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Spillover Patterns in Single-earner Couples: Work, Self-care, and the Marital Relationship

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Abstract

The relationship between work and marriage is well documented in dual-earner couples. Work-marital spillover patterns, however, have been understudied in single-earner couples. The current study extends the work-marital spillover literature by examining spillover patterns from individual experiences and self-care behaviors to the marital relationship over a period of 42 days in husband-earner and wife-earner couples. Results of pooled time-series regression analyses indicated individual experiences and self-care behaviors predicted marital processes for both employment groups. For self-care behaviors, however, different patterns emerged for employed and unemployed spouses. Results identify an important connection between energy depletion and marital processes, and highlight the role of a spouse’s own and the partner’s self-care behaviors, particularly for the employed spouse in single-earner couples.

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Acknowledgment

Preparation of this article was supported in part by National Institute of Mental Health Grant RO136595 awarded to Gayla Margolin and Richard S. John.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Counselor Education, Boise State University, 1910 University Drive, Boise, ID, 83725, USA

    Diana M. Doumas

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA

    Gayla Margolin & Richard S. John

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  1. Diana M. Doumas
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  2. Gayla Margolin
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  3. Richard S. John
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Correspondence to Diana M. Doumas.

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Doumas, D.M., Margolin, G. & John, R.S. Spillover Patterns in Single-earner Couples: Work, Self-care, and the Marital Relationship. J Fam Econ Iss 29, 55–73 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10834-007-9091-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10834-007-9091-6

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