Associations between Relationship Maintenance Behaviors and Marital Stability in Remarriages. Issue 1 (2nd January 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bean, Ron C.; Ledermann, Thomas; Higginbotham, Brian J.; Galliher, Renee V.
• Is Part Of: Journal of divorce & remarriage. Volume 61:Issue 1(2020)
• Page Start: 62
• Page End: 82
• Publication Date: 2020-01-02
• Subjects: Remarriage -- Stepfamily -- Stepchildren -- Divorce -- Marital Stability; Divorce -- Law and legislation -- United States -- Periodicals; Divorce -- Periodicals; Remarriage -- Periodicals; 306.89
• DOI: 10.1080/10502556.2019.1619385
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1050-2556

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Nearly half of adults in the U.S. indicated they had a close step-relative that included stepparents, stepchildren, and other close relationships. The prevalence of stepfamilies is rapidly increasing and represents a population that remains largely understudied. This study explored the roles of socioemotional behaviors (positivity, negativity, and sexual interest) on marital stability for different remarriage constellations (depending on which of the couple, both partners, or neither had previous children). This study uses dyadic relationship data from 879 couples. It was hypothesized that positivity and sexual interest would be inversely related to marital instability, while negativity will be correlated with marital instability.