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Relationship self-regulation (SR) is how much partners work at their couple relationship, and it has been hypothesized to predict relationship satisfaction. To test this hypothesis, the authors assessed 191 newlywed couples on SR and relationship satisfaction annually for 5 years. They conducted a multilevel analysis predicting satisfaction with SR as a time-varying covariate. The intercept and slope of relationship satisfaction varied across participants, and the slope showed an average slight decline for both men and women. There was mixed support for the primary hypothesis. SR cross-sectionally and prospectively predicted the intercept, but it did not predict the slope, of relationship satisfaction.

The effectiveness of premarriage education is limited by whether couples at high risk of future marital problems attend such education. In the current study, 374 newly married couples were assessed on a range of risk factors for future marital problems as well as whether they had attended marriage education. Couples with certain indices of relationship risk (nonreligious and premarital cohabitation) were underrepresented in premarriage education. Suggestions are offered to attract more couples, particularly those at high risk for future problems, to relationship education., (Copyright 2006 APA, all rights reserved.)

It is widely believed that satisfying couple relationships require work by the partners. The authors equated the concept of work to relationship self-regulation and developed a scale to assess this construct. A factor analysis of the scale in a sample of 187 newlywed couples showed it comprised 2 factors of relationship strategies and effort. The factor structure was replicated in an independent sample of 97 newlywed couples. In both samples the scale had good internal consistency and high convergent validity between self- and partner-report forms. Self-regulation accounted for substantial variance in relationship satisfaction in both newlywed samples and in a 3rd sample of 61 long-married couples. The self-regulation and satisfaction association was independent of mood or self-report common method variance., ((c) 2005 APA, all rights reserved)

Research in the United States shows that relationship violence occurs in a substantial minority of newlywed couples, and is associated with a range of risk factors such as family-of-origin violence. Few of the associated risk factors, however, are potentially modifiable through early intervention to prevent violence. In the current study self-reported aggression and violence were assessed in 379 Australian newlywed couples. Consistent with US-based research, >20% of newlywed Australian couples reported at least one incident of relationship violence in the past year. A range of correlates of relationship violence and aggression was assessed, including the construct of relationship self-regulation, which is the extent that partners report being able to enhance their relationship with their partner. Low relationship self-regulation was correlated with relationship aggression and violence. It was concluded that the aggression and violence are common problems in Australian newlywed couples, and that enhancing relationship self-regulation might help reduce the prevalence of aggression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]