Trait Impulsivity and Newlyweds' Marital Trajectories

Abstract

Despite the relationship of impulsivity with interpersonal dysfunction, including romantic relationship dysfunction, surprisingly little research has examined the degree to which impulsivity predicts how marriages unfold over time. The current study used data from 172 newlywed couples to examine spouses' impulsivity in relation to their 4-year trajectories of marital satisfaction, marital problems, relationship commitment, and verbal aggression, as well as their 10-year divorce rates. Hierarchical linear modeling indicated that husbands' and wives' impulsivity predicted their own intercepts of marital satisfaction and marital problems, reflecting lower levels of satisfaction and higher levels of problems. Wives' impulsivity also predicted their relationship commitment and their verbal aggression intercepts. No cross-spouse effects or effects on slopes were found, and impulsivity did not predict 10-year divorce rates. These findings indicate that the relationship distress associated with impulsivity begins early in marriage, and they suggest a need for further research on the processes by which impulsivity undermines marital quality.