The Association of Experienced Spousal Support With Marital Satisfaction: Evaluating the Moderating Effects of Sex, Ethnic Culture, and Type of Support

Abstract

Considerable research suggests social support is one of the most important provisions of the marital relationship and an important determinant of marital satisfaction. To date, however, research exploring linkages between spousal support and marital satisfaction has not systematically examined whether some types of spousal support (e.g., emotional, informational, tangible) are especially strong correlates of marital satisfaction. In addition, it is not currently known whether the magnitude of the association between different types of spousal support and marital satisfaction varies as a function of factors such as spouses' sex and ethnic cultures. Thus, this study seeks to determine which types of spousal support are most strongly associated with marital satisfaction and whether these associations vary with spouses' sex and ethnic cultures. Participants (100 recently-married Americans and 102 recently-married Chinese) completed instruments providing assessments of marital quality, dyadic adjustment, and five types of experienced spousal support (emotional, esteem, informational, network, tangible). Despite certain measurement problems, results indicated that spousal emotional support was the strongest correlate of marital satisfaction and the magnitude of this association did not vary as a function of spouses' sex or ethnic cultures. Implications of the findings and directions for future research are discussed.