Marital distress,co-occurring depression,and marital therapy: a review

This article reviews several factors that contribute to marital distress and co-occurring depression and also reviews empirically supported therapies. Gender contributes to marital distress and depression but does not appear to be the cause of either. Marital distress and depression appear to have bidirectional influence on each other. The depressed spouse's depression has a marked impact on the marital adjustment of the nondepressed spouse. Both marital distress and depression appear to be chronic. It is recommended that treatment be designed to help couples be supportive of each another, to adapt, and to cope with the depressive symptoms within the framework of their ongoing marital relations.     

An exploratory investigation of marital functioning and order of spousal onset in couples concordant for psychopathology

Individuals with a psychiatric disorder are significantly more likely to have a spouse with a clinical diagnosis--marital concordance. We used a community sample of 304 couples concordant for either major depressive disorder (MDD) or substance use disorders (SUDs) to examine the relationship between marital functioning and gendered patterns of mental health diagnosis onset. For SUD concordance, couples in which wives onset before husbands--despite typical later onset for men--reported lower levels of marital satisfaction compared with couples in which the husband onset first. For MDD concordance, couples in which husbands onset with depression before wives--despite typical later onset for men--reported lower levels of marital satisfaction. These results suggest that for couples concordant for mental diagnoses, it is most problematic for marital functioning for one partner to have an atypically early onset. Implications for treatment targets in marital therapy are discussed.     

Gender Differences in Marital Satisfaction: A Meta‐analysis

The purpose of the present meta‐analysis was to empirically test the widely held assumption that women experience lower marital satisfaction than men. A total of 226 independent samples with a combined sum of 101,110 participants were included in the meta‐analysis. Overall results indicated statistically significant yet very small gender differences in marital satisfaction between wives and husbands, with wives slightly less satisfied than husbands; moderator analyses, however, indicated that this difference was due to the inclusion of clinical samples, with wives in marital therapy 51% less likely to be satisfied with their marital relationship than their husbands. The effect size for nonclinical community‐based samples indicated no significant gender differences among couples in the general population. Additional moderator analyses indicated that there were also no gender differences when the levels of marital satisfaction of husbands and wives in the same relationship (i.e., dyadic data) were compared.     

Consensus in the marital dyad: couples' perceptions of contraception,communication, and family life

The present study was based on data collected separately for husbands and wives from 365 couples to determine levels of consensus on a series of variables related to the family forming process. Following Scheff (1967), consensus was operationalized as both agreement and coorientation in the marital dyad. The data generally indicated low levels of consensus on such variables as contraceptive efficacy, desired family size, child spacing, unwanted pregnancies, communication with spouse, and levels of alienation. It becomes clear that survey research data collected solely from wives or husbands contain an important source of error - a selective distortion of the facts about family life and fertility behavior in many instances. Disparities in perceptions and world views suggest the importance of treating the couple as a unit in studies of relationships between alienation and fertility behavior. The lack of consensus within the marital dyad may constitute a major obstacle to rational decision making, particularly on sensitive topics and in areas surrounded by high levels of ego involvement. Couples not only disagree but lack awareness of their disagreements. This information suggests that many crucial family events are not planned. It becomes more appropriate to question whether decisions are made at all, and if so, to what extent, under what conditions and by whom.     

Underemployment: Individual and marital adjustment to income loss

Psychological and interpersonal adjustments to income loss were investigated by comparing 25 couples in which husbands were underemployed to 88 couples in which husbands had been continuously employed. Husbands were considered underemployed if they had lost 20% of their annual earnings. Via questionnaires, husbands and wives reported on attitudes and on attributions for their present financial circumstances. Underemployed husbands and their wives were less satisfied with their finances and their marriages than the comparison group. The components of depression and marital dissatisfaction, for under-employed and continuously employed couples, and the importance of gathering data from both spouses, are discussed.Research reported in this paper was supported by funds from the Agricultural Experiment Station, Regional Project W-167—Coping with Stress: Adaptation of Nonmetropolitan Families to Socioeconomic Change (Technical Paper #8358). An earlier version was presented at the Annual Meeting of the National Council on Family Relations, Dearborn, Michigan, November 5, 1986.The assistance of Tom Guss and Linda Ladd in gathering these data is gratefully acknowledged. The author also wishes to thank Petra Zengerle for statistical analysis; Alan Sugawara, Alexis Walker, Dorothy Price, Mari Wilhelm, and two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments on an earlier draft.Anisa M. Zvonkovic received her Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University. Research interests include close relationships and the effect of socio-economic changes on interpersonal bonds. Address correspondence to Dr. Zvonkovic, Assistant Professor, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331.     

Integrating Educational Careers in Work and Family

Educational careers are shaped by both work and family roles. This study compares middle-class dual-earner couples in which wives were currently returned to school (N = 124) with couples in which the wives had never returned to school (N = 866). These data are combined with additional in-depth interviews with 24 women who returned to school. Our life course perspective highlights why working women return to school, the resistance they experience in redefining family roles, and outcomes on family and marital satisfaction. Gendered family adaptive strategies, made earlier in the life course, are associated with the decisions to return to school and the negative impact this decision has on family life quality.     

