Marital satisfaction among military and civilian family practice residents

Physicians have a lower divorced rate than the general population, but evidence suggests there are many potential sources of stress in medical marriages, particularly during postgraduate training. This investigation was undertaken to survey the degree of marital satisfaction among third-year family practice residents, to compare the level of marital satisfaction of military with civilian residents, and to identify variables that correlate with resident marital satisfaction. Results indicate that most residents are happily married and that marital satisfaction is no different for residents training in military programs than it is for residents in civilian programs. Correlations between marital satisfaction and indexes of potential sources of marital stress show that factors enhancing medical marriages are similar to factors enhancing marriages among other professional groups and the general public.