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Couple Resilience To Economic Pressure Over Time And Across Generations, April S. Masarik, Monica J. Martin, Emilio Ferrer, Frederick O. Lorenz, Katherine J. Conger, Rand D. Conger

Psychological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Research suggests that economic stress disrupts perceived romantic relationship quality; yet less is known regarding the direct influence of economic stress on negative behavioral exchanges between partners over time. Another intriguing question concerns the degree to which effective problem-solving might protect against this hypothesized association. To address these issues, the authors studied two generations of couples who were assessed approximately 13 years apart (Generation 1: N = 367, Generation 2: N = 311). On average and for both generations, economic pressure predicted relative increases in couples’ hostile, contemptuous, and angry behaviors; however, couples who were highly effective problem solvers experienced …