Hogrefe, GeroPsych: The Journal of Gerontopsychology and Geriatric Psychiatry, 1(26), p. 39-47, 2013
DOI: 10.1024/1662-9647/a000077
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The present study examines the association between coping behavior and their relationship satisfaction in older spousal dyads. We examined N = 132 couples (M age = 68 years) and found that their dyadic coping strategies – a prime indicator of functional adaptation to daily stress in marital context – were significantly linked to relationship satisfaction. Our findings suggest that the partner’s subjective perception of their spouse’s supportive behavior was more strongly linked to their relationship satisfaction than their self-reported support. Furthermore, individual support perception was more important for marital satisfaction than coping congruency. Overall, the dyadic coping of older adults may serve as an effective tool to stabilize relationship satisfaction when facing the challenges of older age and long-term marriage. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)