Marital Satisfaction and Stability Following a Near-Death Experience of One of the Marital Partners
S. Christian
August 1, 2005 DOI: 10.12794/metadc4893 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Retrospective comparative study Qualitative |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 52 |
| Population | 26 near-death experiencers and 26 individuals with a non-NDE life-changing event, all married at the time of the event |
| Measures | Locke-Wallace Marital Adjustment Test, Weiss-Ceretto Marital Status Inventory, modified Gottman's Shared Meanings Questionnaire |
| Topics | Near-death experience |
| Key points | Marriages involving an NDEr were more likely to end in divorce (65%) than those with a different life-changing event (19%). NDErs reported lower marital adjustment, stability, and shared meaning after the NDE compared to before and compared to LCErs. |
Abstract
The purpose of this quantitative and qualitative study was to determine retrospectively marital satisfaction and stability following the near-death experience (NDE) of one of the marital partners, focusing on the role of Gottman's Sound Marital House (1999) in the couple's relationship before and after the NDE. The researcher used the Locke-Wallace Marital Adjustment Test (1959), the Weiss-Ceretto Marital Status Inventory (1980), and a modification of Gottman's Shared Meanings Questionnaire (1999). The first group of participants included 26 NDErs. To create as comparable a group as possible, the researcher designed a life-changing event (LCE) group of 26 people who used as their referent the non-NDE-related experience they considered their most life-changing one during their marriage. Sixty-five percent of the marriages in which the NDErs were involved at the time of their NDEs ended in divorce. This number is in contrast to the 19 percent of LCE participants whose marriages ended in divorce. Marital adjustment, marital stability, and meanings in marriage between retrospectively based pre-event and post-event composite scores were statistically significantly different between the NDErs and LCErs. Low effect sizes were identified for each of the instruments except the Weiss-Ceretto Marital Status Inventory, which had a moderate effect size. Strong correlations among the scores were identified. Further analysis of the results indicated strongly that the NDErs were less satisfied in their marriages, their marriages were less stable, and they did not have a strong level of shared meaning in the marriage after the NDE occurred as compared to the LCE participants. This study has serious implications for counselors who may work with NDErs. Findings from this study show that NDErs who were married at the time of their experiences have a strong possibility of experiencing marital problems. Encouraging these couples to seek professional help as soon as possible can provide a forum for them to address the potential numerous changes in their relationship. By having more information about the effects of an NDE on a marriage, counselors will be better prepared to assist those couples who are not well prepared to navigate their way through the aftereffects of the event. Through psychoeducation and the application of counseling approaches, counselors can help their clients address specific issues related to their NDEs.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on near-death experience, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Near-death experience in survivors of cardiac arrest: a prospective study in the Netherlands Cardiac patients successfully resuscitated after cardiac arrest in ten Dutch hospitals | 2001 | Prospective cohort study | n = 344 |
| Incidence and correlates of near-death experiences in a cardiac care unit Cardiac inpatients at a tertiary care center | 2003 | Observational cohort | n = 1,595 |
| Features of "near-death experience" in relation to whether or not patients were near death Patients who believed they were near death during an illness or after an injury and... | 1990 | Observational cohort | n = 58 |
| The phenomenology of near-death experiences Subjects who reported near-death experiences | 1980 | Retrospective study | n = 78 |
| Near-Death Experiences and the Temporal Lobe Individuals who reported having had a near-death experience during a life-threatening... | 2004 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cited by 5
- Systematic Review on the Aftereffects of Near-Death Experiences. OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying June 11, 2025
- Le « spirituel mais non religieux » en santé : sacré sauvage et domestication scientifique ThéoRèmes August 5, 2026
- POSITIVE LIVING STRATEGIES THAT CAN BE LEARNED FROM STUDIES ON NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES AND LIFE-THREATENING ILLNESSES Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk March 2, 2018
- Near-Death Experiences and the Psychology of Death OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying May 1, 2014
- [Brief report].Psychologists’ knowledge of and attitudes about near-death experiences: Changes over time and relationship to transpersonal self-concept. Journal of Near-Death Studies 2010
Cites 41
- Near-death experience in survivors of cardiac arrest: a prospective study in the Netherlands The Lancet December 1, 2001
- The Near-Death Experience Scale The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease June 1, 1983
- Distressing Near-Death Experiences Psychiatry February 1, 1992
- Incidence and correlates of near-death experiences in a cardiac care unit General Hospital Psychiatry July 1, 2003
- Attitude Change Following Near-Death Experiences Psychiatry August 1, 1980
and 36 more in the library