Year of Award

2013

Document Type

Thesis - Campus Access Only

Degree Type

Master of Arts (MA)

Degree Name

Communication Studies

Department or School/College

Department of Communication Studies

Committee Chair

Stephen Yoshimura

Commitee Members

Alan Sillars, Christine Fiore

Keywords

Investment Model, Married Couples, Relational Maintenance, Religiosity, Religious Similarity

Publisher

University of Montana

Abstract

The primary goal of this study was to determine if there was a link between religious similarity and the use of maintenance strategies in marriage relationships through the lens of the investment model. Data from 109 heterosexual married individuals was collected. Through a series of multiple linear regression analyses, results revealed that religious similarity has little effect on maintenance behavior in marriage relationships. The main way religious similarity does impact maintenance behavior is in the participant’s perception of their spouse’s maintenance behavior. Specifically, experiential similarity was found to predict perceptions of spousal openness and assurances and composite similarity was found to predict perceptions of spousal openness. Results also indicate that both composite religiosity and composite similarity impacts relational satisfaction and investments in marriage. These results suggest that being religious and religiously similar offers some advantages for married individuals.

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© Copyright 2013 Jamie Karen Taylor