Love attitude and marital adjustment in the family life cycle

The present study examines husband and wife perceptions of attitude toward love and marital satisfaction through seven family life cycle stages. A significant relationship was determined between husbands’ and wives’ attitude toward love and marital satisfaction for couples in the early years of marriage with no children, and for couples with children in the preschool years. Marital satisfaction and attitude toward love seem to function more independently of one another in the other family life stages. Overall, husbands vary slightly more than wives on marital satisfaction and attitude toward love, but the pattern for both is similar in that each relationship is curvilinear.     

Predicting Spouses’ Perceptions of Their Parenting Alliance

This study used marital‐ and individual‐level variables to predict spouses’ perceived parenting alliance. One hundred married couples completed measures of parenting alliance, marital consensus, marital power, and depression. Analyses revealed that marital consensus was a significant predictor of parenting alliance for both parents, and that depression also was a significant predictor for wives. Analyses using both spouses’ data indicated that wives’ perceptions of consensus and depression significantly predicted both spouses’ parenting alliance, suggesting that wives are the barometer of the marital relationship ( Floyd & Markman, 1983 ) and of the parenting relationship as well. Implications for research are discussed.     

Marital Enqing and Depression in Taiwanese Couples: The Mediating Role of Active and Passive Sacrifice

Using social exchange and identity theory, the authors examined the association between marital enqing and depression in 372 Taiwanese couples, and the mediating effects of active and passive sacrifice on that association. Marital enqing is a unique form of affection toward the partner in Taiwanese couples. Data was analyzed by using the actor-partner interdependence model to test for actor and partner effects among study variables. Results indicated that husbands, who reported more marital enqing, tended to have lower levels of depression. Partner effects revealed that couples’ marital enqing decreased their spouse’s depressive symptoms. Husbands’ sacrifice behaviors mediated the association between his marital enqing and depression. However, Taiwanese wives’ sacrifice behavior did not mediate the association between her marital enqing and depression. Chinese cultural principles indeed impacted how couples in Taiwan conceptualized marital affection differently from couples in western cultures, and it provided insights into its relationships with couples’ sacrifices and relational and individual wellbeing.     

Testosterone,marital quality,and role overload

In a sample of established working‐ and middle‐class families with school‐aged children (N= 307 wives and 307 husbands), neither husbands’ nor wives’ testosterone showed a direct connection with marital quality. In contrast, the association between husbands’ testosterone and positive and negative marital quality (as evaluated by both spouses) was conditional on husbands’ role overload. When perceptions of role overload were elevated, higher testosterone levels were associated with lower levels of marital quality. When perceptions of role overload were low, higher testosterone was linked to greater marital quality. The study supports the biosocial model such that, depending on perceptions of the social context, testosterone enables positive behavior in some instances and negative behavior in others.     

Family and marital profiles of couples in which one partner has depression or anxiety

Twenty-nine couples in which one partner was depressed, 21 couples in which one partner had an anxiety disorder, and 26 nondistressed control couples were compared on measures of (1) quality of life, stress, and social support; (2) family functioning; (3) marital functioning; and (4) relationship attributions. The depressed group had significant difficulties in all four domains. In contrast, the control group showed minimal difficulties. The profile of the anxious group occupied an intermediate position between those of the other two groups, with some difficulties in all four domains, although these were less severe and pervasive than those of the depressed group.     

MARITAL RELATIONSHIPS OF ALCOHOLIC,CONFLICTED, AND NONCONFLICTED COUPLES*

Twenty-six couples with alcoholic husbands, and 26 maritally conflicted and 26 nonconflicted couples without alcohol problems were compared. As predicted, the alcoholic and maritally conflicted couples did not differ, and both groups of problem couples showed greater relationship distress than nonconflicted couples on measures of marital stability, change desired, and positive communication behaviors. Contrary to predictions, alcoholic couples were not unique with respect to struggles for control, a pattern of wife dominance, a responsibility-avoiding style of communication by the alcoholic husband, or impaired perceptual accuracy. Unexpectedly, alcoholic husbands reported less marital unhappiness than both their wives and maritally conflicted husbands on most of the self-report marital satisfaction measures.     

Relationships between marital quality,social, and familial interactions by residential location: Implications for human service professionals

Gerontological literature is reviewed concerning the factors contributing to marital quality of later life couples. Data are presented which compare the marital quality of older couples residing in a retirement facility and elderly couples living in the community-at-large. The couples' interactions with friends and frequency of visits with children are examined in terms of the relationship between these variables and marital quality of the subjects. Implications for practice are discussed.Ellie Brubaker is Associate Professor of Sociology at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. Dr. Brubaker holds a Ph.D. in Social Work from the Ohio State University. Her current research is in the area of social service delivery to older families.Linda Ade-Ridder is Assistant Professor in the Department of Home Economics and Consumer Sciences and an associate of the Family and Child Studies Center at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Dr. Ade-Ridder received her Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Living at the Florida State University in 1983. Her current research is being conducted on the roles of women, including women in older marriages and eating disorders in women.     

