Adverse work experiences and marital outcomes in middle years: Role of self-esteem

This study assesses the decade-long influence of adverse work experiences on husbands' and wives' problem-solving behaviors and marital quality through self-esteem using structural equation modeling with a sample of 308 dual-earning couples. Analyses controlled for earlier marital quality, allowing for assessment of the residual change in marital quality over 10 years. Adverse work experiences directly affected marital quality and indirectly affected decreases in marital quality through lower self-esteem; lastly, individuals' self-esteem was positively related to increased problem-solving behaviors. In addition, there was a crossover association, with wives' and husbands' self-esteem influencing one another's problem-solving behaviors. These results contribute to a deeper understanding about the processes responsible for the detrimental impact of adverse work experiences.