Cohesion, Adaptability, and Gender across the Marital Cycle
- 1 APPsyCl, ISPA-Instituto Universitário, Lisboa, Portugal
- 2 APPsyCl, ISPA-Instituto Universitário, Lisboa, Portugal
- 3 APPsyCl, ISPA-Instituto Universitário, Lisboa, Portugal
Abstract
This paper evaluates cohesion and adaptability over the course of marital relationships. The couple version of the FACES-III scale by D. H. Olson, J. Portner, and Y. Lavee (1985) was used, adapted and validated for the Portuguese population by Abreu-Afonso and Leal (2016). The sample consisted of 185 couples at different stages of the marital cycle. The results revealed gender similarities in the perception of cohesion and adaptability. However, women expressed a greater desire for adaptability. At the formation stage of the couple, women showed higher ideal cohesion compared with women in other stages of the life cycle, whereas women in old age exhibited the opposite pattern. Across the marital cycle, when comparing cohabitation with marriage, men in cohabiting relationships demonstrated higher cohesion and adaptability, and women also displayed higher cohesion.
- Abreu-Afonso, J., & Leal, I. (2016). Faces III: Adaptation and Validation of the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale (FACES)—Couple Version—for the Portuguese Population. Mosaico: Revista de la Federación Española de Asociaciones de Terapia Familiar, 63, 92-107.
- Baiocco, R., Cacioppo, M., Laghi, F., & Tafà, M. (2013). Factorial and Construct Validity of FACES IV among Italian Adolescents. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 22, 962-970. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-012-9658-1
- Barnes, H. L., & Olson, D. H. (1985). Parent-Adolescent Communication and the Circumplex Model. Child Development, 56, 438-447. https://doi.org/10.2307/1129732
- Belsky, J., Lang, M., & Huston, T. L. (1986). Sex Typing and Division of Labor as Determinants of Marital Change across the Transition to Parenthood. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 50, 517-522. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.50.3.517
- Carter, B., & McGoldrick, M. (1989). The Changing Family Life Cyc le: A Framework for Family Th erapy (2nd ed.). Allyn & Bacon.
- Carvalho, J. C., Freitas, P. P., Leuschner, A., & Olson, D. H. (2014). Healthy Functioning in Families with a Schizophrenic Parent. Journal of Family Psychotherapy, 25, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1080/08975353.2014.881685
- Drumm, M., Carr, A., & Fitzgerald, M. (2000). The Beavers, McMaster and Circumplex Clinical Rating Scales: A Study of Their Sensitivity, Specificity and Discriminant Validity. Journal of Family Therapy, 22, 225-238. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6427.00148
- Fu, L., Zheng, H., Zhou, Y., Cheng, J., Zhou, T., & Yi, C. (2024). Intergenerational Family Boundaries and Adult Children’s Marital Satisfaction: The Roles of Family Cohesion and Adaptability. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 33, 1647-1655. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-023-02672-3
- Gómez-Clavelina, F. J., Irigoyen-Coria, A., Ponce-Rosas, E. R., Mazón-Ramírez, J. J., Dickinson-Bannack, M. E., Sánchez-González, M. E., & Fernández-Ortega, M. A. (1999). Versión al español y adaptación transcultural de FACES III (Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales). Archivos en Medicina Familiar, 1, 73-79.
- Henderson, A. D., Sayger, T. V., & Horne, A. M. (2003). Mothers and Sons: A Look at the Relationship between Child Behavior Problems, Marital Satisfaction, Maternal Depression, and Family Cohesion. The Family Journal, 11, 33-41. https://doi.org/10.1177/1066480702238469
- James, S., & Hunsley, J. (1995). The Marital Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale III: Is the Relation with Marital Adjustment Linear or Curvilinear? Journal of Family Psychology, 9, 458-462. https://doi.org/10.1037/0893-3200.9.4.458