title: Asian couples in negotiation: a mixed-method observational study of cultural variations across five Asian regions.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to explore variations in how contemporary couples from five different Asian regions negotiate disagreements. Video recordings of 50 couples (10 each from Japan, Korea, Mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong) discussing unresolved disagreements provided raw data for quantitative and qualitative analyses. First, teams of coders from each region used a common protocol to make quantitative ratings of content themes and interaction patterns for couples from their own region. An interregional panel of investigators then performed in-depth qualitative reviews for half of these cases, noting cultural differences not only in observed patterns of couple behavior but also in their own perceptions of these patterns. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses revealed clear regional differences on dimensions such as overt negativity, demand-withdraw interaction, and collaboration. The qualitative results also provided a richer, more nuanced view of other (e.g., gender-linked) conflict management patterns that the quantitative analyses did not capture. Inconsistencies between qualitative and quantitative data and between the qualitative observations of investigators from different regions were most pronounced for couples from Korea and Japan, whose conflict styles were subtler and less direct than those of couples from the other regions.
authors.affiliation: HKU Family Institute, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Hong Kong, SAR, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Wai-Yung
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Shin-Ichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Moon Ja
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Young Ju
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Chun
authors.forename: Meng
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Shu-Chuan
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Cui-Lian
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology*; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D004522:Educational Status; D005191:Family Characteristics / Q000208:ethnology*; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006608:Hierarchy, Social; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017008:Negotiating / Q000523:psychology*; D011209:Power, Psychological; D014741:Video Recording
keywords: Asian Cultures; Couples; Marriage; Relationship Conflict