COUPLES DEBRIEFING CONVERSATIONS - THE IMPACT OF GENDER, OCCUPATION, AND DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS

Although communication is an important predictor of relational satisfa ction, the amount of time couples have to communicate with one another is limited. The purpose of this study was to use a large (N = 709), d emographically rich sample to examine one type of conversation that mo st couples engage in-conversations in which partners debrief one anoth er about what happened during the day There was a positive association between the amount of time spouses reported debriefing and their rela tional satisfaction. Occupational status was linked to debriefing time and, for wives, perceived discrepancies in spouses' talk time also em erged as an important variable. Findings are discussed in terms of the ir implications for practice and research.