A recent study published in the journal Personal Relationships investigated the long-term dynamics of self-esteem, subjective happiness, and marital conflict in South Korean married couples. The study found that self-esteem and happiness were interconnected for both partners individually, while wives played a greater role in influencing their husbands’ self-esteem and marital conflict than vice versa.
“Marital relationships are among the most significant bonds where mutual influence is experienced by most individuals over their lifetime. However, there is still insufficient research on the psychological and marital functioning for couples over time, particularly with data collected from both marital partners,” said study author Jeong Jin Yu, a professor in educational studies at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University.
“Despite women’s increased participation in the workforce, it remains unclear whether and how wives’ employment predicts marital and psychological functioning in married couples over time. This study aimed to address these underexplored issues.”
For his study, Yu analyzed longitudinal data from the Panel Study on Korean Children (PSKC), focusing on a subset of data collected from 2014 to 2016. This approach allowed researchers to observe how changes in these variables influenced each other over time.
Participants in the study were parents who had a child born between April and July 2008, recruited from various medical institutions across South Korea. The original sample size included 2,150 families, though the analysis was conducted with data from 1,668 couples who stayed together through the study period.
Data collection occurred at three yearly intervals. At each time point, both partners provided their responses to a series of standardized measures independently, ensuring that the study captured the perspectives of both husbands and wives.
The self-esteem of participants was assessed using a Korean version of the 10-item Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Subjective happiness was measured using the Subjective Happiness Scale, which included items rated on various seven-point Likert scales. Marital conflict was evaluated through the Korean version of the Relationship Dynamics Scale, which features items that probe the severity and frequency of conflicts within the marriage.
Yu observed a bidirectional relationship between self-esteem and subjective happiness at the individual level. For both husbands and wives, higher self-esteem was associated with greater subjective happiness, and this relationship was reciprocal over time. This suggests that not only does a positive self-view enhance personal happiness, but feeling happier also contributes to a better self-image, reinforcing a cycle of positive psychological well-being.
Wives were found to have a more pronounced influence on their husbands’ self-esteem and perceived levels of marital conflict than the reverse. This finding suggests that wives play a crucial role in the psychological health of the marriage, potentially acting as emotional anchors in the relationship. When examining the effects of marital conflict, it was noted that wives’ experiences of conflict had a direct impact on their husbands’ subsequent levels of conflict, underscoring the interconnected nature of emotional experiences between spouses.
Another significant aspect of the findings pertained to the role of wives’ employment status. Yu found that the employment status of wives moderated some of the observed relationships between self-esteem, happiness, and marital conflict. For instance, working wives reported higher self-esteem and lower marital conflict, which positively affected their husbands’ psychological well-being.
On the other hand, the marital conflict experienced by non-working wives negatively influenced their husbands’ self-esteem. These results point to the potential empowering effect of employment for women in the context of marital relationships, where financial independence can enhance personal well-being and contribute positively to marital dynamics.
Furthermore, the results revealed that while subjective happiness and self-esteem are positively linked within individuals, they also have a significant impact on marital conflict. High levels of happiness and self-esteem in one partner were associated with lower levels of marital conflict in both partners over time. This suggests that the individual psychological state can directly influence the overall quality and tone of marital interactions, highlighting the importance of individual well-being for the health of the relationship.
“People often think that men are more independent and do not rely on their marriages as much as women for their sense of self-worth. However, this study found that both partners in a marriage depend on each other for marital and psychological well-being in different ways over time,” Yu told PsyPost.
“Interestingly, it seems that wives have a significant influence on their husbands’ perceived psychological well-being more than the other way around. However, the benefit of psychological well-being appears to be less for husbands of stay-at-home wives compared with husbands of employed wives, as working wives are likely to ease the family’s financial burden.”
The study sheds light on the complex interdependencies in marital relationships. But the study, like all research, has limitations. Its reliance on self-reported data and the specific cultural context of South Korea may affect the generalizability of the findings.
“Considering the study data come from heterosexual couples in South Korea, where high financial burdens on child rearing are prevalent, this study awaits future research using different types of couples (e.g., same-sex couples) at various life cycle stages (e.g., late adulthood) in different countries to confirm the strength of the current findings,” Yu explained.
The study, “Longitudinal dyadic interplay between marital conflict and psychological well-being in couples: The moderating roles of Wives’ employment,” was published April 15, 2024.