Only a Matter of Time? Explaining the Relationship Between Spouses’Time Alone Together and Marital Satisfaction

Document Type

Conference Paper

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Only a Matter of Time? Explaining the Relationship Between Spouses’Time Alone Together and Marital Satisfaction

Publication Date

2008

Abstract

Spouses have lost time alone together over the past thirty years. The marital implications of this loss are unclear because research has rarely examined the mechanisms that link spouses’ time together and marital satisfaction. Using data from the National Survey of Families and Households (N = 3,861), this study tests whether spouses’ subjective evaluations of time spent together mediate the relationship between the frequency of their time alone together and marital satisfaction. Satisfaction with the amount of time spent together did mediate this relationship. Predictors of satisfaction with amount of time together were also examined. Surprisingly, past a certain threshold, the more available time that spouses spent together, the less satisfied they were with the amount of time spent together. Consequently, contemporary spouses’ marital satisfaction has probably not declined despite lost time together.

Comments

Paper presented at the annual conference of the International Association for Relationship Research. Providence, RI

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