ERIC Number: EJ981692
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 25
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0091-4150
EISSN: N/A
Hopes and Concerns in Couple Relationships across Adulthood and Their Association with Relationship Satisfaction
Villar, Feliciano; Villamizar, Diana Janeth
International Journal of Aging and Human Development, v75 n2 p115-139 2012
The study explored goals in couple relationships, and determined their association with age and the level of satisfaction expressed with the relationship. The participants were made up of 355 volunteers, aged between 20 and 78, who had been in a relationship for more than 6 months. The sample was gathered to ensure an age and gender balance. Participants' goals were ascertained by means of three sentence stems that they completed by expressing a general expectation, a hope, and a concern as regards their relationship. Satisfaction with the relationship was measured by means of Hendrick's Relationship Assessment Scale. Responses to the open-ended sentences were content analyzed and categorized. The frequency of these categories was associated with age, which indicated that an orientation toward growth was less frequent and an orientation toward maintenance was more common in older groups. Except in the youngest group, satisfaction with the relationship was negatively correlated to gains, and positively to maintenance. The study emphasizes the changes experienced in couple-related goals across adulthood and their relevance to satisfaction with the relationship, issues which have received little research attention to date. (Contains 4 tables and 3 figures.)
Descriptors: Adults, Interpersonal Relationship, Expectation, Goal Orientation, Satisfaction, Sentences, Content Analysis, Age Differences, Correlation, Maintenance, Foreign Countries, Dating (Social), Marital Satisfaction, Educational Attainment, Questionnaires, Aging (Individuals)
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Spain
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A