Publication year
2017
Citation Title
The development of marital tension: Implications for divorce among married couples.
Journal Name
Developmental Psychology
Journal Volume
53
Issue Number
10
Page Numbers
1995-2006
DOI
10.1037/dev0000379
Summary
Married couples may experience tension over the course of marriage. By assessing 355 newlywed couples over 16 years, the study examined the change of marital tension over time and the relationship between marital tension and divorce. Results revealed that the feeling of marital tension was related to the possibility of divorce especially for wives more than husbands.
Key Findings
Wives reported significantly greater marital tension than husbands in each year of the assessment except for year 16.
Marriage tension increased for both husbands and wives over time, but there was a greater increase among husbands than among wives.
Couples were more likely to divorce when wives reported higher and increased level of marriage tension over the course of marriage.
Implications for Military Professionals
Educate military couples about the relationship between marital tension and divorce and help them prevent the accumulation of marital tension
Collaborate with other professionals in the field of marriage education about ways to facilitate activities that promote military family well-being
Implications for Program Leaders
Develop marriage education workshops for military couples that aim to reduce marital tension
Offer support groups for military spouses who experience a high level of marital tension
Implications for Policy Makers
Continue support for more research on the relationship between military-related stress and marital tension
Encourage the development of programs and services that promote marital satisfaction and reduce marital tension in military families
Methods
Participants were from the Early Years of Marriage Project; they were recruited in Wayne County, Michigan, and the method of recruitment was not reported.
Participants were interviewed in person or over telephone in the first, second, third, fourth, seventh, and 16th year of their marriages; 43% of the original sample completed the year 16 interview.
Measures included marital tension, divorce and marital longevity, and marital happiness.
Data were analyzed to examine the relationship between marital tension and divorce.
Participants
The sample included 355 heterosexual couples; the average age of the husbands was 25.98 years (SD = 3.95) and the average age of the wives was 23.87 years (SD = 3.76) at marriage.
About half of the participants were Black (52%) and the other half were White (48%).
Most couples (95%) remained married in year two whereas 59% were still married in year 16.
Limitations
The marital tension was assessed by only two questions, which may cause low reliability of the assessment.
There was a nine-year gap between the last two waves of assessments; therefore, some important information was missing regarding the trajectory of marital tension over these years.
Only heterosexual couples were included in the study, so the results of the study may not generalize to non-heterosexual marriages.
Avenues for Future Research
Use a more comprehensive measure of marital tension to better capture the nuances of marital tension
Recruit both heterosexual and homosexual couples so that the results can be better generalized
Examine how child rearing may influence the trajectory of marital tension
Focus
Civilian
Target Population
Population Focus
Abstract
Marriages are often characterized by their positive and negative features in terms of whether they elicit feelings of satisfaction and happiness or conflict and negativity. Although research has examined the development of marital happiness, less is known about the development of negativity among married couples. We examined how marital tension (i.e., feelings of tension, resentment, irritation) develops within couples over time and whether marital tension has unique implications for divorce. Specifically, we examined marital tension among husbands and wives within the same couples from the first to the sixteenth year of marriage, as well as links between marital tension and divorce. Participants included 355 couples assessed in years 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, and 16 of marriage. Multilevel models revealed that wives reported greater marital tension than husbands. Marital tension increased over time among both husbands and wives, with a greater increase among husbands. Couples were more likely to divorce when wives reported higher marital tension, a greater increase in marital tension, and greater cumulative marital tension. Findings are consistent with the emergent distress model of marriage, but indicate that despite the greater increases in marital tension among husbands, wives’ increased marital tension over the course of marriage is more consistently associated with divorce.
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