Study Focuses on Sociodemographic Risk and Marital Satisfaction

1. Study Focuses on
Sociodemographic Risk and
Marital Satisfaction
By: Uzi Ben-Ami, Ph.D.

2. Study Focuses on Sociodemographic Risk and
Marital Satisfaction
A Rockville, Maryland, professional, Uzi Ben-Ami, Ph.D., provides a host of psychological
counseling services that employ cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques. Areas of particular focus
for Uzi Ben-Ami, Ph.D., include marital relationships.

3. Study Focuses on Sociodemographic Risk and
Marital Satisfaction
A recent study by University of Georgia and University of Texas researchers published in Social
Psychology and Personality Science brought focus to the way in which socioeconomic status can
have an impact on marital satisfaction levels over time.

4. Study Focuses on Sociodemographic Risk and
Marital Satisfaction
One reason for the study was that a majority of previous research focused on Caucasian, middle-
class couples, and may have overestimated the longevity and strength of marriages as a whole.

5. Study Focuses on Sociodemographic Risk and
Marital Satisfaction
Utilizing questionnaire responses, the researchers focused on 431 couples residing in Los Angeles
County’s low-income neighborhoods, who were contacted five times between 2009 and 2014.

6. Study Focuses on Sociodemographic Risk and
Marital Satisfaction
Responses at the beginning of marriages to questions such as “How much do you trust your
partner?” were used to split respondents into high, moderate, and low categories of initial marital
satisfaction.

7. Study Focuses on Sociodemographic Risk and
Marital Satisfaction
A core finding was that the 60 percent of couples of relatively high marital satisfaction at the start
were likely to experience stable levels of satisfaction as their marriages progressed. The 10
percent of those who were initially least satisfied were found to experience significant satisfaction
declines from that baseline over time.

8. Study Focuses on Sociodemographic Risk and
Marital Satisfaction
When it came to the role of economic disadvantage, a finding was that women of high
socioeconomic risk (but not men) were disproportionately represented within the low satisfaction
group. These wives both began their marriages less satisfied and experienced a more precipitous
drop in reported satisfaction over time.

9. Study Focuses on Sociodemographic Risk and
Marital Satisfaction
Given the limitations of the questionnaire approach, more research is needed to ascertain reasons
for this finding.