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Does income moderate basic relationship processes?

Matthew D Johnson1, Scott M Stanley2, Galena K Rhoades2

  • 1Department of Human Ecology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Journal of Marriage and the Family
|February 23, 2023
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Household income does not change how relationship dynamics, like interactions and commitment, predict future satisfaction. Key relationship processes remain consistent across different income levels for couples.

Keywords:
couplesincomerelationship satisfactionsocioeconomic status

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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Sociology
  • Family Studies

Background:

  • Socioeconomic status (SES) is traditionally viewed as a predictor of couple relationship quality.
  • Emerging research questions whether SES moderates fundamental couple relationship dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if household income moderates the association between adaptive processes (positive/negative interactions, commitment), vulnerabilities (psychological distress), stressors (financial strain), and future relationship satisfaction.
  • To examine both between-person and within-person longitudinal associations.

Main Methods:

  • Data from a U.S. national sample of 927 cohabiting adults (ages 18-34) surveyed five times over 4-6 month intervals.
  • Latent curve models with structured residuals were employed to analyze longitudinal data.
  • Analysis focused on adaptive processes, vulnerabilities, stressors, and their predictive links to relationship satisfaction, moderated by income.

Main Results:

  • Significant between-person associations confirmed prior research: positive interactions, commitment, lower distress, and less financial strain predicted higher relationship satisfaction.
  • At the within-person level, increased negative interactions predicted decreases in subsequent relationship satisfaction.
  • Income did not moderate any of the examined associations between relationship processes and future satisfaction.

Conclusions:

  • Core longitudinal relationship processes appear to function consistently regardless of household income level.
  • Findings suggest that relationship dynamics are universally impactful on satisfaction, independent of financial standing.