Intergenerational relationships and their influences on marital satisfaction: A study of young Chinese couples in Taiwan

Tsui-Shan Li Liu, Purdue University

Abstract

This study examined both the intergenerational relationship and the marital relationship of Chinese people in Taiwan. The sample consisted of 264 women mostly living in the urban areas in Taiwan. Relationships between marital satisfaction and some intergenerational variables such as attachment, obligation, interaction, congruence of role expectations, and positive feelings were tested and explored through regression analyses and path analyses. The results showed that although the hypothesized contingent effects are not evidenced, various intergenerational variables are found to be directly or indirectly associated with marital satisfaction. Through interaction with parents, attachment, obligation, and residential proximity to parents indirectly affect positive feelings toward parents. Similarly, couple stress level and residential proximity to parents-in-law also exerted indirect effects on positive feelings toward parents-in-law, through interaction with parents-in-law. In addition to that, positive feelings toward parents, positive feelings toward parents-in-law and dyadic inclusiveness all have direct effects on marital satisfaction. Perhaps the most important implication from these findings is that, both intergenerational system and marital system would affect a person's marital satisfaction. Therefore, in the future study of marital satisfaction, intergenerational relationship has to be taken into consideration. Since the effects exerted from intergenerational system and marital system work independently on marital satisfaction, for practical practitioner, the inclusion of parents/parents-in-law to a preventative program or therapeutic program would be important to the couple.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Lewis, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Families & family life|Personal relationships|Sociology

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