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Perceived Marital Problems in Taiwan

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Abstract

With the expansion of the practice of marriage and family therapy outside of the U.S. and Western Europe, it important to gain a better understanding of family interaction and processes in other cultures and countries. Several studies have examined the problems that couples experience in the United States, but little is understood about problems that couples in Asia experience. In this study, perceptions of relationship problems experienced by 213 married couples living in urban Taiwan were examined. Results indicated that raising children and communication were the two problems most frequently reported by both husbands and wives. Among eight relationship problem areas, the only gender difference was in the area of communication, with wives significantly more likely to report it as a problem. An examination of within-dyad agreement indicated that couples generally had high consensus regarding relationship problems. Implications of this research for culturally-sensitive MFT practice are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Marriage and Family Therapy Program, School of Family Life, Brigham Young University, 274 TLRB, Provo, UT, 84043, USA

    Lexie Pfeifer & Richard B. Miller

  2. Department of Child and Family Studies, Fu-Jen Catholic University, 510 Jun-Cheng Road, Hsin Chuang, Taipei, 242, Taiwan

    Tsui-Shan Li & Ying-Ling Hsiao

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  1. Lexie Pfeifer
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  2. Richard B. Miller
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  3. Tsui-Shan Li
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  4. Ying-Ling Hsiao
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Correspondence to Richard B. Miller.

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Pfeifer, L., Miller, R.B., Li, TS. et al. Perceived Marital Problems in Taiwan. Contemp Fam Ther 35, 91–104 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10591-012-9233-3

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