Abstract
Lifecourse theory scholars focus on how individuals traverse social roles, such as marriage, parenthood, and employment, in similar and different ways across their lives. This study examined one specific role trajectory: romantic relationships. This study examined men’s and women’s (N = 3617) relationship status and quality across approximately 30 years. Using second-order latent class analysis, results showed four predominant relationship role trajectories: (a) Multiple Transitions, (b) Stable Marriage with High Conflict, (c) Stable Marriage with High Satisfaction, and (d) Marriage to Divorce/cohabitation. These relationship role trajectories differed on two aspects of quality of life: life satisfaction and depressive symptoms. Individuals in the Multiple Transitions trajectory consistently reported poorest quality of life; however, those in the Multiple Transitions and Stable Marriage with High Conflict trajectories were the only that reported decreases in depressive symptoms over 30 years. Relationship satisfaction poorly differentiated the trajectories compared to relationship conflict and stability.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Amato, P. R. (2000). The consequences of divorce for adults and children. Journal of Marriage and Family, 62(4), 1269–1287. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2000.01269.x.
Allison, P. D. (2000). Missing data. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Anderson, J. R., van Ryzin, M. J., & Doherty, W. J. (2010). Developmental trajectories of marital happiness in continuously married individuals: A group-based modeling approach. Journal of Family Psychology, 24, 587–596. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0020928.
Antonucci, T. C., & Akiyama, H. (1987). An examination of sex differences in social support among older men and women. Sex Roles, 17(11-12), 737–749. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00287685.
Antonucci, T. C., Lansford, J. E., & Akiyama, H. (2001). Impact of positive and negative aspects of marital relationships and friendship on well-being of older adults. Applied Developmental Science, 5, 68–75. https://doi.org/10.1207/S1532480XADS0502_2.
Bachman, J. G., Wadsworth, K. N., O’Malley, P. M., Johnston, L. D., & Schulenberg, J. E. (1997). Smoking, drinking, and drug use in young adulthood: The impacts of new freedoms and new responsibilities. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Beach, S. R., Sandeen, E., & O'Leary, K. D. (1990). Depression in marriage: A model for etiology and treatment. Guilford Press.
Bengtson, VernL., & Allen, KatherineR. (1993). The life course perspective applied to families over time. In P. Boss, W. Doherty, R. LaRossa, W. Schumm & S. Steinmetz (Eds.), Sourcebook of family theories and methods: A contextual approach. New York, NY: Spring Science and Business Media, Inc.
Booth, A., & Amato, P. (1991). Divorce and psychological stress. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 32, 396–407. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2137106.
Broman, C. L. (1993). Race differences in marital well-being. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 55, 724–732.
Carroll, B. J. (2013). Biomarkers in DSM-5: Lost in translation. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 47, 676–678. https://doi.org/10.1177/0004867413491162.
Caughlin, J. P., & Huston, T. L. (2010). The flourishing literature on flourishing relationships. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 2, 25–35. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1756-2589.2010.00034.x.
Davila, J., Bradbury, T. N., Cohan, C. L., & Tochluk, S. (1997). Marital functioning and depressive symptoms: Evidence for a stress generation model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 73, 849–861. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.73.4.849.
Davila, J., Karney, B. R., Hall, T. W., & Bradbury, T. N. (2003). Depressive symptoms and marital satisfaction: Within-subject associations and the moderating effects of gender and neuroticism. Journal of Family Psychology, 17, 557–570. https://doi.org/10.1037/0893-3200.17.4.557.
Ducat, W. H., & Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J. (2010). Romantic partner behaviours as social context: Measuring six dimensions of relationships. Journal of Relationships Research, 1, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1375/jrr.1.1.1.
Elder, G. H. (1985). Life course dynamics. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Fincham, F. D., & Beach, S. R. H. (2010). Marriage in the new millennium: A decade in review. Journal of Marriage and Family, 72, 630–649. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2010.00722.x.
Fincham, F. D., & Linfield, K. J. (1997). A new look at marital quality: Can spouses feel positive and negative about their marriage? Journal of Family Psychology, 11, 489–502. https://doi.org/10.1037/0893-3200.11.4.489-502.
Fowers, B. J. (1990). An interactional approach to standardized marital assessment: A literature review. Family Relations, 39, 368–377. https://doi.org/10.2307/585215.
