Trajectories of life satisfaction in the first 5 years following traumatic brain injury.

Objectives: The trajectories of life satisfaction for 609 individuals who sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI) were studied. Hierarchical linear modeling analysis examined individual level growth trends over the first 5 years following TBI using gender, functional independence, age, and time to estimate life satisfaction trajectories. Measures: Participants completed the Functional Independence Measure and the Life Satisfaction Inventory at years 1, 2, 4, and 5 after sustaining TBI. Results: Participants who reported higher functional independence at year 1 also had higher life satisfaction at year 1. Participants with lower functional independence across the 5-year period had life satisfaction trajectories that decreased at significantly greater rates than the individuals with more functional independence. The life satisfaction trajectory declined for the sample, but participants reporting lower cognitive and motor functional independence had significantly greater declines in life satisfaction trajectories. Age and gender were not significant factors in predicting life satisfaction trajectories following TBI. Implications: Individuals with greater cognitive and motor impairments following TBI are likely to experience significant declines in life satisfaction within 5 years of living with TBI. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Workload and the trajectory of marital satisfaction in newlyweds: Job satisfaction, gender, and parental status as moderators.

Stress, on average, is bad for relationships. Yet stress at work is not always associated with negative relationship outcomes. The premise of the current study was that associations between workload and trajectories of marital satisfaction depend on circumstances that may constrain or facilitate partners' ability to negotiate their multiple roles. We hypothesized that the covariance between changes in workload and marital satisfaction over time should be moderated by (a) the extent to which spouses like their work, (b) their parental status, and (c) their gender. Analyses drawing upon eight waves of data on workload, work satisfaction, and marital satisfaction from 169 newlywed couples assessed over four years confirmed these predictions. Specifically, across couples, demands at work covaried positively with marital satisfaction for spouses who were more satisfied with their jobs. For nonparent couples, increases in husbands' workload covaried with increases in marital satisfaction for both spouses. For parent couples, however, increases in husbands' workload covaried with declines in marital satisfaction for both spouses. Unexpectedly, for parent couples, increases in wives' workload corresponded with increased marital satisfaction. Finally, consistent with predictions, wives were more affected by their husbands' workload than vice versa. Thus, tension between work and marriage is not inevitable, instead depending on circumstances that facilitate or impair performance in multiple roles. Couples, employers, and practitioners should recognize the role that external circumstances play in determining how work and marital life interact. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Changes of life satisfaction in the transition to retirement: A latent-class approach.

Contradictory positions have been advanced as to whether retirement has negative, positive, or no effects on subjective well-being. The authors investigated changes in life satisfaction in 1,456 German retirees. Using latent growth mixture modeling, the authors found 3 groups of people who experienced retirement differently. In Group 1, satisfaction declined at retirement but continued on a stable or increasing trajectory thereafter. Group 2 demonstrated a large increase in satisfaction at retirement but overall declining satisfaction. In Group 3, satisfaction showed a temporary very small increase at retirement. Groups differed by retirement age, gender, socioeconomic status, marital status, health, unemployment before retiring, and region. Thus, retirement is not a uniform transition, and resource-rich individuals are less likely to experience retirement-related change in satisfaction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Birds of a feather don't always fly farthest: Similarity in Big Five personality predicts more negative marital satisfaction trajectories in long-term marriages.

Decades of research suggest that similarity in demographics, values, activities, and attitudes predicts higher marital satisfaction. The present study examined the relationship between similarity in Big Five personality factors and initial levels and 12-year trajectories of marital satisfaction in long-term couples, who were in their 40s and 60s at the beginning of the study. Across the entire sample, greater overall personality similarity predicted more negative slopes in marital satisfaction trajectories. In addition, spousal similarity on Conscientiousness and Extraversion more strongly predicted negative marital satisfaction outcomes among the midlife sample than among the older sample. Results are discussed in terms of the different life tasks faced by young, midlife, and older adults, and the implications of these tasks for the "ingredients" of marital satisfaction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relation entre les satisfactions liées à trois r?les sociaux et la satisfaction de vie chez les femmes au foyer.

