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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Linking Economic Stress to Marital Quality Among Finnish Marital Couples

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Structural equation modeling was used to test the mediators of economic circumstances on marital quality using a sample of married or cohabiting 36-year-old Finnish men ( n = 133) and women ( n = 117). The model tested was an adapted version of the model presented by Conger, Ge, and Lorenz. For the men, the results were consistent with the proposed model: Poor employment status caused economic strain and affected the lives of the men to the extent that current economic strain increased expected financial strain, leading to greater depression and greater hostility in the marriage, both of which, in turn, predicted poor marital quality. For the women, poor economic circumstances and, in particular, an unstable career line had direct effects on depression, marital hostility, and poor marital quality. The sex differences are related to the different roles played by economic matters and careers in men's and women's lives.