Couples' Debriefing Conversations: The Impact of Gender, Occupation, and Demographic Characteristics

Although communication is an important predictor of relational satisfaction, the amount of time couples have to communicate with one another is limited. The purpose of this study was to use a large (N = 709), demographically rich sample to examine one type of conversation that most couples engage in-conversations in which partners debrief one another about what happened during the day. There was a positive association between the amount of time spouses reported debriefing and their relational satisfaction. Occupational status was linked to debriefing time and, for wives, perceived discrepancies in spouses' talk time also emerged as an important variable. Findings are discussed in terms of their implications for practice and research.