Long-term marriages

Experiences of religious couples

Abstract

In marital life, various elements must be considered. Among them, there is room for understanding religiosity/spirituality (R/S), which can have different meanings for each couple. This study aimed to investigate how R/S is perceived and experienced by long-term couples. Ninety-six interviews with 32 self-declared religious couples, who had been together for an average of 39.5 years (SD = 6.76), with an average age of 64.1 years (SD = 13.26), were analyzed. The thematic-reflective analysis produced three themes: (a) R/S as a significant dimension for the maintenance and durability of marriage; (b) R/S as a coping strategy for difficulties in long-term marriages; and (c) aspects of R/S in conceptions of marriage and family. It was found that R/S contributes to the durability of marriage, as it is directly related to its maintenance over the years, being strongly mentioned both as an explanation for the union and invoked in times of crisis when seeking to re-signify the relationship. R/S also emerged as a dimension related to the prohibition of divorce in these couples, reaffirming a sacred commitment made before God and society, making it possible to assert that, in the understanding of this marital relationship, elements that go beyond the dyad and directly engage with the family, social, and cultural context must be included.