Geneviève Bouchard

Personality and Marital Adjustment: Utility of the Five-Factor Model of Personality

Using the five-factor model of personality, this study investigates the contribution of personality traits to marital adjustment. The sample is composed of 446 couples who completed the NEO Five-Factor Inventory, which measures the personality traits of neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness, as well as the Dyadic Adjustment Scale. Results of hierarchical regression analyses indicated that self-reported and partner-reported personality traits were significant predictors of self-reported marital adjustment for both men and women. Personality traits were found to contribute to the prediction of marital adjustment over and above the effect of neuroticism. Both interpersonal and intrapersonal factors can influence marital relationships. Prominent intrapersonal factors are personality traits-the emotional, relational, experiential, attitudinal, and motivational styles of an individual that are assumed to be stable over time (Costa & McCrae,1992). Many studies suggest that specific personality factors can predict marital adjustment. For example, personality factors were better predictors of marital instability measured 4 years later than demographic variables, such as the age, the educational level, or the history of previous divorces of the individual (Bentler & Newcomb, 1978). Relationships between personality factors and marital outcomes have been observed using cross-sectional designs (e.g., Hjemboe & Butcher, 1991; Long & Andrews, 1990; Miller, Lefcourt, Holmes, Ware, & Saleh, 1986; Russell & Wells, 1994; Snyder & Regts, 1990) and longitudinal designs (Bentler & Newcomb, 1978; Karney & Bradbury, 1995; Kelly & Conley, 1987; Kurdek, 1991; Shaver & Brennan, 1992). The criterion variable was marital adjustment scores or marital status (i.e., divorced vs. still married). An individuals level of neuroticism (the negative affectivity and emotional instability) has been the most consistent and powerful personality predictor of relationship outcomes. Self-reported neuroticism frequently was negatively associated with diverse measures of marital adjustment (Buss, 1991; Geist & Gilbert, 1996; Kurdek, 1997). For instance, the results of a broad longitudinal study conducted over 50 years on a sample of 300 couples revealed that the level of neuroticism of both spouses was a key determinant of their marital adjustment (Kelly & Conley, 1987). More specifically, the spouses who divorced and the spouses who were dissatisfied with their union scored higher on neuroticism that was measured before their marriage. Karney and Bradbury (1995) recently emphasized that, considering the huge predictive power of neuroticism, the influence of other personality traits in marital outcomes remains to be investigated, after controlling for the level of neuroticism. Significant relationships also were observed between self-reported marital adjustment and particular personality traits, such as psychotism, agreeableness, and internal locus of control. A high level of psychotism was negatively associated with self-reported marital adjustment, and the other two personality factors were positively associated (Russell & Wells, 1994; Smolen & Spiegel, 1987). Furthermore, personality factors such as perspective taking (the tendency to put oneself in another persons place), emotional expressiveness, and ambivalence in emotional expressiveness also were significant predictors of marital adjustment. The first two related positively to marital adjustment, and the last one related negatively (King, 1993; Long & Andrews, 1990). Finally, outcomes of the personality factor of extraversion offered mixed results. A high level of extraversion was positively related (Richmond, Craig, & Ruzicka, 1991), negatively related (Bentler & Newcomb, 1978; Geist & Gilbert, 1996), and unrelated (Russell & Wells, 1994) to marital adjustment scores. …

Predictive validity of coping strategies on marital satisfaction : Cross-sectional and longitudinal evidence

The present study investigated the contribution of coping strategies, when facing marital difficulties, to marital satisfaction, using both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. For the cross-sectional design, both members of 506 couples individually completed the Ways of Coping Questionnaire and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale. Results revealed that self-reported coping strategies were significant-linear and curvilinear-predictors of both self- and partner-reported marital satisfaction. Results of the longitudinal analyses were based on 2 distinct samples: 95 couples who completed the same questionnaires 4 months later (short-term cohort) and 108 couples who again completed the same questionnaires 1.5 years later (long-term cohort). Significant, but weak, curvilinear relations between coping strategies and subsequent marital satisfaction were observed for women.

Adult Couples Facing a Planned or an Unplanned Pregnancy: Two Realities

This study examined demographic, individual, and relational factors that differentiate adult couples facing an unplanned pregnancy carried to term from those facing a planned pregnancy. One hundred and eighteen couples expecting their first child completed, along with a demographic questionnaire, measures of personality, perceived stress, depression, attachment, and dyadic adjustment during the third trimester of the women’s pregnancy. Results showed that demographic risk factors for unplanned births included age, education level, annual income, length of relationship, and marital status. In addition, high levels of neuroticism, depression, and perceived stress, and low levels of agreeableness and conscientiousness were individual factors associated with unplanned pregnancies among pregnant women. Relational factors associated with unplanned pregnancies included low levels of secure attachment and high levels of anxious-ambivalent and avoidant attachment in men and women. The findings clearly suggest that the psychosocial environment of couples with unplanned pregnancies is problematic.

Transition to Parenthood and Conjugal Life Comparisons Between Planned and Unplanned Pregnancies

One of the variables that could explain the considerable variety of ways that adult couples handle the transition to parenthood is whether the pregnancy was planned or not. However, very little is known about the impact of pregnancy intendedness on the conjugal life of couples during this transition. The aim of this study was to address this gap in the literature by comparing the trajectory of 21 couples facing an unplanned pregnancy to the one of 99 couples facing a planned pregnancy. Each partner completed measures of dyadic adjustment and conjugal conflicts during the third trimester of pregnancy and at 6 months postpartum. Results indicate that pregnancy intendedness influences the way couples experienced the transition to parenthood. Results suggest that couples with unplanned pregnancies experience higher levels of relationship functioning following than before the birth, whereas couples facing planned pregnancies experience lower levels of functioning following than before the birth.

