EFFECTS OF DUAL-CAREER AND MARITAL CONFLICT ON THE MENTAL HEALTH OF COUPLES

Abstract

The main purpose of this present article is to examine the effects of dual-career familyand marital conflict on the general health of couples in Malaysia. Since marital conflicthas been proven to predict health outcomes in couples, this study aims to find out how anindividual’s conflict tactics has an impact on their spouse’s reaction. Besides, as thenumber of women entering the work force continues to rise, there is a need for us to findout the health effects of dual-career family. A random sample of 399 participants fromSelangor who were either married or cohabitating were used in this study. Characteristicsof conflict tactics in relation to general health were assessed and it was found that theresults were significant though there is a low correlation between the two variables.However, results supported the hypothesis that how an individual handles conflict mayhave a positive influence on spouse’s ability to handle conflict. Significant relationshipalso exists between self-image with general health and also career salience with generalhealth. This means that a person with a better sense of self and a promising career is morelikely to have a better mental health.