Human Ecology Research

The Korean Home Economics Association (대한가정학회)
권호 표지
DOI QR코드

DOI QR Code

The Effects of Enjoyable Couple Activity and Common Dyadic Coping on Marital Satisfaction through Mediation of Sexual Intimacy: Focusing on Urban Chinese Women in the Early Years of Marriage

즐거운 부부활동과 협력적 부부대처가 성적 친밀감을 매개로 결혼만족도에 미치는 영향: 결혼초기 중국 도시 여성을 중심으로

  • Kim, Deuksung (Department of Child Development and Family Studies, Pusan National university) ;
  • Kwon, Yoona (Department of Child Development and Family Studies, Pusan National university) ;
  • Xin, Siyuan (Department of Child Development and Family Studies, Pusan National university)
  • Received : 2020.12.04
  • Accepted : 2021.01.18
  • Published : 2021.02.28
Download PDF
⟨ Previous Next ⟩

Abstract

The present study examined whether enjoyable couple activity and common dyadic coping as daily positive couple interactions have direct or indirect effects on marital satisfaction through the mediation of sexual intimacy among urban Chinese women in the early years of marriage. The subjects were 182 urban women born under the one-child policy, who live in Heilongjiang, Anhui and Beijing provinces of China, and have been married up to six years. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. We conducted a hierarchical multiple regression analysis in SPSS software and tested the significance of the mediation effects using bootstrapping method in Mplus software. The results of the study are as follows. First, both enjoyable couple activity and common dyadic coping had positive direct impacts on urban Chinese women's marital satisfaction and positive indirect impacts on marital satisfaction via sexual intimacy. Second, enjoyable couple activity was the strongest predictor of marital satisfaction, followed by common dyadic coping and sexual intimacy. The path model explained 48% of the variance in marital satisfaction. The results suggest that enjoyable couple activity, common dyadic coping, and sexual intimacy should be considered in the design of interventions to enhance urban Chinese women's marital satisfaction in the early years of marriage.

