How couples maintain marriages: A closer look at self and spouse influences upon the use of maintenance behaviors in marriages

Couples use maintenance behaviors to ensure the continuation of valued rela tionships. In this study, we extended previous rr search on relational main tenance in marriage bg examining the role of both self and cross-spouse ass ociations in the use of maintenance behaviors. Structural equation modeling using data collected from 129 married couples indicated that for wives, bo th self-perception of marital quality and cross-spouse perceptions, especia lly husbands' satisfaction, were related ro wives' use of maintenance behav iors. However, husbands' use of maintenance behaviors had only a few associ ations with self or partner perceptions of marital quality Results of the s tudy were discussed in terms of their implications for family practitioners working with married couples.