Determined the roles of marital satisfaction, parental satisfaction, and satisfaction with housework in the prediction of life satisfaction among housewives. 177 women (aged 22–49 yrs) completed measures including the Life Satisfaction Scale (Blais et al, 1989), and the satisfaction score of the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (Baillargeon et al, 1986). Ss were divided into 3 groups according to stages of the family life cycle, based on the age of the oldest child in the family. Marital satisfaction was a predictor of life satisfaction for all 3 stages of family life cycle. Parental satisfaction was predictive of life satisfaction at stage 1 (oldest child younger than 5 yrs old), while satisfaction with housework had influence at stage 2 (oldest child 6-12 yrs old). For stage 3 (oldest child in adolescence) satisfaction with housework and parental satisfaction were predictors of life satisfaction. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Finding meaning in religious practices: The relation between religious holiday rituals and marital satisfaction.

This study examined the relation between marital satisfaction and religious holiday ritual practices. 120 couples, married 9 years on average, completed measures of religious holiday practices (current family and family-of-origin) and marital satisfaction. Couples were interviewed about how important religion was to their family life. Marital satisfaction was related to religious holiday rituals beyond a global indication of religiousness. A different pattern was found for husbands and wives, with husbands' satisfaction more closely linked to ritual meaning and wives' satisfaction associated with routine practices. Family-of-origin rituals were connected across generations. Wives' marital satisfaction was related to husbands' report of religious holiday rituals but not the converse. Results are discussed in terms of how rituals affirm relationships, connect values and beliefs, and may have differential meaning for men and women. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adolescent satisfaction in family rituals and psychosocial development: A developmental systems theory perspective.

Adolescent satisfaction in family rituals and psychosocial development (E. Greenberger & A. B. Sorenson, 1974) were explored in the context of adolescent personality characteristics (International Personality Item Pool, 1999) and family environment characteristics (S. M. Gavazzi, M. J. Reese, & R. M. Sabatelli, 1998; D. H. Olson et al., 1983). Data were collected from 159 female undergraduates with the Adolescent Satisfaction in Family Rituals Scale (D. G. Eaker & L. H. Walters, 1999). Family ritual satisfaction was positively related to late adolescent psychosocial development and mediated the relation between family boundaries and psychosocial development. Furthermore, the relation between personality (measured as discontentedness, an aspect of neuroticism) and satisfaction with family rituals was found to be mediated by family boundaries in preliminary analyses. These results suggest that the relevance of family ritual experiences to adolescent psychosocial development is in part a function of an individual's personality and the family environment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Case Management for Traumatic Brain Injury Survivors With Alcohol Problems.

Objective: To evaluate a community-based approach to substance abuse using comprehensive case management for persons with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Setting: Two programs that provide case management services (n=217): a comparison group was recruited that did not receive case management (n=102). Intervention: Comprehensive case management. Main Outcome Measures: Self-reported substance use, community integration, employment status, health-related quality of life. Results: For those receiving case management, employment at recruitment and early referral were associated with employment 9 months later. Community integration and physical well-being increased for both groups. Earlier program referral was associated with larger gains in physical well-being, employment, and community integration. Conclusions: Case management appears to have beneficial effects for adults with TBI and substance abuse problems in terms of life and family satisfaction as well as to have potential cost savings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Marital status and satisfaction five years following a randomized clinical trial comparing traditional versus integrative behavioral couple therapy.

Objective: To follow distressed married couples for 5 years after their participation in a randomized clinical trial. Method: A total of 134 chronically and seriously distressed married couples were randomly assigned to approximately 8 months of either traditional behavioral couple therapy (TBCT; Jacobson & Margolin, 1979) or integrative behavioral couple therapy (IBCT; Jacobson & Christensen, 1998). Marital status and satisfaction were assessed approximately every 3 months during treatment and every 6 months for 5 years after treatment. Results: Pre- to posttreatment effect sizes on marital satisfaction were d = 0.90 for IBCT and d = 0.71 for TBCT, which were not significantly different. However, data through 2-year follow-ups revealed statistically significant superiority of IBCT over TBCT in relationship satisfaction, but subsequent data showed increasing similarity and nonsignificant differences in outcome. At 5-year follow-up for marital satisfaction relative to pretreatment, effect sizes were d = 1.03 for IBCT and d = 0.92 for TBCT; 50.0% of IBCT couples and 45.9% of TBCT couples showed clinically significant improvement. Relationship status, obtained on all 134 couples, revealed that 25.7% of IBCT couples and 27.9% of TBCT couples were separated or divorced. These follow-up data compared favorably to other, long-term results of couple therapy. Conclusion: TBCT and IBCT both produced substantial effect sizes in even seriously and chronically distressed couples. IBCT produced significantly but not dramatically superior outcomes through the first 2 years after treatment termination but without further intervention; outcomes for the 2 treatments converged over longer follow-up periods. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reexamining adaptation and the set point model of happiness: Reactions to changes in marital status.

