Marital satisfaction as a potential moderator of the association between stress and depression

Stress and marital dissatisfaction have been identified as risk factors for depression in separate lines of research. However, the interaction between stress and marital satisfaction in predicting depression over time has rarely been examined, despite the fact that marital satisfaction may weaken (i.e., buffer) the impact of stress on depression. This longitudinal study evaluated marital satisfaction as a moderator of the association between stress and depressive symptoms in a probability sample of American married adults. Married respondents from Wave I and Wave II of the Americans' Changing Lives (ACL) study (N = 1392) completed measures of marital satisfaction, stressful life events, and depressive symptoms at baseline and three-year follow-up. Marital satisfaction and stressful life events were significantly associated with depressive symptoms in cross-sectional analyses and uniquely predicted depressive symptoms three years later, controlling for prior depressive symptoms. However, marital satisfaction did not moderate the association between stressful life events and depression. A sensitivity analysis of data from Wave IV and Wave V of the ACL yielded similar findings, supporting the replicability of the results. Broader assessment on stressful life events and assessment of perceived stress would provide a stronger test of the association between stress and depression as well as the degree to which this association is moderated by marital satisfaction. Attending to both stress and marital satisfaction may provide a more comprehensive understanding of risk for depression than exclusive focusing on either stress or marital satisfaction, which may have beneficial implications for preventing and treating depression. •Examined marital satisfaction as a buffer of the stress-depression association•Marital satisfaction and stress were cross-sectionally associated with depression.•Both variables were uniquely associated with depression at follow-up.•Marital satisfaction did not buffer the stress-depression association at follow-up.•Attending to both risk factors may improve understanding & treatment of depression.