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Change in Disagreements About Money, Time, and Sex and Marital Outcomes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

Brandan Wheeler Open the ORCID record for Brandan Wheeler [Opens in a new window]  and
Jennifer Kerpelman Open the ORCID record for Jennifer Kerpelman [Opens in a new window]
Brandan Wheeler*
Affiliation:
School of Human Sciences, Mississippi State University, Mississippi, USA College of Human Sciences, Auburn University, Alabama, USA
Jennifer Kerpelman
Affiliation:
School of Human Sciences, Mississippi State University, Mississippi, USA College of Human Sciences, Auburn University, Alabama, USA
*
ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE: Brandan Wheeler, Assistant Professor, School of Human Sciences, 265 Lloyd-Ricks-Watson, Mississippi State University, MS, 39762, USA. Email: bwheeler@humansci.msstate.edu
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Abstract

Using data from the National Survey of Families and Households, an actor-partner interdependence model explored change in the frequency of disagreements and marital outcomes among 796 paired couples, early in marriage. Disagreements about money, time spent together, and the sexual relationship increased over 5 years. Money disagreements predicted disagreements about time and sex for husbands. Spillover findings showed disagreements about money and sex were related negatively to marital satisfaction. Disagreements in all three areas predicted marital instability for husbands, although only disagreements about money and time predicted marital instability for wives. Crossover findings showed husbands’ disagreements about money to be related negatively to wives’ marital satisfaction. Implications of the current findings are discussed.

Keywords

disagreementsearly marriagemarital outcomesactor-partner interdependence modelspillover and crossover effects
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Relationships Research , Volume 7 , 2016 , e6
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2016 

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