Religious Heterogamy and Relationship Stability: A Comparison of Married and Cohabiting Unions

Many studies have explored dynamics within religiously heterogamous marriages, but little is known about religiously heterogamous cohabiting unions. Using data from the Fragile Families Study, this study examines the influence of religious heterogamy on union stability among married and cohabiting couples. Results suggest that religious heterogamy is more common in cohabiting unions than marriages. Results also suggest that cohabiting unions are more likely to dissolve than marriages, and the risk of separation is higher for religiously heterogamous cohabiting unions (especially those in which one partner is religious and the other is not) than religiously heterogamous marriages. Finally, there is evidence showing that some religiously heterogamous cohabiting couples have a higher risk of relationship dissolution than religious heterogamous married couples due to lower relationship quality. Overall, this study extends the religion and family literature by showing that religious differences may lead to greater instability for cohabiting relationships than marriages.religion, behavior, religious attendance, fathers, mothers, children

Relationship stability and supplier commitment to quality

Author name used in this publication: Kee-hung LaiAuthor name used in this publication: T. C. E. ChengAuthor name used in this publication: A. C. L. Yeung2004-2005 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalAccepted ManuscriptPublishe

Facebook intensity, social network support, stability and satisfaction in long-distance and geographically-close romantic relationships:A test of a mediation model

The impetus for this study is the proposition that social network sites (SNSs), like Facebook, can be beneficial for romantic relationships via network support functions. This study investigated a model which proposes that the use of Facebook predicts relationship support from Facebook connections, and this, in turn, predicts relationship stability and satisfaction in romantic relationships. This mediation model was tested on data gathered via an online survey among individuals who use Facebook, who are in long-distance (LDRR, n = 142) and geographically-close romantic relationships (GCRR, n = 314). GCRR participants reported higher levels of Facebook intensity and relationship support, as well as perceived relationship stability and satisfaction than participants in LDRR. Moreover, the results indicated that Facebook intensity predicted higher access to Facebook relationship support in LDRR and GCRR which, in turn, predicted perceived relationship stability and satisfaction in LDRR; and only perceived relationship satisfaction in GCRR. However, Facebook intensity had direct negative impacts on relationship satisfaction in GCRR, and on perceived relationship stability in LDRR. Facebook intensity and Facebook relationship support were not associated with relationship stability in GCRR. This demonstrates the relative importance of SNSs, such as Facebook, in relationship stability for those in LDRR

The Influence of Relationship Stability Patterns in Emerging Adulthood on Chronic Illness and Health Behaviors

Objective Relationship status e g married single is linked to mental and physical health outcomes However beyond this static binary measure of relationship stability it is not known how different patterns of moving in and out of these static statuses effect outcomes Therefore using a recent nationally representative sample of emerging adults the present longitudinal study examined patterns of relationship stability among young people between the ages of 17 and 27 and their links with mental and physical health outcomes Method Using mixed-method participants romantic relationship status was coded across five waves into types of relationship stability patterns Then using quantitative methods we determined if relationship stability pattersn differed on self-reported measures of mental health i e psychological distress physical health e g chronic illness self-reported health and health behaviors e g sleep binge drinking smoking using appropriate regression models i e linear Poisson logistic Results Participants N 694 were five relationship stability patterns were determined Stable Single 42 6 Stable Committed 2 5 Moving into Commitment 34 2 Moving Out of Commitment 3 9 and In and Out of Commitment 16 9 Linear regression analyses revealed that these relationship stability patterns differed on health outcomes including mental health self-reported physical health and problematic health behaviors such as alcohol use Conclusions Emerging adults in the Moving Out of Commitment group seemed to fair the worst compared to those in the Stable Single group across various mental and physical health problems while those in the Moving In And Out of Commitment group only fared worse on problematic health behavior

Predicting relationship stability among midlife African American couples

Objective: This study examined predictors of relationship stability over 5 years among heterosexual cohabiting and married African American couples raising an elementary-school-age child. The vulnerability–stress–adaptation model of relationships (Karney & Bradbury, 1995) guided the investigation. Contextual variables were conceptualized as important determinants of education and income, which in turn influence family structure, stress, and relationship quality and stability. Religiosity was tested as a resource variable that enhances relationship stability. Method: Couples (N = 207) were drawn from the Family and Community Health Study. Variables assessed at Wave 1 (education, income, religiosity, biological vs. stepfamily status, marital status, financial strain, and relationship quality) were used to predict relationship stability 5 years later. Results: Higher levels of education were associated with higher income, lower financial strain, and family structures that research has shown to be more stable (marriage rather than cohabitation and biological-family rather than stepfamily status; Bumpass & Lu, 2000). These variables, in turn, influenced relationship quality and stability. Religiosity, an important resource in the lives of African Americans, promoted relationship stability through its association with marriage, biological-family status, and women\u27s relationship quality. Conclusions: Enhancing the stability of African American couples\u27 relationships will require changes in societal conditions that limit opportunities for education and income and weaken relationship bonds. Programs to assist couples with blended families are needed, and incorporation of spirituality into culturally sensitive relationship interventions for African American couples may also prove beneficia

Does Fathers’ Involvement in Childcare and Housework Affect Couples’ Relationship Stability?

Objective Building on previous analysis conducted by Schober (2012), we explore how paternal involvement in different childcare and housework tasks affects the probability of relationship breakdown between parents. Methods We use logistic regression on the U.K. Millennium Cohort Study to predict parental relationship breakdown from nine months to seven years post‐childbirth. Paternal involvement in four childcare and three housework tasks during the first year of parenthood, are used as explanatory variables. Results The amount of time the father spends alone, caring for the baby during the first year of parenthood, is associated with the stability of the parental relationship but the effect of involvement in other tasks is moderated by ethnicity and the mother's employment status. Conclusion These nonlinear relationships suggest further research is needed to explore the different associations between paternal involvement in childcare and housework and relationship breakdown, which are complex and variable according to different characteristics

The Mediating Role of Commitment and Relationship Satisfaction on Socioeconomic-Status and Stability

Abstract Predicting relationship stability has been studied in a multitude of ways; however, few articles examined the extent to which socioeconomic status, relationship satisfaction, and commitment associate with relationship stability guided by the investment model. Thus, using secondary data (N=331), Andrew Hayes’s PROCESS was used to assess whether relationship satisfaction and commitment mediated the relationship between socioeconomic status and stability while controlling for relevant relational and demographic characteristics. Results suggest that socioeconomic status was negatively related to commitment but not relationship satisfaction. Relationship satisfaction and commitment were both positively related to stability, but only commitment mediated the relationship between socioeconomic status and stability. Implications are discussed. Keywords: Stability, Mediation, Commitment, Socioeconomic Statues, Relationship Satisfactio