title: Relationship standards and marital satisfaction in Chinese and American couples.
abstract: Samples of urban community couples in Shanghai, China, and suburban U.S. couples were administered measures of relationship adjustment and personal standards regarding characteristics of couple relationships. There were few gender differences in adherence to relationship standards but many differences between Chinese and U.S. couples. Fewer cultural differences existed in degree of couple consensus on relationship standards, but both adherence to standards and couple consensus on standards were associated with partners' levels of marital adjustment. Implications of the findings for clinical assessment and intervention with distressed couples, in particular for Western therapists working with Chinese couples whose standards may conflict with goals and methods of couple therapy, are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Studies, University of Maryland, College Park 20742, USA. nbe@umd.edu
authors.forename: Norman B
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Epstein
authors.forename: Fuguo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Irina
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Beyder-Kamjou
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002681:China; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003469:Culture; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology*; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D014481:United States