According to adaptation theory, individuals react to events but quickly adapt back to baseline levels of subjective well-being. To test this idea, the authors used data from a 15-year longitudinal study of over 24,000 individuals to examine the effects of marital transitions on life satisfaction. On average, individuals reacted to events and then adapted back toward baseline levels. However, there were substantial individual differences in this tendency. Individuals who initially reacted strongly were still far from baseline years later, and many people exhibited trajectories that were in the opposite direction to that predicted by adaptation theory. Thus, marital transitions can be associated with long-lasting changes in satisfaction, but these changes can be overlooked when only average trends are examined. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of life satisfaction and depressive symptoms in all-cause mortality.

The objective of this study was to investigate whether life satisfaction and depressive symptoms are independent predictors of mortality in a non-Western sample of adults. The sample included 5,131 adults (ages 50–95 at baseline) in Taiwan who participated in the Survey of Health and Living Status of the Near Elderly and Elderly. There were 1,815 deaths recorded over a 10-year period. Higher life satisfaction significantly predicted lower risk of mortality after controlling for age, sex, education, marital status, and health status. Depressive symptoms significantly predicted higher risk of mortality. A significant interaction with age revealed that the protective effect of life satisfaction weakened with age. The results suggest that life satisfaction and depressive symptoms independently predict mortality risk in adults. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interrelationships among measures of job satisfaction and general satisfaction.

For a sample of 41 male and 52 female civil service employees, correlations were determined among 2 measures of job satisfaction (SRA Employee Inventory and Brayfield-Rothe Job Satisfaction Index) and 2 measures of attitudes toward life in general (Weitz General Satisfaction Test and Rundquist-Sletto Morale Scale). All the intercorrelations were moderately positive and significant for the males, but only the intercorrelation between the two general satisfaction measures was significant for the females. 15 references. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The dynamic goal theory of marital satisfaction.

Marital satisfaction is gaining increasing concern in modern society. The current review proposes the dynamic goal theory of marital satisfaction to integrate previous findings about marital satisfaction from a life span developmental perspective. The theory argues that people have multiple goals to achieve in their marriage. These marital goals can be classified into three categories: personal growth goals, companionship goals, and instrumental goals. The priority of the three types of marital goals is under dynamic changes across adulthood. Generally speaking, young couples emphasize the personal growth goals, middle-aged couples prioritize the instrumental goals, and old couples focus on the companionship goals. Whether the prioritized marital goals are achieved in marriage determines marital satisfaction. Other factors influencing marital satisfaction can be linked with marital goals in two ways. Some factors, such as life transitions and cultural values, can affect the priority of different marital goals; while other factors, such as communication pattern, problem solving, and attribution, can facilitate the achievement of the prioritized marital goals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationships among sexual satisfaction, marital quality, and marital instability at midlife.

Sexual satisfaction, marital quality, and marital instability have been studied over the life course of couples in many previous studies, but less in relation to each other. On the basis of the longitudinal data from 283 married couples, the authors used autoregressive models in this study to examine the causal sequences among these 3 constructs for husbands and wives separately. Results of cross-lagged models, for both husbands and wives, provided support for the causal sequences that proceed from sexual satisfaction to marital quality, from sexual satisfaction to marital instability, and from marital quality to marital instability. Initially higher levels of sexual satisfaction resulted in an increase in marital quality, which in turn led to a decrease in marital instability over time. Effects of sexual satisfaction on marital instability appear to have been mediated through marital quality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attachment at Early School Age and Developmental Risk: Examining Family Contexts and Behavior Problems of Controlling-Caregiving, Controlling-Punitive, and Behaviorally Disorganized Children.

