Marital strain and emotional intimacy in midlife couples: The moderating role of empathy

Abstract

Emotional intimacy is considered a fundamental factor contributing to the quality of marital relationships. However, marital strain can often limit intimacy. Thus, our first objective was to explore the intricate interplay between spouses' sense of intimacy and the levels of marital strain experienced by both themselves and their partners. In addition, the way partners respond to the challenges posed by marital strain can be pivotal in shaping the overall dynamics. Therefore, our second objective was to investigate whether and how the empathy exhibited by partners can protect the couple from the potential adverse effects of marital strain on emotional intimacy within the relationship. 96 midlife and older heterosexual couples reported on their sense of marital strain, emotional intimacy, and their level of empathy. We used Actor‐Partner Interdependence Model (APIM) to analyze the results. Negative associations were found between marital strain and emotional intimacy for both men and women. Men's empathy moderated the relationship between women's strain and intimacy, but women's empathy did not moderate the association between men's strain and intimacy. Assessing both spouses' strain is essential for understanding marital intimacy. Men's empathy can have a meaningful role in mitigating the experienced strain on marital outcomes.