PERSONALITY TRAITS AS PREDICTORS OF MARITAL SATISFACTION AMONG OLDER COUPLES

The aim of the research. The issue of predictors of marital satisfaction arouses great interest among psychologists. Current research that has been carried out in this area primarily relates to spouses in early and middle adulthood, while there are few studies on the determinants of success in the late phase of marital adulthood. Meanwhile, it is the elderly age that can be the "golden age" of married life. It has been assumed that personality traits may be significant predictors of marital satisfaction in the elderly. The purpose of this article is to answer the question if there is any relation between personality traits and marital satisfaction in late adulthood. To achieve this goal, a study was conducted on 120 people (60 couples) aged 60 to 75. Methods. Two psychological methods were applied to the discussed project. The quality of marriage relationship was examined by means of the M. Plopa Good Marriage Questionnaire (KDM-2). P. T. Costa and R. R. McCrae's Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO PI-R), adapted by J. Siuta, was used to characterize the personalities of the questioned couples. Results. As expected, personality remained in a statistically significant relation to marital satisfaction. Significant correlations were noted in the case of Neuroticism, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness. The only predictor of satisfaction with marriage was Agreeableness. Conclusions. The results obtained in the research may be a significant back-up for psychologists and psychotherapists in defining ways to aid efforts taken to help elderly couples.