Dyadic relationships between personality, social support, conflict resolution, and marital quality

This study investigated the dyadic associations between personality, social support, conflict resolution strategies, and marital quality. The participants were 244 mixed-gender Brazilian couples. We tested a model in which personality traits and social support were predictors of conflict resolution strategies that, in their turn, predicted marital quality at the intrapersonal and interpersonal level using an Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM). The results showed that conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, and social support were the most important predictors of conflict resolution strategies, followed by openness. These strategies were also associated with marital quality at the intrapersonal and interpersonal level. This study provides insights about individual and contextual areas that may be targeted for interventions with couples.