The influence of in-laws on change in marital success

This study prospectively examines the association between discord with in-l aws and the long-term relationship success of husbands and wives who had be en married for an average of almost 2 decades. We hypothesized that the qua lity of spouses' relationships with their parents-in-law would predict spou ses' marital success. In addition, this study underscores the causal role o f in-laws by examining the influence of marital success on relationships wi th in-laws. For wives, discord with mothers- and fathers-in-law predicted o wn perceptions of marital success at a later time period. Results were slig htly different for husbands' discord with fathers-in-law. The reverse (mari tal success predicting less discord with in-laws) was only, true for husban ds. The study, also explored the influence of spouses' discord with in-laws on partners' perceptions of marital success. These are among the first pro spective, longitudinal findings demonstrating that, even in long-term marri ages, conflicts in extended family relations will erode marital stability, satisfaction, and commitment over time.