Keywords

References

  1. Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51 (6), 1173-1182. https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.51.6.1173
  2. Basson, R. (2000). The female sexual response: A different model. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 26 (1), 51-65. https://doi.org/10.1080/009262300278641
  3. Birnbaum, G. E., Reis, H. T., Mizrahi, M., Kanat-Maymon, Y., Sass, O., & Granovski-Milner, C. (2016). Intimately connected: The importance of partner responsiveness for experiencing sexual desire. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 111(4), 530-546. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000069
  4. Birnie-Porter, C., & Lydon, J. E. (2013). A prototype approach to understanding sexual intimacy through its relationship to intimacy. Personal Relationships, 20(2), 236-258. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6811.2012.01402.x
  5. Bodenmann, G. (2005). Dyadic coping and its significance for marital functioning. In T. A. Revenson, K. Kayser & G. Bodenmann (Eds.), Couples coping with stress: Emerging perspectives on dyadic coping (pp. 33-49). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
  6. Bodenmann, G. (2008). Dyadisches coping inventar: Testmanual [Dyadic coping inventory: Test manual]. Bern, Switzerland: Huber.
  7. Cao, H., Fang, X., Fine, M. A., Ju, X., Lan, J., & Liu, X. (2015). Beyond the average marital communication: Latent profiles of the observed interactions among Chinese newlywed couples. Journal of Family Psychology, 29(6), 850-862. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/fam0000126
  8. Cao, H., Zhou, N., Fine, M. A., Li, X., & Fang, X. (2019). Sexual satisfaction and marital satisfaction during the early years of Chinese marriage: A three-wave, cross-lagged, actor-partner interdependence model. The Journal of Sex Research, 56(3), 391-407. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2018.1463503
  9. Carlson, D. L., Hanson, S., & Fitzroy, A. (2016). The division of child care, sexual intimacy, and relationship quality in couples. Gender and Society, 30(3), 442-466. https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243215626709
  10. Chavez, J. (2015). Couple leisure time: Building bonds early in marriage through leisure (Unpublished master's thesis). Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA.
  11. Chen, Y. Y., Geng, W. X., & Zang L. (2010). Impact factors of marital satisfaction from female perspective: A Shanghai report. Shanghai Archives of Psychiatry, 22, 413-415. https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.1002-0829.2010.z1.011
  12. Chen, F. M., & Li, T. S. (2007). Marital enqing: An examination of its relationship to spousal contributions, sacrifices, and family stress in Chinese marriages. The Journal of Social Psychology, 147(4), 393-412. http://doi.org/10.3200/SOCP.147.4.393-412
  13. Chung, J. W. (2016). The relationship between adult attachment, self-differentiation, and marital satisfaction: Mediating effects of sexual and emotional intimacy. Psychological Type and Human Development, 17(1), 1-21.
  14. Claxton, A., & Perry-Jenkins, M. (2008). No fun anymore: Leisure and marital quality across the transition to parenthood. Journal of Marriage and Family, 70(1), 28-43. http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2007.00459.x
  15. Colarusso, C. A. (1993). Play in adulthood: A developmental consideration. Psychoanalytic Study of the Child, 48, 225-245. http://doi.org/10.1080/00797308.1993.11822386
  16. Driver, J. L., & Gottman, J. M. (2004). Daily marital interactions and positive affect during marital conflict among newlywed couples. Family Process, 43(3), 301-314. http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1545-5300.2004.00024.x
  17. Falconier, M. K., Jackson, J. B., Hilpert, P., & Bodenmann, G. (2015). Dyadic coping and relationship satisfaction: A meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 42, 28-46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2015.07.002
  18. Fang, T. (2014). Understanding Chinese culture and communication: The Yin Yang approach. In B. Gehrke & M. Claes (Eds.), Global leadership practices: A cross-cultural management perspective (pp. 171-187). London, England: Palgrave Macmillan.
  19. Girme, Y. U., Overall, N. C., & Faingataa, S. (2014). "Date nights" take two: The maintenance function of shared relationship activities. Personal Relationships, 21(1), 125-149. https://doi.org/10.1111/pere.12020
  20. Gottman, J. M. (1999). The marriage clinic: A scientifically-based marital therapy. New York, NY: W. W. Norton.
  21. Gottman, J. M. (2015). Principia amoris: The new science of love. New York, NY: Routledge.
  22. Gottman, J. M., & Silver, N. (2012). What makes love last: How to build trust and avoid betrayal. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.
  23. Guo, B., & Huang, J. (2005). Marital and sexual satisfaction in Chinese families exploring the moderating effects. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 31(1), 21-29. https://doi.org/10.1080/00926230590475224
  24. Halford, W. K., Lee, S., Hiew, D. N., & van de Vijver, F. J. R. (2018). Indirect couple communication and relationship satisfaction in Chinese, Western, and Chinese-Western intercultural couples. Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice, 7(3-4), 183-200. https://doi.org/10.1037/cfp0000109
  25. Hawkins, J. L. (1968). Associations between companionship, hostility, and marital satisfaction. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 30(4), 647-650. https://doi.org/10.2307/349510
  26. Hayes, A. F. (2013). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach. New York, NY: Guilford Press.
  27. He, Q., Zhong, M., Tong, W., Lan, J., Li, X., Ju, X., et al. (2018). Forgiveness, marital quality, and marital stability in the early years of Chinese marriage: An actor-partner interdependence mediation model. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 1520. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01520
  28. Heo, H. S. (2018). The mediating effects of dyadic coping on the relationship between negative mood regulation expectancies and marital satisfaction in newlywed couples (Unpublished master's thesis). Pusan National University, Pusan, Korea.
