Study: Conflict Levels Hold Steady Over Decades Of Marriage

If you often fight with your spouse, you shouldn’t expect that to change, say researchers at Ohio State University. On the other hand, husbands and wives who don’t often bicker probably won’t start up as the years pass.

The study, which will appear in the next installment of the Journal of Family Issues, examined the lives of 1,000 couples in the United States for the two decades between 1980 and 2000. Overall, the data show that the 16 percent of couples that reported minimum conflict at the beginning of their marriage continued to see minimal conflict over the next twenty years, who the 60 percent of couples who reported moderate conflict at the beginning of their marriage continued to experience moderate conflict. Unfortunately for the remaining 20 percent who initially reported regular conflict continued to fight with their spouse over time.

Not surprisingly, the couples who admitted to arguing often had the highest levels of divorce, while the couples who did not often fight had the lowest levels. Those with the lowest levels of conflict in their relationships often either reported making decisions as a team or having a traditional marriage that included gender roles.

What is the takeaway lesson? If you have a volatile relationship now, chances are that it will continue along that path for the remainder of your relationship. If you are in a calm relationship, you can also expect more of the same in the future.

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