Marital Satisfaction and Depressive Symptoms Among Korean Couples With Young Children: Dyadic Autoregressive Cross‐Lagged Modeling

• Published date: 01 December 2021
• Author: Eunsil Choi,Sun Young Jung
• Date: 01 December 2021
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12570

E CYeungnam University

S Y JIncheon National University

Marital Satisfaction and Depressive Symptoms

Among Korean Couples With Young Children:

Dyadic Autoregressive Cross-Lagged Modeling

Objective: The purpose of this study was to

examine the bidirectional associations between

marital satisfaction and depressive symptoms

among Korean couples with young children.

Background: The associations between marital

satisfaction and depressive symptoms have been

known as reciprocal in actor effects. However,

little researchhas examined partner effects, gen-

der differences, and the directionality between

them, particularly in collectivistic cultures.

Method: We investigated actor (i.e., the asso-

ciations between marital satisfaction and one’s

own depressive symptoms) and partner (i.e., the

associations between marital satisfaction and

partner’s depressive symptoms) effects, gender

differences, and the directionalitybetween mari-

tal satisfaction and depressive symptoms using a

dyadic autoregressive cross-lagged model. The

participants were 1,264 couples in the Panel

Study of Korean Children. The couples reported

on marital satisfaction and depressive symptoms

at three time points over a 4-year period.

Results: The results showed bidirectional asso-

ciations in both actor and partner effects. In

addition, a series of nested models found no

Incheon National University, 119 Academy-ro,

Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, 406-772, Republic of Korea

(sunyjung@gmail.com).

Key Words: actor and partner effects, depressive symptoms,

Korean couples, marital satisfaction.

gender differences in actor and partner effects

and further revealed that the bidirectional asso-

ciations were the same in both actor and partner

effects.

Conclusion: These ndings enhance under-

standing of the reciprocal associations between

marital satisfaction and depressive symptoms

both within-person and across partners for

Korean couples in a collectivistic culture.

Implications: The ndings provide evidence

that couples therapy and/or dyadic treatment

programs are needed for both spouses who

experience depressive symptoms and marital

problems. Brief screening of depressive symp-

toms and marital problems may be helpful to

prevent a vicious cycle.

Associations between marital satisfaction (MS)

and depressive symptoms (DS) have long been

a topic of interest in the literature on marital

relationships (Beach et al., 2003; Fincham

et al., 1997; Kouros & Cumming, 2011; Kur-

dek, 1999; Whisman, 2001). Marriage is a

mutually dynamic relationship in which each

spouse’s individual characteristics can inuence

and be inuenced by his or her psychologi-

cal state. Early research focused primarily on

spouses’ own MS and their role in their own

DS, which refer to actor effects (Whisman

& Uebelacker, 2009). However, more recent

research has been conducted to explore the

1384Family Relations 70 (December 2021): 1384–1398

DOI:10.1111/fare.12570