Communication, Marital Satisfaction, and Religious Orientation in Interfaith Marriages

On the assumption that differences in faith traditions may prompt difficulties for married couples, this descriptive study examined interfaith couples' reports of intrinsic and extrinsic religious orientation, communication during a religious disagreement, social network composition, and social support (N = 87). Spousal intrinsic religious orientation (a strong commitment to faith) is associated with reports of marital satisfaction and constructive communication and inversely associated with demand-withdrawal communication. In contrast, spousal extrinsic religious orientation (religion as a means to another end) is inversely associated with marital satisfaction and constructive communication and directly associated with demand-withdrawal communication and social support satisfaction. Regression analysis suggests spousal intrinsic religious orientation and social support from social network members explain significant unique variance on marital satisfaction, but constructive communication during a religious disagreement is the strongest predictor of marital satisfaction among interfaith couples. An agenda for future research about communication and interfaith couples is suggested.