Multilevel structural equation modeling approach to marital couples’ data: Midlife marital behavior patterns and marital satisfaction, family stability, and subjective well-being

Abstract

Associations between behavioral patterns including conflict resolution strategies, amount of communication, and amount of co-action of married couples in midlife (N=223) and their marital satisfaction, stability of family system, and subjective well-being were investigated. Results of multilevel structural equation modeling (ML-SEM) indicated that communication between married couples was positively associated with marital satisfaction at the dyadic level, whereas co-action with the spouse was positively associated with marital satisfaction at the individual level. Moreover, marital satisfaction was positively associated with subjective well-being at individual levels. Furthermore, positive conflict resolution out of the marital relationship was positively associated with subjective well-being at the individual level. Also, positive conflict resolution out of the marital relationship was negatively associated with the stability of the family system at the dyadic level and positively associated with the stability of the family system at the individual level. The significance of multilevel ML-SEM in research on marital relationships was discussed.