Observational coding of relationship-schematic processing

In this article, we introduce the construct Relationship-Schematic Processing (RSP), which is defined as the degree to which individuals process information in terms of their romantic relationship. We also present an observational coding system that was developed to assess the behavioral manifestations of RSP. The coding system was applied to videotaped problem-solving interactions completed by 55 maritally distressed couples. Findings indicated that wives engaged in more frequent and higher quality RSP than husbands did. Husbands reported greater relationship satisfaction when wives engaged in more frequent and higher quality RSP; wives reported greater satisfaction when husbands engaged in higher quality relationship processing. In addition, we assessed convergent validity with other measures of marital functioning.     

Hard Living,Perceived Entitlement to a Great Marriage,and Marital Dissolution

Using the two waves of the National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH), we examine the effects on marital dissolution of couple's gender attitudes, perceived unfairness, marital disagreements, and relationship alternatives, exploring whether these dimensions of marriage influence marital dissolution, net of serious forms of hardship commonly noted in divorce research. With event history methods, we find that husbands’, but not wives’, perceived disagreements and alternatives are associated with higher odds of marital dissolution, though couples' marital happiness strongly mediates the effects of husbands' dissatisfaction. Wives' traditional attitudes are associated with lower odds and husbands' with higher odds of marital dissolution. We find no significant effects of unfairness perceptions on divorce. A nonviolent relationship is associated with lower odds of marital dissolution, but accumulated assets and debt and husbands' drug or alcohol abuse are not associated significantly with marital dissolution. Our analysis contributes to divorce research by demonstrating the importance of gender attitudes and low physical conflict and by showing that instances of perceived dissatisfaction might not matter for couples as much as marital happiness as an influence on divorce.     

Sexual satisfaction, perceived availability of alternative partners, and marital quality in newlywed African American couples

The goal for this project was to examine the manner in which husbands' and wives' sexual satisfaction was related to their perceptions of the availability of alternative partners and overall marital quality. Participants were 470 newlywed African American couples residing in the southern region of the United States. Path analysis was used to simultaneously examine actor (individuals' sexual satisfaction on their own outcomes) and partner (individuals' sexual satisfaction on their partners' outcomes) effects. Wives' and husbands' sexual satisfaction was strongly and positively associated with their own reports of marital quality, although it was not associated with their partners' reports of marital quality. For both wives and husbands, higher sexual satisfaction was associated with lowered perceptions that they would be able to find other acceptable partners should their current relationship end. Perceived availability of alternative partners was, in turn, negatively associated with reports of marital quality.     

Commitment and Relationship Maintenance Behaviors as Marital Protective Factors during Economic Pressure

Using a contemporary national sample of married couples (N?=?1368 couples) and a dyadic path analysis, the authors examined whether commitment and relationship maintenance behaviors facilitate marital quality resilience for wives and husbands reporting recession-related financial stressors and economic pressure. Relationship maintenance behaviors moderated the association between economic pressure and marital quality for wives. Wives reported higher levels of marital satisfaction and lower levels of divorce proneness during economic pressure when husbands reported higher levels of relationship maintenance behaviors. Unexpectedly, wives reported higher levels of divorce proneness during economic pressure when husbands reported higher levels of marital commitment.     

Vasectomy: its effect upon marital stability.

50 couples were studied as to whether vasectomy had any effect on marital stability, communication, and sexual satisfaction. The procedure of the study is described and all results are tabulated. Demographic data on the couples indicate a general trend toward the mid-20s in terms of couples making the decision in favor of vasectomy. The couples seemed to have a stable marital history and to have made the decision earlier in marriage than was previously the case. The average number of children among the couples was 2. An average increase in coital frequency resulted from the vasectomy. Improved stabilization of the marriage and improved sexual satisfaction also resulted. Little change was noted in marital communication, understanding, and affection as a result of the vasectomy.     

The intertwined relationship between depression and marital distress: elements of marital therapy conductive to effective treatment outcome

Within the framework of the interpersonal view of depression, this article examines the linkage between depression and four aspects of marital relationship: stress, support, role expectations, and interactional dynamics. Acknowledging the intertwined relationship between depression and marital adjustment, existing models of martial therapy for married depressed patients are examined for the extent to which they address these four aspects. The empirical evidence for the efficacy of these models is also reviewed, suggesting elements of marital therapy that are conducive to effective treatment outcome.     

Compatibility,Leisure, and Satisfaction in Marital Relationships

This study challenges the prevailing view that marital companionship promotes marital satisfaction. By following a cohort of married couples for over a decade and by incorporating several methodological improvements—such as refining the measurement of marital satisfaction, determining how much spouses enjoy doing the leisure activities they pursue together and apart, and using diary data to portray marital leisure patterns—we found that the association between companionship and satisfaction is less robust than previously believed, and that it depends on how often spouses pursue activities that reflect their own and their partner's leisure preferences. Over time, involvement in leisure liked by husbands but disliked by wives, whether as a couple or by husbands alone, is both a cause and a consequence of wives' dissatisfaction.