The double ABCM model of marital satisfaction

Abstract The proposed double ABCM model of marital satisfaction draws from the double ABCX theory of family behavior framework to incorporate pre‐marital factors associated with getting married that carry‐over into the marriage itself; it also integrates marital demands, circumstances, and perceptions that ultimately contribute to marital satisfaction. Bodies of literature related to marriage intentions, marital beliefs, newlywed adjustment, and marital maintenance are integrated into the constructs of the model. The double ABCM model expands the structure of the original double ABCX framework in several ways, including by explicitly depicting broader contextual factors that influence intra‐relational processes, diagraming the shared and unshared aspects of most constructs, and illustrating a nonlinear passage of time. Limitations and implications are discussed.