Factors influencing the marital quality of pastoral couples
Abstract
This study examined the marital quality of Seventh-day Adventist pastoral couples. Using the Marital Satisfaction Inventory scales as measures of marital quality, this study assessed the influence of employment status, hours of gainful employment by each spouse, number of children at home, age, and the wife's hours of weekly church work on the marital quality of these couples. There were 64 couples from four midwestern states who returned usable surveys to be analyzed. Results revealed a small but significant influence on the part of several independent variables. Employment status was shown to make only a minor difference in marital quality. Dual-earner subjects indicated lower levels of marital satisfaction on the Time Together scale than single-earner couples. Factors influencing marital quality the most were the life stage variables, Age and Number of Children at Home. Similar to the employment factors, the levels of influence were small, but not outside the range found in other marital quality studies. Finally, the hours of church work engaged in by the wife had a small but positive influence on several of the marital quality factors. Only for Time Together was the amount of influence large enough to be of practical significance.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Loughead, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Academic guidance counseling|Families & family life|Personal relationships|Sociology
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