  29. Hilpert, P., Bodenmann, G., Nussbeck, F. W., & Bradbury, T. N. (2013). Predicting relationship satisfaction in distressed and non-distressed couples based on a stratified sample: A matter of conflict, positivity, or support? Family Science, 4(1), 110-120. https://doi.org/10.1080/19424620.2013.830633
  30. Hilpert, P., Randall, A. K., Sorokowski, P., Atkins, D. C., Sorokowska, A., Ahmadi, K., et al. (2016). The associations of dyadic coping and relationship satisfaction vary between and within nations: A 35-nation study. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 1106. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01106
  31. Hinchliff, S., & Gott, M. (2004). Perceptions of well-being in sexual ill health: What role does age play? Journal of Health Psychology, 9(5), 649-660. http://doi.org/10.1177/1359105304045361
  32. Jang, S. J. (2006). Variables influencing marital intimacy in the early stage of marriage (Unpublished master's thesis). Pusan National University, Pusan, Korea.
  33. Jeon, E. J., & Kim, D. S. (2013). Variables influencing martial satisfaction of newly married men and women. Journal of Korean Home Management Association, 31(1), 73-84. https://doi.org/10.7466/JKHMA.2013.31.1.073
  34. Johnson, S. (2008). Hold me tight: Seven conversations for a lifetime of love. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company.
  35. Johnson, M. D., & Anderson, J. R. (2013). The longitudinal association of marital confidence, time spent together, and marital satisfaction. Family Process, 52(2), 244-256. http://doi.org//10.1111/j.15455300.2012.01417.x
  36. Johnson, M. D., Cohan, C. L., Davila, J., Lawrence, E., Rogge, R. D., Karney, B. R., et al. (2005). Problem-solving skills and affective expressions as predictors of change in marital satisfaction. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73(1), 15-27. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.73.1.15
  37. Kim, D. S. (1989). A study on the Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale. Journal of Korean Home Management Association, 7(2), 85-94.
  38. Kim, J. H. (2019). The causal relationship of mindfulness, dyadic empathy, enjoyable couple activity, common dyadic coping with marital satisfaction of newly married women (Unpublished master's thesis). Pusan National University, Pusan, Korea.
  39. Kim, D. S., & Kwon, Y. A. (2019). Effect of appreciation on marital satisfaction in middle-aged women: Mediating roles of enjoyable couple activity and common dyadic coping. Journal of Family Relations, 23(4), 145-168. http://dx.doi.org/10.21321/jfr.23.4.145
  40. Kwok, S. Y. C. L., Cheng, L., Chow, B. W. Y., & Ling, C. C. Y. (2015). The spillover effect of parenting on marital satisfaction among Chinese mothers. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 24(3), 772-783. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-013-9888-x
  41. Laurenceau, J. P., Barrett, L. F., & Rovine, M. J. (2005). The interpersonal process model of intimacy in marriage: A daily-diary and multilevel modeling approach. Journal of Family Psychology, 19(2), 314-323. https://doi.org/10.1037/0893-3200.19.2.314
  42. 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
  43. Lee, K. H. (1995). A measure of marital intimacy. Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association, 33(4), 235-249.
  44. Lee. K. H. (1998). Marriage types classified by wives' perception of marital conflict and intimacy (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
  45. Lee, M. K. (2015). Education of children and identity of Chinese marriage migrant women: Case study of highly educated women in Daegu and Kyung-buk area. The Korea Educational Review, 21(2), 147-171.
  46. Li, X., Cao, H., Zhou, N., Ju, X., Lan, J., Zhu, Q., et al. (2018). Daily communication, conflict resolution, and marital quality in Chinese marriage: A three-wave, cross-lagged analysis. Journal of Family Psychology, 32(6), 733-742. https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0000430
  47. Li, Y. X., Wu, R, X., & Li, Y. X. (2014). Status of couple burnout and its relationship with marital pressure and divorce intention in city residents. Chinese Mental Health Journal, 28(8), 592-596. https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.1000-6729.2014.08.007
  48. Liu, D., Ng, M. L., Zhou, L. P., & Haeberle, E. J. (1997). Sexual behavior in modern China: Report on the nationwide survey of 20,000 men and women. New York, NY: Continuum.
  49. Markman, H., Stanley, S., & Blumberg, S. (2010). Fighting for your marriage: A deluxe revised edition of the classic best seller for enhancing marriage and preventing divorce. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
  50. McNulty, J. K., Wenner, C. A., & Fisher, T. D. (2016). Longitudinal associations among relationship satisfaction, sexual satisfaction, and frequency of sex in early marriage. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 45(1), 85-97. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-014-0444-6
  51. Meuwly, N., Bodenmann, G., Germann, J., Bradbury, T. N., Ditzen, B., & Heinrichs, M. (2012). Dyadic coping, insecure attachment, and cortisol stress recovery following experimentally induced stress. Journal of Family Psychology, 26(6), 937-947. http://doi.org/10.1037/a0030356
  52. Milek, A., Butler, E. A., & Bodenmann, G. (2015). The interplay of couple's shared time, women's intimacy, and intradyadic stress. Journal of Family Psychology, 29(6), 831-842. https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0000133
  53. National Bureau of Statistics of The People's Republic of China. (2019). China statistical yearbook 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2020, from http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjsj/ndsj/2019/indexeh.htm
  54. Park, G. J., & Kang, S. G. (2019). The effect of double-income couples' marriage satisfaction. Journal of the Korea Convergence Society, 10(4), 247-255. https://doi.org/10.15207/JKCS.2019.10.4.247
  55. Piao, Z. E. (2017). The analysis of "post 80s" generation's willingness for marriage and childbearing under Chinese population promotion policy (Unpublished master's thesis). Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Korea.
