Can Stress Build Relationships? Predictors of Increased Marital Commitment Resulting from the 2007–2009 Recession

Jeffrey Dew, Ashley LeBaron, David Allsop

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

20 Scopus citations

Abstract

Although some studies have examined factors that can help married couples maintain their relationship quality during financial stress, few have examined factors that might actually help marriages flourish during financial stress. This study examined participants’ reports of their commitment increasing because of the 2007–2009 Recession using dyadic data from a national sample of married couples. We found that religious marital sanctification, relationship maintenance behaviors, and social and financial support from family and friends were all related to both wives’ and husbands’ reports that their commitment had increased during the Recession. Wives who faced employment- or housing-related problems reported increased commitment. Finally, the more economic pressure participants felt during the Recession, the more their relationship commitment increased.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)405-421
Number of pages17
JournalJournal of Family and Economic Issues
Volume39
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 1 2018
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Marital commitment
  • Recession
  • Relationship maintenance behaviors
  • Religiosity
  • Social support

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Social Psychology
  • Economics and Econometrics

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Can Stress Build Relationships? Predictors of Increased Marital Commitment Resulting from the 2007–2009 Recession'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this