Bidirectional Associations Between Newlyweds' Marital Satisfaction and Marital Problems over Time

• Author: Benjamin R. Karney,Hannah C. Williamson,Thomas N. Bradbury,Justin A. Lavner
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12264
• Published date: 01 December 2017
• Date: 01 December 2017

Bidirectional Associations Between Newlyweds’

Marital Satisfaction and Marital Problems over Time

JUSTIN A. LAVNER*

BENJAMIN R. KARNEY

†

HANNAH C. WILLIAMSON

†

THOMAS N. BRADBURY

†

Prevailing views of marital functioning generally adopt the view that marital problems

predict decreases in marital satisfaction, but alternative theoretical perspectives raise the

possibility that lowered satisfaction can also predict increases in problems. The current

study sought to integrate and compare these perspectives by examining the bidirectional

cross-lagged associations between newlyweds’ reports of their marital satisfaction and

marital problems over the first 4 years of marriage. Using annual assessments from 483

heterosexual newlywed couples, we find evidence for problem-to-satisfaction linkages as

well as satisfaction-to-problem linkages. Satisfaction was a stronger predictor of marital

problems early in marriage but not as time passed; by Year 4 only problem-to-satisfact ion

linkages remained significant. These findings are consistent with the idea that couples

with more problems go on to report lower levels of satisfaction and couples with lower levels

of satisfaction go on to report more marital problems. This dynamic interplay between glo-

bal judgments about relationship satisfaction and ongoing specific relationship difficulties

highlights the value of examining bidirectional effects to better understand mar ital func-

tioning over time.

Keywords: Newlywed Couples; Marriage; Marital Satisfaction; Marital Problems;

Longitudinal

Fam Proc 56:869–882, 2017

For many couples, the early years of marriage are characterized by significant change.

Despite optimistic beginnings, newlyweds on average experience declines in satisfac-

tion across the first years of marriage (Kurdek, 1998) and their risk of marital dissolution

is high compared to more-established couples (Kreider & Ellis, 2011). Theoretical and

empirical approaches to understanding these trends have generally focused on predicting

change in marital satisfaction over time. For example, Karney and Bradbury’s (1995) vul-

nerability-stress-adaptation (VSA) model identifies broad classes of independent variables

*Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA.

†

Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA.

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Justin A. Lavner, Department of Psychol-

ogy, University of Georgia, Psychology Building, Athens, GA 30602. E-mail: lavner@uga.edu.

This work was supported by National Institute of Mental Health Grant MH59712 and an award from

the Fetzer Institute to Benjamin R. Karney, and by Grant 4-4040-19900-07 from the Committee on

Research of the UCLA Academic Senate and National Institute of Mental Health Grant MH48674 to Tho-

mas N. Bradbury. We thank Andrew Christensen, Rashmita Mistry, and Letitia Anne Peplau for helpful

feedback on earlier versions of this manuscript, and Cameron Neece and Dominik Schoebi for statistical

consultation.

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Family Process, Vol. 56, No. 4, 2017 ©2016 Family Process Institute

doi: 10.1111/famp.12264