  56. Randall, A. K., & Bodenmann, G. (2009). The role of stress on close relationships and marital satisfaction. Clinical Psychology Review, 29(2), 105-115. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2008.10.004
  57. Renaud, C., Byers, E., & Pan, S. (1997). Sexual and relationship satisfaction in mainland China. The Journal of Sex Research, 34(4), 399-410. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499709551907
  58. Roach, A. J., Frazier, L. P., & Bowden, S. R. (1981). The Marital Satisfaction Scale: Development of a measure for intervention research. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 43(3), 537-546. https://doi.org/10.2307/351755
  59. Rosen, N. O., Mooney, K., & Muise, A. (2017). Dyadic empathy predicts sexual and relationship well-being in couples transitioning to parenthood. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 43(6), 543-559. https://doi.org/10.1080/0092623X.2016.1208698
  60. Rubin, H., & Campbell, L. (2012). Day-to-day changes in intimacy predict heightened relationship passion, sexual occurrence, and sexual satisfaction: A dyadic diary analysis. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 3(2), 224-231. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550611416520
  61. Schumm, W. A., Nichols, C. W., Schectman, K. L., & Grigsby, C. C. (1983). Characteristics of responses to the Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale by a sample of 84 married mothers. Psychological Reports, 53(2), 567-572. https://doi.org/10.2466/pr0.1983.53.2.567
  62. Shen, R. J. (2012). The Influence of marital communication on marital quality and divorce (Unpublished master's thesis). Southwest University, Chongqing, China.
  63. Shin, W. J. (2012). Wife's couple relationship variable and both mother's emotional favor effecting satisfaction of marriage (Unpublished master's thesis). Pusan National University, Pusan, Korea.
  64. Shon, K. S., & Ju, Y. A. (2015). The relationship between sexual intimacy and marital satisfaction of married middle-aged men and women: The moderating effect of speaking and listening in couple communication. Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue, 21(4), 697-718. https://doi.org/10.20406/kjcs.2015.11.21.4.697
  65. Sims, K. E., & Meana, M. (2010). Why did passion wane? A qualitative study of married women's attributions for declines in sexual desire. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 36(4), 360-380. https://doi.org/10.1080/0092623X.2010.498727
  66. Statistics Korea. (2020). Marriage and divorce statistics in 2019 [Press release]. Retrieved December 1, 2020, from https://kostat.go.kr/portal/korea/kor_nw/3/index.board?bmode=download&bSeq=301&aSeq=381204&ord=2
  67. Sun, W., & Lei, W. (2017). In search of intimacy in China: The emergence of advice media for the privatized self. Communication, Culture and Critique, 10(1), 20-38. https://doi.org/10.1111/cccr.12150
  68. Supreme People's Court of The People's Republic of China. (2018). Divorce disputes in the judicial big data special report. Retrieved December 1, 2020, from http://www.court.gov.cn/fabu-xiangqing-87622.html
  69. Theiss, J. A., & Nagy, M. E. (2010). Actor-partner effects in the associations between relationship characteristics and reactions to marital sexual intimacy. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 27(8), 1089-1109. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407510381254
  70. Tong, X., & Dai, D. (2013). Positive interaction of the couple and marital quaility: Investigation and analysis of marriage and family in Beijing in 2011. Academic Exploration, 27(1), 12-17.
  71. Walsh, C. M., & Neff, L. A. (2020). The importance of investing in your relationship: Emotional capital and responses to partner transgressions. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 37(2), 581-601. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407519875225
  72. Walsh, C. M., Neff, L. A., & Gleason, M. E. (2017). The role of emotional capital during the early years of marriage: Why everyday moments matter. Journal of Family Psychology, 31(4), 513-519. https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0000277
  73. Wang, Y., & Fong, V. L. (2009). Little emperors and the 4:2:1 generation: China's singletons. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 48(12), 1137-1139. https://doi.org/10.1097/CHI.0b013e3181bc72f8
  74. Wang, C. T., & Yu, J. (2013). An empirical research on marital satisfaction among Chinese couples. Journal of Chinese Women's Studies, 22(1), 25-32.
  75. Won, S. K. (2016). Dyadic coping as a mediator between daily hassles and marital satisfaction (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea.
  76. Xu, F. (2016). Mechanisms of stress and dyadic coping in Chinese couples: A perspective of between-person and within-person processes (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
  77. Yoo, H., Bartle-Haring, S., Day, R. D., & Gangamma, R. (2014). Couple communication, emotional and sexual intimacy, and relationship satisfaction. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 40(4), 275-293. https://doi.org/10.1080/0092623X.2012.751072
  78. Zhang, H. (2013). Family income and marital happiness among urban women: Mediating of positive marital interaction. Chinese Journal of Clinical Psychology, 21(2), 268-271.
  79. Zhang, Y. F., & Fang, X, Y. (2011). Relationships between helps-seeking expression, partners' support coping and marital satisfaction among Chinese urban newlyweds. Chinese Journal of Clinical Psychology, 19(4), 496-498.
  80. Zhang, M., Foley, S., & Yang, B. Y. (2013). Work-family conflict among Chinese married couples: Testing spillover and crossover effects. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 24(17), 3213-3231. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2013.763849
  81. Zhang, H., & Li, T. (2015). The role of willingness to sacrifice on the relationship between urban Chinese wives' relative income and marital quality. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 41(3), 314-324. https://doi.org/10.1080/0092623X.2014.889057