THE ROLE OF NEGATIVE AFFECTIVITY IN THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN ATTRIBUTIONS AND MARITAL SATISFACTION

Structural equation modeling with latent variables was used to test wh ether negative affectivity, or the cross-situational tendency to exper ience and express negative thoughts and feelings, correlates with spou ses' attributions for relationship events arid accounts for the associ ation between attributions and satisfaction. Eighty married couples co mpleted measures of marital satisfaction, attributions, and negative a ffectivity. Spouses high in negative affectivity tended to make malada ptive attributions, but spouses' attributions were unrelated to the le vel of negative affectivity reported by the partner. Attributions and marital satisfaction remained associated among husbands and wives afte r controlling for negative affectivity. These findings clarify the lin k between attributions and marital satisfaction and raise the possibil ity that negative affectivity contributes to the attributions that spo uses make for negative events in marriage.