Marital Cohesion: A Path Model

Marital cohesion is conceptualized as a component of marital adjustment. Seven variables previously related to adjustment (i.e., sex, self-esteem, religiosity, spousal hostility, extrafamilial involvements, self-disclosure anxiety, and comparison level for the marriage) are entered into a path model to predict cohesion. Over 36% of the variance in cohesion is explained by the model, and four of the seven hypothesized direct effects are supported (i.e., for comparison level, self-disclosure anxiety, spousal hostility, and sex). Relations within the model are explored.