The relationship between family-of-origin and marital satisfaction

Abstract

The aim of this article is to explore the relationship between marital satisfaction and family-oforigin factors amongst couples with children. Locke and Wallace’s Marital Adjustment Test and the McMaster Family Assessment Device were used to measure marital satisfaction and familyof- origin factors respectively. Family-of-origin factors, such as problem solving, communication, roles, affective involvement and behavioural control were investigated. The sample consisted of 47 married couples. A signifi cant relationship was found between roles and affective responsiveness as family-of-origin factors and marital satisfaction, while roles as a family-of-origin factor played an important role in the wife as well as her husbands’ marital satisfaction. T he findings emphasisethe importance of functioning in the family-of-origin as a potential determinant of future marital satisfaction.