Defense mechanisms and coping strategies in conjugal relationships: An integration

Coping strategies and defence mechanisms are used to describe peoples responses to stressful situations. The concept of coping strategies comes from the social psychological tradition, whereas the concept of defence mechanisms comes from the psychoanalytic tradition. According to the traditional view, the two concepts are very different. However, recently, a growing number of researchers suggested that coping strategies and defence mechanisms are more interrelated than what was assumed previously. This study was aimed at documenting the relationship between both concepts in the context of predicting adjustment in a specific situation, marital relationships, one of the most well-suited situations to investigate peoples responses to stressful situations. The sample consisted of 157 couples. Each partner completed the Ways of Coping Questionnaire, the Defence Style Questionnaire, and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale. Two theoretical models, the independence model and the effectiveness model, accounting for the ...

The role of psychosocial variables in prenatal attachment: an examination of moderational effects

Prenatal attachment, which refers to the feeling of love for one’s unborn child, has been related to the future parent-child relationship. However, attempts to link prenatal attachment to parental psychosocial variables have generated inconsistent results. I argue that these disappointing findings can be explained because correlates of prenatal attachment were studied in isolation. Using a sample comprising 161 Canadian adult couples all expecting their first child, the present paper examines correlates of prenatal attachment in interaction. In the third trimester of the pregnancy, each participant completed measures of prenatal attachment, neuroticism, union quality with partners, attachment to parents and pregnancy planning. Results reveal that, for women, union quality with their partner was positively associated with their level of prenatal attachment, but only for those with low levels of neuroticism or low levels of attachment to their parents. Results are slightly different for men. Men’s quality of union with their partner was positively associated with their attachment to their unborn child, but only for those who were also strongly attached to their parents. The unique combination of risk and protective factors of future parents seems to explain the quality of their prenatal attachment.

Cohabitation versus Marriage: The Role of Dyadic Adjustment in Relationship Dissolution

Abstract This study was aimed at investigating if the precursors of relationship dissolution vary according to union type (marriage or cohabitation). More specifically, this study examined the role of an important social psychological variable, dyadic adjustment, on relationship dissolution of cohabiting versus marital unions. A total of 117 married couples and 109 cohabiting couples completed a measure of dyadic adjustment, along with a demographic questionnaire. Two years later, the couples were asked to provide information on couple status (i.e., stable, separated, or divorced). As predicted, results of standard logistic regressions, controlled for relevant demographic variables, confirmed that cohabiting couples were more likely to end their relationship, even if it was still relatively satisfying, which was not the case for their married counterparts.

Parental Divorce and Couples’ Adjustment During the Transition to Parenthood: The Role of Parent–Adult Child Relationships

In this study, the authors examined the associations between parental divorce, quality of relationships with parents, and dyadic adjustment during transition of 114 couples to parenthood. Data were collected during the third trimester of pregnancy and at 9 months postpartum. As predicted, the authors found that women from divorced families reported more conflict, less support, and less depth in the relationships with their fathers. However, it was the extent to which their relationships with their mothers were characterized by support that predicted women’s adjustment during their first pregnancy. Also as expected, for men, the link between parental divorce and both prenatal dyadic adjustment and residualized change scores of dyadic adjustment over time was mediated by the quality of their relationships with their fathers.

Attention deficits and divorce.

Objective: Building on previous work on the role of attention deficits associated with the regulation of executive control in psychiatric disorders, we examine whether these attention deficits are related to an interpersonal disturbance, the experience of divorce. Method: Attentional capacities of 95 randomly selected couples from the general population were measured with a well-established task, the Attentional Network Task, which assesses the efficiency of 3 attention networks (that is, alerting, orienting, and executive control). Among the 190 participants, 32 had experienced a divorce in the past. ANCOVAs were used to compare divorced people in marital or cohabiting unions with people in first unions in their performance on this purely cognitive task. Results: Our findings indicate that divorced people who are currently living in a cohabiting relationship show significantly lower executive control than other adults living as couples, after controlling for sex, age, income, and education. This subgroup of divorced people not only exhibit greater difficulty in responding to some stimuli while ignoring irrelevant ones but also manifest cognitive deficits in conflict resolution. Conclusions: This study highlights the links between attention and the long-term maintenance of intimate relationships. Our results may have important implications for the identification of people at risk for divorce.

Marital status, pregnancy planning, and role overload: a mediated-moderation model of parenting satisfaction.

This longitudinal study investigated the presence of a moderating effect of pregnancy planning on the relationship between marital status and parenting satisfaction of couples experiencing the transition to parenthood and verified whether this moderating effect is mediated by role overload. Data were collected from 150 Canadian couples during the 3rd trimester of pregnancy and at 9 months postpartum. Findings reveal that when the pregnancy is planned, the poorer parenting satisfaction reported by cohabiting fathers in comparison with their married counterparts can be explained by cohabiting mens higher levels of role overload. Womens levels of parenting satisfaction are also influenced by their own and their partners experiences of role overload. Results are discussed in terms of the respective values and lifestyles of cohabiting and married couples and specifically in terms of their different attitudes toward egalitarianism.