Transitions in marriage: Types, turbulence, and transition processing activities

This study examines transitions in marriage by merging the frameworks of the relational turbulence model and the experiencing life transitions model. An online survey presented 208 married individuals with open-ended questions and closed-ended scales that gathered information about a particularly important transition in the respondent’s marriage, the quality of their relationship during the transition, and the strategies used to navigate the transition. Analyses, which focused on 157 participants who reported experiencing a transition in their marriage, revealed 10 categories of transitions, the most frequent of which were sparked by health issues or the death of a loved one. Type of transition demonstrated unique associations with relational uncertainty, interference from a partner, relational turbulence, and transition processing activity. Several significant associations between qualities of relational turbulence, engagement in transition processing activity, and transition valence emerged.