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Understanding infidelity: correlates in a national random sample
D C Atkins1, D H Baucom, N S Jacobson
1Center for Clinical Research, Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98105-4631, USA. datkins@u.washington.edu
Abstract:
Infidelity is a common phenomenon in marriages but is poorly understood. The current study examined variables related to extramarital sex using data from the 1991-1996 General Social Surveys. Predictor variables were entered into a logistic regression with presence of extramarital sex as the dependent variable. Results demonstrated that divorce, education, age when first married, and 2 "opportunity" variables--respondent's income and work status--significantly affected the likelihood of having engaged in infidelity. Also, there were 3 significant interactions related to infidelity: (a) between age and gender, (b) between marital satisfaction and religious behavior, and (c) between past divorce and educational level. Implications of these findings and directions for future research are discussed.
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