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Personality Predictors of Relationship Satisfaction among Engaged and Married Couples: An Analysis of Actor and Partner Effects
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| Title | Personality Predictors of Relationship Satisfaction among Engaged and Married Couples: An Analysis of Actor and Partner Effects |
| Document Type | Thesis |
| Keywords | personality, marriage, marital satisfaction, relationship satisfaction, engaged, neuroticism, depression, kindness, impulsivity, flexibility, self-esteem, extraversion |
| Abstract | With a sample of 3,436 engaged and married couples, this study explores the prediction of relationship satisfaction using the personality traits of neuroticism, depression, kindness, impulsivity, flexibility, self-esteem, and extraversion while utilizing controls for non-independent couple data in structural equation modeling. Both actor effects (the impact of an individual's personality on his or her own satisfaction) and partner effects (the impact of the partner's personality on satisfaction) are examined, including comparisons of the relative strength of each for males and females. A comparison is also made of engaged and married couples to determine if relationship status acts as a moderator. A separate model is estimated for each personality trait, and all the models show excellent fit statistics. Findings show significant, negative actor and partner effects for neuroticism, depression, and impulsivity, and significant, positive actor and partner effects for kindness, flexibility, and self-esteem among both engaged and married couples. Extraversion has some significant positive effects but is a weaker predictor. Actor effects are generally stronger than partner effects among the engaged couples in the sample, however among married couples the actor and partner effects are more often of equal magnitude. Many paths differ significantly between engaged and married couples, and in each case the paths are stronger among married couples. These findings support the idea that a variety of personality traits are important predictors of satisfaction, and that both actor and partner effects need to be considered. Findings also give evidence that relationship status acts as a moderator, indicating that personality may be a stronger predictor of satisfaction among married couples than engaged couples. With some traits, an engaged individual's own personality may be a more powerful predictor of his or her satisfaction than the partner's personality, while both spouse's traits may be equally predictive of a married individual's satisfaction. |
| Author | Mead, Nicole L 1978- |
| Department | Marriage, Family, and Human Development |
| Date Submitted | 2005-07-08 |
| Format | application:pdf |
| URL | http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/ETD/image/etd911.pdf |
| Language | english |
| Copyright Statement | I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, and specifically allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to Brigham Young University and its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation, or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
| Display Title | Personality Predictors of Relationship Satisfaction among Engaged and Married Couples: An Analysis of Actor and Partner Effects |
| Defense Date | 2005-06-28 |
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