ABSTRACT
Most couples begin their marriage optimistic about their future together, yet maintaining a healthy, satisfying marriage often proves difficult. This chapter reviews research into how marriages change and the factors associated with marital functioning. It argues that while there have been significant advances in understanding variability in marital trajectories and in identifying the factors associated with negative trajectories, important gaps remain in our understanding of the processes that do change in marriage and in our understanding of the factors that promote marital stability. The chapter discusses recommendations for future research to address these gaps and advance the study of intimate relationships over time. The longitudinal research on marriage has contended that almost all couples start off their marriages highly satisfied, only to then experience declines in satisfaction to varying degrees. The chapter reviews research on the effects of stress in general and describes some examples of minority-specific stressors in relationships.
