Marital Satisfaction and Marital Aggrandizement Among Older Adults: Analysis of Gender Invariance

Reciprocal Effects of Marital Idealization and Marital Satisfaction Between Long-Wed Spouses Over Time

Marital idealization is defined as an interpersonal mode of self-deception whereby husbands and wives convey an exceedingly positive portrayal of their spouse and relationship (e.g., "My spouse has never made me angry"). For the Marriage and Health Study, we obtained responses from 119 long-wed couples at baseline, 1- and 2-years later (M = 34 years married). We first computed and compared contemporaneous actor-partner interdependence models (APIMs) suggesting that marital satisfaction predicts marital idealization within and between spouses; the reverse APIM was not supported (i.e., marital idealization did not predict marital satisfaction). Yet our analyses suggest the question should be answered with longitudinal data. When reported contemporaneously, husbands' marital satisfaction predicts marital idealization by their wives. The same cross-over effect is observed for wives-but not concomitantly, only in future. That is, marital satisfaction and idealization reported by wives predicts marital idealization reported by their husbands 2-years later.

Reciprocal Effects of Life Satisfaction and Depressive Symptoms Within Long-Wed Couples Over Time

Objectives

This study was undertaken to examine bidirectional effects of well-being over time in long-wed couples.

Method

We recruited 125 couples 50+ years of age who had been married 20+ years. Both spouses reported life satisfaction and depressive symptoms independently at three annual points over 2 years. We computed actor-partner interdependence models (APIMs) to identify concomitant and longitudinal bidirectional effects between long-wed spouses. Where parallel associations were found between models of life satisfaction and depressive symptoms, we undertook invariance analyses to compare the relative strength of associations.

Results

We observed a significant association between wives' and their husbands' life satisfaction at baseline; a concomitant crossover effect was also evident from wives to husbands at 1- and 2-year follow-up, such that wives' life satisfaction predicted changes in their husbands' life satisfaction beyond that previously and concomitantly reported.

Discussion

Our findings suggest that older wives influence their husbands after decades of marriage; the relative effect of this crossover on older husbands is comparatively equivalent for life satisfaction and depressive symptoms. These findings stand in contrast to prior research with younger couples suggesting that long-wed couples may be a distinct subset of the population of all married couples (i.e., those who have not divorced).

Personality, Cognitive Adaptation, and Marital Satisfaction as Predictors of Well-Being among Older Married Adults

The current study examines constructs that contribute to the well-being of an international sample of older married adults. A convenience sample of 208 participants was recruited through an Internet site as well as more traditional means such as newspaper advertisements and contact with community groups. The resulting structural equation model provides further support for the revised theory of cognitive adaptation. Within this model, the direct and indirect contributions of personality, marital satisfaction, and cognitive adaptation are examined in relation to well-being. Contrary to previous findings, personality appears to have an indirect effect upon both marital satisfaction and well-being. Cognitive adaptation, in contrast, has both a direct and indirect effect upon the well-being of older adults. Limitations of use of the Internet as a vehicle for data collection are considered as well as directions for future study.

MARITAL SATISFACTION AND SELF-DECEPTION: RECONSTRUCTION OF RELATIONSHIP HISTORIES AMONG OLDER ADULTS

The relationship among marital aggrandizement, satisfaction with life, and marital satisfaction is examined among an international sample of older adults (N = 400). Three distinct groupings are identified on the basis of cluster analysis. A minority of participants emerged as dissatisfied with life and marriage. This grouping (the distraught) holds realistic perceptions of their relationship history. The same is true for a larger grouping identified as the realistically content who appear satisfied with life and marriage. The largest grouping (Pollyannas) also appears highly satisfied with life and marriage. Of note, these participants also engage in selective recall negating the occurrence of negative events and perceptions of their spouse and marriage. Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) suggests that Pollyannas convey a tendency for self-deception that distinguishes them from the other two groupings. These results are discussed in terms of demographic trends and directions for future research.

Cognitive Adaptation and Women's Adjustment to Conjugal Bereavement

Conjugal bereavement is experienced by the majority of older women in enduring relationships. Although most experience considerable distress in the immediate aftermath of this loss, the majority adjusts over the course of time. The current study of self-selected participants applies the theory of cognitive adaptation in an attempt to distinguish between women who have successfully adjusted to the death of their husbands versus those who exhibit prolonged distress. Results of this study suggest that positivity biases in personally relevant information processing (i.e., self-deception, marital aggrandizement, dispositional optimism) are significantly associated with life satisfaction and the absence of psychiatric distress. The contribution of cognitive adaptation is maintained over and above that provided by personality variables (i.e., neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience). Intervention strategies to treat enduring distress among widowed women are considered on the basis of these findings.