Fowers, B. J., Montel, K. H., & Olson, D. H. (1996). Predicting marital success for premarital couple types based on PREPARE. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 22, 103–119. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-0606.1996.tb00190.x.
Fowers, B. J., & Olson, D. H. (1986). Predicting marital success with PREPARE: A predictive validity study. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 12, 403–413. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-0606.1986.tb00673.x.
Gee, C. B., Scott, R. L., Castellani, A. M., & Cordova, J. V. (2002). Predicting 2-year marital satisfaction from partners’ discussion of their marriage checkup. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 28, 399–407. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-0606.2002.tb00365.x.
Gibson-Davis, C. M., Edin, K., & McLanahan, S. (2005). High hopes but even higher expectations: The retreat from marriage among low-income couples. Journal of Marriage and Family, 67, 1301–1312. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2005.00218.x.
Gottman, J. M. (1991). Predicting the logitudinal course of marriages. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 17, 3–7. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-0606.1991.tb00856.x.
Gove, W. R. (1972). The relationship between sex roles, marital status, and mental illness. Social Forces, 51, 34–44. https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/51.1.34.
Grant, S., & Barling, J. (1994). Linking unemployment experiences, depressive symptoms, and marital functioning: A mediational model. In G. P. Keita & J. J. Hurrell (Eds.), Job stress in a changing workforce: Investigating gender, diversity, and family issues (pp. 311–327). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Hawkins, D. N., & Booth, A. (2005). Unhappily ever after: Effects of long-term, low-quality marriages on well-being. Social Forces, 84, 451–471. https://doi.org/10.1353/sof.2005.0103.
Heaton, T. B., & Albrecht, S. L. (1991). Stable unhappy marriages. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 53, 747–758. https://doi.org/10.2307/352748.
Hill, T. D., & Needham, B. L. (2013). Rethinking gender and mental health: A critical analysis of three propositions. Social Science & Medicine, 92, 83–91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2013.05.025.
Horwitz, A. V., McLaughlin, J., & White, H. R. (1998). How the negative and positive aspects of partner relationships affect the mental health of young married people. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 39, 124–136. https://doi.org/10.2307/2676395.
Horwitz, A. V., & White, H. R. (1991). Becoming married, depression, and alcohol problems among young adults. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 32, 221–237. https://doi.org/10.2307/2136805.
House, J. S. (2014). Americans’ changing lives: Waves I, II, III, IV, and V, 1986, 1989, 1994, 2002, and 2011. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university consortium for political and social research. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR04690.v7
Jackson, P. B., & Berkowitz, A. (2005). The structure of the life course: Gender and racioethnic variation in the occurrence and sequencing of role transitions. In R. Macmillan (Ed.), Advances in life course research: The structure of the life course: Individualized? Standardized? Differentiated? (pp. 55–91). New York, NY: Elsevier.
James, S. L. (2015b). Variation in trajectories of women’s marital quality. Social Science Research, 49, 16–30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2014.07.010.
Johnson, D. R., White, L. K., Edwards, J. N., & Booth, A. (1986). Dimensions of marital quality: Toward methodological and conceptual refinement. Journal of Family Issues, 7, 31–49. https://doi.org/10.1177/019251386007001003.
Kamp Dush, C. M., & Taylor, M. G. (2012). Trajectories of marital conflict across the life course: Predictors and interactions with marital happiness trajectories. Journal of Family Issues, 33(3), 341–368. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513×11409684.
Kamp Dush, C. M., & Taylor, M. G. (2012). Trajectories of marital conflict across the life course: Predictors and interactions with marital happiness trajectories. Journal of family issues, 33(3), 341–368.
Kamp Dush, C. M., Taylor, M. G., & Kroeger, R. A. (2008). Marital happiness and psychological well-being across the life course. Family Relations, 57(2), 211–226. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3729.2008.00495.x.
Karney, B. R., & Bradbury, T. N. (1997). Neuroticism, marital interaction, and the trajectory of marital satisfaction. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 72, 1075–1092. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.72.5.1075.
Kelly, J. B. (2000). Children’s adjustment in conflicted marriage and divorce: A decade review of research. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 39, 963–973. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004583-200008000-00007.
Kurdek, L. A. (1998). The nature and predictors of the trajectory of change in marital quality over the first 4 years of marriage for first-married husbands and wives. Journal of Family Psychology, 12, 494–510. https://doi.org/10.1037/0893-3200.12.4.494.
