Date of Award

2000

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Psychology

Abstract

A fundamental purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between differentiation and parent-in-law satisfaction among newly married couples. A structured questionnaire was administered to individuals (N = 132) who were married less than 5 years, were childless, and were living in the Provo, Utah area. These individuals, who were all members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, were asked to complete a questionnaire containing the Differentiation of Self Inventory (DSI), the Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale (KMSS), the In-Law Satisfaction Scale (ISS), and demographic information. Results were analyzed to (1) determine the relationship between differentiation and in-law satisfaction, (2) determine which variables correlated with in-law satisfaction, (3) determine if there were differences between perceived and actual in-law satisfaction, and (4) determine the relationship between marital and in-law satisfaction. Findings indicated that lower differentiation scores for wives were associated with higher in-law satisfaction scores for husbands. There were no other significant relationships between differentiation and in-law satisfaction. Of six variables commonly associated with in-law satisfaction, only living proximity from in-laws correlated significantly with in-law satisfaction for men, accounting for 15% of the variance. The farther men lived from in-laws, the higher men's in-law satisfaction. None of the variables was significantly correlated to in-law satisfaction for women. Findings indicated that wives significantly overestimated their husband's level of in-law satisfaction, but husbands accurately estimated their wife's in-law satisfaction. Results indicated that marital and in-law satisfaction were significantly related for women, but not for men.

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