Abstract
Background
Theoretical and clinical perspectives argue that couples’ maladaptive attributions for marital problems lead to marital distress and that these attributions will detract from couples’ relationships regardless of their external circumstances. However, emerging work in cognitive psychology indicates that stress simplifies individuals’ information processing, suggesting that the demands faced by couples may strengthen the link between maladaptive attributions and relationship satisfaction.
Methods
With a sample of 462 ethnically diverse newlywed spouses living with low incomes (231 couples, with > 30% Black and > 50% Latinx), we assessed attributions and relationship satisfaction, along with three hypothesized moderators: couples’ financial strain, perceived financial capital within couples’ social networks, and the proportion of married couples within couples’ social networks.
Results
After replicating the robust association between maladaptive attributions and relationship satisfaction, we demonstrate that the association between maladaptive attributions and satisfaction is stronger to the extent that spouses’ social networks are characterized by fewer financial resources and lower proportions of married couples.
Conclusion
Contextual factors may alter the effects that partners’ cognitions have on relationship satisfaction, suggesting that influences far removed from the dyad itself can affect basic processes arising between partners.
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Data Availability
The dataset generated and analyzed during the current study is not publicly available as the sharing of these data was not approved by the institutional review board and participants did not consent to publication of their individual or dyadic data. The datasets, however, are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Funding
This study was funded by Research Grants HD053825 and HD061366 from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development awarded to Benjamin R. Karney and a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship awarded to Teresa P. Nguyen.
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Nguyen, T.P., Karney, B.R., Kennedy, D.P. et al. Couples’ Diminished Social and Financial Capital Exacerbate the Association Between Maladaptive Attributions and Relationship Satisfaction. Cogn Ther Res 45, 529–541 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-020-10161-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-020-10161-w