Kurdek, L. A. (1999). The nature and predictors of the trajectory of change in marital quality for husbands and wives over the first 10 years of marriage. Developmental Psychology, 35, 1283–1296. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.35.5.1283.
Larsen, A. S., & Olson, D. H. (1989). Predicting marital satisfaction using PREPARE: A replication study. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 15, 311–322. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-0606.1989.tb00812.x.
Lavee, Y., & Olson, D. H. (1993). Seven types of marriage: Empirical typology based on ENRICH. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 19, 325–340. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-0606.1993.tb00996.x.
Lavner, J. A., & Bradbury, T. N. (2010). Patterns of change in marital satisfaction over the newlywed years. Journal of Marriage and Family, 72(5), 1171–1187. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2010.00757.x.
Lavner, J. A., Bradbury, T. N., & Karney, B. R. (2012). Incremental change or initial differences? Testing two models of marital deterioration. Journal of Family Psychology, 26(4), 606–616. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0029052.
Lavner, J. A., Karney, B. R., & Bradbury, T. N. (2014). Relationship problems over the early years of marriage: Stability or change? Journal of Family Psychology, 28(6), 979–985. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0037752.
Macapagal, K., Greene, G. J., Rivera, Z., & Mustanski, B. (2015). “The best is always yet to come”: Relationship stages and processes among young LGBT couples. Journal of Family Psychology, 29(3), 309–320. https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0000094.
Macmillan, R., & Copher, R. (2005). Families in the life course: Interdependency of roles, role configurations, and pathways. Journal of Marriage and Family, 67, 858–879. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2005.00180.x.
Macmillan, R., & Eliason, S. R. (2003). Characterizing the life course as role configurations and pathways. New York, NY: Springer.
Markman, H. J., Ressick, M. J., Floyd, F. J., Stanley, S. M., & Clements, M. (1993). Preventing marital distress through communication and conflict management training. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 61, 70–77. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006×.61.1.70.
McNulty, J. K., O’Mara, E. M., & Karney, B. R. (2008). Benevolent cognitions as a strategy of relationship maintenance: “Don’t sweat the small stuff”….But it is not all small stuff. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 94, 631–646. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.94.4.631.
McNulty, J. K., & Russell, V. M. (2010). When “negative” behaviors are positive: A contextual analysis of the long-term effects of problem-solving behaviors on changes in relationship satisfaction. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 98, 587–604. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0017479.
Muthén, L. K. & Muthén, B. O. (1998). Mplus user's guide. 7th edn. Los Angeles, CA: Muthén & Muthén.
Muthén, B., & Muthén, L. K. (2000). Integrating person-centered and variable-centered analyses: Growth mixture modeling with latent trajectory classes. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 24, 882–891. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1530-0277.2000.tb02070.x.
Nylund, K. L., Asparouhov, T., & Muthén, B. O. (2007). Deciding on the number of classes in latent class analysis and growth mixture modeling: A Monte Carlo simulation study. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 14, 535–569. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705510701575396.
O’Mara, E. M., McNulty, J. K., & Karney, B. R. (2011). Positively biased appraisals in everyday life: When do they benefit mental health and when do they harm it? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 101, 415–432. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0023332.
Olson, D. H., Fournier, D. G., & Druckman, J. M. (1986). Counselor’s manual for PREPARE_ENRICH. Minneapolis, MN: PREPARE-ENRICH, Inc.
Orbuch, T. L., House, J. S., Mero, R. P., & Webster, P. S. (1996). Marital quality over the life course. Social Psychology Quarterly, 59, 162–171.
Pascarella, E. T., & Terenzini, P. T. (1991). How college affects students: Findings and insights from twenty years of research. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Inc.
Pateraki, E., & Roussi, P. (2013). Matital quality and well-being: The role of gender, marital duration, social suport and cultural context. In A. Michalos (Ed.), Social indicators research series (pp. 125–145). Netherlands: Springer.
Price, S. J., Price, C. A., & McKenry, P. C. (2009). Families and change: Coping with stressful events and transitions. New York, NY: Sage.
Priest, J. B., & Woods, S. B. (2015). The role of close relationships in the mental and physical health of Latino Americans. Family Relations, 64(2), 319–331.
Proulx, C. M., Buehler, C., & Helms, H. (2009). Moderators of the link between marital hostility and change in spouses’ depressive symptoms. Journal of Family Psychology, 23, 540–550. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0015448.
