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Published on: September 19, 2019
Middle-Aged Children's Support for Parents-In-Law and Marital Satisfaction
Jeong Eun Lee1, Kyungmin Kim2, Kelly E Cichy3
1Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA, jel@iastate.edu.
Abstract:
This study investigated the dissimilarity in midlife adults' reports of support they and their spouse provide to their parents-in-law, gender differences in these dissimilarity patterns, and implications of this dissimilarity for marital quality. Middle-aged married participants (n = 164, mean age = 53.96 years) from Wave 2 of the Family Exchanges Study reported on the support they and their spouse provided to at least 1 living parent-in-law. Regression models examined associations of marital satisfaction with support for parents-in-law, evaluations of support for parents-in-law, and spousal dissimilarity in support. Gender differences in own and spousal support for parents-in-law revealed matrilineal focused support among married adults. Spousal dissimilarity in support was negatively associated with marital satisfaction for middle-aged adults. This pattern suggests the importance of a perceived balance in supporting one's spouse's parents for marital quality.
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