A WIFE'S HAPPINESS IS MORE CRUCIAL THAN HER HUSBAND'S IN KEEPING MARIAGE ON TRACK
When it comes to a
happy marriage, a new Rutgers study finds that the more content the wife is
with the long-term union, the happier the husband is with his life no matter
how he feels about their nuptial
"I think it comes
down to the fact that when a wife is satisfied with the marriage she tends to
do a lot more for her husband, which has a positive effect on his life,"
said Deborah Carr, a professor in the Department of Sociology, School of Arts
and Science. "Men tend to be less vocal about their relationships and
their level of marital unhappiness might not be translated to their
wives."
Carr and Vicki
Freedman, a research professor at the University of Michigan Institute for
Social Research, co-authored a research study published in the October issue of
the Journal of Marriage and Familyon marital quality and happiness
among older adults.
The study, done by the
two Big Ten universities, differs from previous research, according to Carr,
because it examines the personal feelings of both spouses to determine how
these marital appraisals influence the psychological well-being of older
adults. Researchers analyzed data of 394 couples who were part of a national
study of income, health and disability in 2009. At least one of the spouses was
60 or older and on average, couples were married for 39 years.
In order to assess
marital quality, those involved in the study were asked several questions, such
as whether their spouse appreciates them, argues with them, understands their
feelings or gets on their nerves. They were also asked to keep detailed diaries
about how happy they were in the previous 24 hours doing selected activities
like shopping, doing household chores and watching television.
Those involved in the
study, on average, rated their general life satisfaction high, typically five
out of six points -- with husbands rating their marriage slightly more positive
than their wives.
"For both spouses
being in a better-rated marriage was linked to greater life satisfaction and
happiness," Carr said.
Still, she said, the
study also found that while wives became less happy if their spouses became
ill, the husbands' happiness level didn't change or reflect the same outcome if
their wives got sick.
"We know that
when a partner is sick it is the wife that often does the caregiving which can
be a stressful experience," said Carr. "But often when a women gets
sick it is not her husband she relies on but her daughter."
The study is important,
the researchers said, because the quality of a marriage can affect the health
and well-being of older individuals as they continue to age.
"The quality of a
marriage is important because it provides a buffer against the health-depleting
effects of later life stressors and helps couples manage difficult decisions
regarding health and medical decision making," Carr said.
Comments
Post a Comment