Radloff, L. S. (1977). The CES-D Scale: A self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Applied Psychological Measurement, 1(3), 385–401.
Reis, H. T., & Gable, S. L. (2003). Toward a positive psychology of relationships. In C. L. M. Keyes & J. Haidt (Eds.), Flourishing: Positive psychology and the life well-lived (pp. 129–159). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Roberson, P. N. E., Norona, J. C., Zorotovich, J., & Dirnberger, A. (2016). Developmental trajectories and health outcomes among emerging adult women and men. Emerging Adulthood, 5, 128–142.
Roberson, P. N. E., Olmstead, S. B., & Fincham, F. D. (2015). Hooking up during the college years: Is there a pattern? Culture, Health & Sexuality, 17, 579–591.
Rodgers, R. H. (1973). Family interaction and transitions: The developmental approach. Englewood Cliffs, NY: Prentice-Hall.
Schafer, J. L., & Graham, J. W. (2002). Missing data: Our view of the state of the art. Psychological Methods, 7, 147–177. https://doi.org/10.1037/1082-989×.7.2.147.
Shek, D. (1995). Marital quality and psychological well-being of married adults in a Chinese context. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 156, 45–56. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221325.1995.9914805.
Synder, D. K., & Smith, G. T. (1986). Classification of marital relationships: An empirical approach. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 48, 137–146. https://doi.org/10.2307/352237.
Twenge, J. M., Campbell, W. K., & Foster, C. A. (2003). Parenthood and marital satisfaction: A meta‐analytic review. Journal of Marriage and Family, 65, 574–583.
Umberson, D. (1995). Marriage as support or strain? Marital quality following the death of a parent. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 57, 709–723.
Umberson, D., Williams, K., Powers, D. A., Liu, H., & Needham, B. L. (2006). You make me sick: Marital quality and health over the life course. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 47, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1177/002214650604700101.
Voss, K., Markiewicz, D., & Doyle, A. B. (1999). Friendship, marriage, and self-esteem. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 16, 103–122. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407599161006.
Waite, L. J., & Gallagher, M. (2000). The case for marriage: Why married people are happier, healthier and better off financially. New York, NY: Doubleday.
Walen, H. R., & Lachman, M. E. (2000). Social support and strain from partner, family, and friends: Costs and benefits for men and women in adulthood. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 17, 5–30. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407500171001.
Wang, H., & Amato, P. R. (2000). Predictors of divorce adjustment: Stressors, resources, and definitions. Journal of Marriage and Family, 62(3), 655–668.
Washburn, I. (2013). Mixture modeling with a wide array of data types. Presented at annual meeting for the National Council on Family Relations, San Antonio, TX.
Whisman, M. A. (2007). Marital distress and DSM-IV psychiatric disorders in a population-based national survey. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 116, 638–643. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-843×.116.3.638.
Whisman, M. A., Sheldon, C. T., & Goering, P. (2000). Psychiatric disorders and dissatisfaction with social relationships: Does type of relationship matter? Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 109, 803–808. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-843×.109.4.803.
White, J. M., & Klein, D. M. (2008). Family theories (3rd ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
Wickrama, K. A. S., Lorenz, F. O., Conger, R. D., & Elder, Jr., G. H. (1997). Marital quality and physical illness: A latent growth curve analysis. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 59, 143–155. https://doi.org/10.2307/353668.
Zeidner, M., & Kloda, I. (2013). Emotional intelligence (EI), conflict resolution patterns, and relationship satisfaction: Actor and partner effects revisited. Personality and Individual Differences, 54, 278–283. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2012.09.013.
Author Contribution
P.N.E.R.: Project conceptualization, Data manager, statistical analyses, interpret results; J.C.N.: Wrote and contributed to the literature review and discussion; K.A.L.: Wrote and contributed to the literature review and discussion; A.B.O.: Mentor of the project.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Ethical Approval
This research protocol was approved by the University of Tennessee’s Institutional Review Board as exempt. All procedures involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institution and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
Informed Consent
Informed consent was obtained from all participants in the current study.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Roberson, P.N.E., Norona, J.C., Lenger, K.A. et al. How do Relationship Stability and Quality Affect Wellbeing?: Romantic Relationship Trajectories, Depressive Symptoms, and Life Satisfaction across 30 Years. J Child Fam Stud 27, 2171–2184 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-018-1052-1
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-018-1052-1