Preschool to school-age trajectories of 242 children, including 37 with insecure-disorganized and 66 with insecure-organized attachment patterns, were examined. Child attachment and stressful life events (the latter retrospectively) were measured at ages 5-7, and mother-child interactive quality, parenting stress, marital satisfaction, and teacher-reported behavior problems were evaluated concurrently and 2 years earlier. Results indicated that all three disorganized subgroups had poorer mother-child interactive patterns and more difficult family climates than secure or insecure-organized children. The controlling-punitive group showed significant increases in maternal reports of child-related stress between preschool and school age. The controlling-caregiving group showed greater likelihood of loss of a close family member, and mothers of the insecure-other group reported lower marital satisfaction and greater likelihood of their own or a spouse's hospitalization. Controlling-punitive children had higher externalizing scores, and controlling-caregiving children higher internalizing scores, than secure children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correlates of life satisfaction in those with disabling conditions.

Examined the life satisfaction (LS) of individuals with disabling conditions, focusing on the relationship among LS and physical and functional limitations, economic circumstances, and social factors. Data were analyzed from telephone interviews with 675 working-age individuals (aged 16–64 yrs) participating in the International Center for the Disabled (ICD) Survey of Disabled Americans (ICD, 1986). LS related to age of respondent, age at onset of disabling condition, type of condition, severity of condition, employment status, income, and marital status. LS was also dependent on individuals considering themselves disabled or their being identified as disabled by others. Comparison of Ss' data with data from 1,064 nondisabled individuals (Louis Harris and Associates, Inc., 1985) is provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of valued activity disability, social comparisons, and satisfaction with ability on depressive symptoms in rheumatoid arthritis.

This longitudinal study identified a model through which function affects the psychological well-being of individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Results of hierarchical linear regression analyses (N = 436) demonstrated that greater physical impairment resulted in greater disability in valued activities and engagement in unfavorable social comparisons. All 3 factors--greater physical impairment, greater disability in valued activities, and unfavorable comparison evaluations--predicted low satisfaction with abilities. Low satisfaction with abilities was the most important predictor of higher depressive symptoms and mediated the impact of physical impairment, valued activity disability, and unfavorable comparisons on depressive symptoms. Results highlight the role of personal meaning attached to changes in functional status in predicting the long-term psychological well-being of individuals with chronic illnesses such as RA. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Change in Life Satisfaction During Adulthood: Findings From the Veterans Affairs Normative Aging Study.

Change in life satisfaction was modeled over a 22-year period in 1,927 men. A curvilinear relationship emerged. Growth-curve models indicated that life satisfaction peaked at age 65 and then declined, but showed significant individual differences in rate of change. Extraversion predicted variability in change, with higher levels associated with a high and flat life satisfaction trajectory. Time-varying physical health and marital status were associated with higher life satisfaction. Proximity to death was associated with a decline in life satisfaction. On measurement occasions that were within 1 year before death, trajectories showed steeper decline, and this effect was not attributable to declines in self-rated physical health. The findings are at odds with prior (cross-sectional) research showing that subjective well-being improves with aging. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Work-family spillover and life satisfaction among professional psychologists.

How do the professional lives of psychologists influence their personal and family lives? Data from 485 psychologists who responded to a survey on professional and family life were analyzed to examine work-to-family spillover, life satisfaction, and family support. Respondents reported a significantly higher incidence of positive spillover, termed family enhancers, than negative spillover, termed family stressors. The low incidence of family stressors suggested that stresses associated with the professional work of psychology do not routinely spill over into professionals' family lives. Both positive and negative spillover, however, played significant roles in mediating the relationship between work and family domains. On the positive side, a sense of personal accomplishment at work was associated with increased family enhancers, which appeared to lead to greater family support and life satisfaction. On the negative side, emotional exhaustion at work was associated with more family stressors, which appeared to lead to less family support and life satisfaction. The implications of these findings for training and practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)