夫妻關係間的忍與婚姻滿意度之關連

Ren (Forbearance) in Couple Relationship and how it is Related to Marital Satisfaction

研究目的：本研究的主要目的在釐清「忍」這項華人衝突處理策略的構念與內涵，並進一步探討華人夫妻在面對衝突時，一方的忍如何帶動夫妻間的互動，進而影響個人在婚姻關係中的滿意程度。研究方法：透過任職於幼兒園或托育機構31位聯絡人的協助，本研究邀請居住在大台北地區育有幼兒的404對夫妻進行問卷填答，獲得有效樣本654份（327對夫妻）。本研究以探索性因素分析，檢驗「忍」的三個構面，分別為容忍、忍耐、忍讓，並以夫妻對偶資料進行後續的假設檢驗。研究結果：本研究的結果顯示，夫妻在三種不同忍的行為上均呈現顯著差異，丈夫忍讓、容忍、忍耐妻子的程度均高於妻子對丈夫的忍；此外，針對丈夫樣本的分析顯示，與高中以下教育程度者相較，大專畢業以上者對配偶的容忍及忍讓程度均較高，但是在忍耐部分則無差異。迴歸分析的結果進一步顯示，丈夫對妻子的容忍行為不僅能直接預測自己的婚姻滿意度，也能透過妻子提供支持的中介效果，提高丈夫的婚姻滿意度；同樣地，妻子對丈夫的容忍也能增加自己的婚姻滿意，並透過丈夫的支持行為，提高妻子的婚姻滿意。研究結論：本研究提出忍的三個構面，並指出性別與教育程度在忍行為上的群體差異。此外，容忍在夫妻關係中所產生的效應似乎是最明顯且正向的，夫妻一方的容忍不僅能預測對方的支持行為，也能直接與間接提昇自己的婚姻滿意度。

Purpose: This study clarifies a Chinese concept often used in conflict resolution: ren (forbearance). We investigated the influence of ren on spousal support and marital satisfaction. Methods: With the assistance of 31 contact persons working in nursery schools or child-care institutes, we invited 404 couples living in the Taipei metropolitan area with at least 1 preschool child to complete a questionnaire packet. A total of 654 valid questionnaires (327 couples with mean age 38) were completed. Exploratory factor analysis identified 3 sub-concepts of ren: rong-ren (tolerance), ren-nai(endurance), and ren-rang (yieldingness). Further analyses of the data followed this categorization. Results: Significant differences between husbands and wives were found in the 3 different types of ren. The husbands’ rong-ren, ren-nai, and ren-rang towards their wives was higher than the wives’ was towards their husbands. Analyses of the husband sample indicated that (compared to those with high school or less education) college graduates had higher rong-ren and ren-rang towards their spouses; however, no differences were found in ren-nai. Regression analyses further indicated that the husbands’ rong-ren not only predicted his marital satisfaction, it also increased his marital satisfaction through his wife’s supporting behavior. In addition, the wives’ rong-ren predicted their own marital satisfaction directly as well as indirectly through the intermediating effect of the husband’s supporting behavior. Conclusions: This study identified 3 sub-constructs of ren. It also revealed group differences in gender and education of ren behavior in marriage. Of the 3 types of ren, the effect of rong-ren on marriage seemed to be the most obvious and positive. An individual’s rong-ren not only predicted the spouse’s supporting behavior, but also predicted the person’s own marital satisfaction directly as well as indirectly.