Marital Satisfaction in China: A Longitudinal Study of Dyadic Dynamics and Rural–Urban Differences

Q: What does this research mean for the field?

Marital satisfaction among Chinese couples is characterized by both stable couple-level alignment and time-varying within-couple dynamics that differ significantly between rural and urban contexts. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.INCREMENTAL. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

Jeong Jin Yu; Xuyan Meng; Sun-A Lee

doi:10.1111/jomf.70117

August 21, 2026Journal of Marriage and Family

Marital Satisfaction in China: A Longitudinal Study of Dyadic Dynamics and Rural–Urban Differences

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Key Points

To examine longitudinal dyadic associations in marital satisfaction among married couples and evaluate whether these dynamic associations differ between rural and urban settings.
Analyzed four waves of data from the China Family Panel Studies (2014–2022) comprising N=6,915 married couples (baseline husband mean age 49.0 years, wife mean age 50.4 years).
Estimated cross-lagged panel models (CLPMs) and random intercept cross-lagged panel models (RI-CLPMs), including multigroup models stratified by rural–urban residence.
Random intercept cross-lagged panel models demonstrated positive between-couple concordance between husbands' and wives' marital satisfaction.
Within-couple partner associations were positive in the initial interval but displayed greater asymmetry across subsequent measurement intervals.
Multigroup comparisons confirmed that dyadic marital satisfaction processes differed significantly between rural and urban couples.

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Implication

Longitudinal panel study reveals shifting dyadic associations in marital satisfaction across couples, indicating that relationship dynamics evolve over time and vary by residential context.

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Cite This Study

Yu et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a8aae207677a34114446d4a https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.70117

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Marital Satisfaction in China: A Longitudinal Study of Dyadic Dynamics and Rural–Urban Differences

Key Points

No abstract yet

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Implication

Discussion

Cite This Study

Marital Satisfaction in China: A Longitudinal Study of Dyadic Dynamics and Rural–Urban Differences

Key Points

No abstract yet

Ask about this paper

Implication

Discussion

Cite This Study

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