage III. In addition, individual marital satisfaction was equally predicted by his/her own and his/her spouse's family-of-origin triangulation in the sub-sample of couples in Stage IV. Family therapists should pay closer attention to intergenerational relationships in China, particularly in couples with young children, and should adopt culturally adapted family intervention programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

couple's relationship is very important to marital well-being as well as the harmony of family and society. Violent behaviors in marriage have bad effects on people's physical and mental health and cause large social burdens. In this study, we investigated 194 couples in Beijing to explore the status and characteristics of couple violence from three aspects by using Revised Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS2). We conclude that: (1) Couple violence is universal, although the frequency is not so high. Prevalence and frequency of psychological violence are higher than physical and sexual violence; rate of wives' victimization is significantly higher than that of husbands; frequency of the perpetration of sexual violence by husbands is significantly higher than that by wives. (2) There is concurrence of different types of couple violence. Specifically, physical and sexual violence are usually accompanied by psychological violence; however, psychological violence exists independently. (3) Couple violence is often bidirectional, especially in psychological violence. (4) Marital length is negatively correlated to wives' perpetration of physical violence and their victimization of sexual violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined the mediating roles of communication and marital affect in the association between marital quality and neuroticism. Guided by the social investment theory and the personality-relationship transactions model, we tested the actor-partner interdependence mediation model to examine the associations among the variables. Participants were 268 Chinese newlywed couples who were a maximum of 3 years into their first marriage. The path model indicated that, first, both spouses' marital quality at Time 1 was related with their own neuroticism at Time 3 after controlling for confounding variables. However, after controlling for neuroticism at Time 1, husbands' marital quality was not directly associated with their own neuroticism. Second, for wives, communication and marital affect at Time 2 fully mediated the association between marital quality and neuroticism. Conversely, for husbands, the multiple specific indirect effects were not significant. These findings suggest that communication and marital affect are mediators underlying the association between marital quality and neuroticism. Moreover, the potential mechanisms underlying the relationship effects differ between husbands and wives. The implications and future directions of these results were discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]