ABSTRACT
Several researchers have noted that commitment is an important variable to consider in studying marriage relationships. The interview also contained the items pertaining to commitment to the spouse as a person. Predictor variables included ego development, commitment to the spouse, length of marriage, church attendance, and the sex of the subject. Swensen and Trahaug hypothesized that high commitment to one's spouse would be significantly related to fewer marriage problems and to greater expression of love between spouses. Several studies have found a positive relationship between "religion" and marital quality. The research regarding sex differences in perceptions of marital quality has yielded mixed results. There is strong justification for including a measure of "religiosity" in a study of the marital relationships of older couples. Additional research examining these variables using samples of older couples would help to determine whether this is, in fact, the case.
