The Relationship Between Marital Characteristics, Marital Interaction Processes, and Marital Satisfaction

Structural Equation Modeling techniques were used to clarify the relationship between marital characteristics, marital processes, and the dependent variable—marital satisfaction—in a sample of 201 participants who were in 1st marriages. The Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS; G. B. Spanier, 1976) and the Enriching and Nurturing Relationship Issues, Communication and Happiness Inventory (ENRICH; D. H. Olson, D. G. Fournier, & J. M. Druckman, 1987) provided scales to measure marital interaction processes and marital satisfaction. A new instrument, the Characteristics of Marriage Inventory (CHARISMA; J. R. Rosen‐Grandon & J. E. Myers, 2001), was developed using factor analysis to determine which marital characteristics were statistically significant. Structural equation modeling identified a path model wherein 6 marital interaction processes had a statistically significant influence on marital satisfaction when mediated by 3 latent factors of marital characteristics (love, loyalty, and shared values) and 2 moderating variables (length of marriage and gender of participant).