Emotional support and well-being of midlife women: Role-specific mastery as a mediational mechanism.

This study examined the relationships among emotional support, mastery, and well-being for 258 women who simultaneously occupied the roles of wife, mother, parent care provider, and employee. Its primary aim was to determine if a greater sense of mastery in each of these 4 roles could explain the relationship between emotional support from the partner or partners in the same role (the husband, children, impaired parent, or work supervisor) and better psychological well-being (less depressive symptomatology and more life satisfaction). Findings revealed that more emotional support from each of the 4 role partners was related to a greater sense of mastery in that same role. Furthermore, for each of the roles of wife, mother, and employee, role-specific mastery was a mediating mechanism in the relationship between support from the role partner or partners and better well-being. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Observed communication in couples two years after integrative and traditional behavioral couple therapy: Outcome and link with five-year follow-up.

Objective: To examine changes in observed communication after therapy termination in distressed couples from a randomized clinical trial. Method: A total of 134 distressed couples were randomly assigned to either traditional behavioral couple therapy (TBCT; Jacobson & Margolin, 1979) or integrative behavioral couple therapy (IBCT; Jacobson & Christensen, 1998). Videotaped samples of each couple's interactions were coded from pre-therapy, post-therapy, and 2-year follow-up assessments. At these 3 time points, each partner chose 1 current relationship problem to discuss. Relationship satisfaction was assessed at 2-year follow-up, and clinically significant treatment response and marital status were assessed 5 years after treatment. Results: Observed negativity and withdrawal decreased from therapy termination through the 2-year follow-up as expected, but problem solving did not change, and observed positivity decreased. IBCT produced superior changes from post-therapy to the 2-year follow-up assessment compared with TBCT. Post-therapy levels and changes in communication over follow-up were associated with wife satisfaction at 2-year follow-up; only post-therapy to 2-year follow-up changes in communication were associated with husband satisfaction at 2-year follow-up. Post-therapy levels of problem solving and changes in wives' positivity from pre-therapy to post-therapy were associated with 5-year relationship outcomes. We found some counterintuitive results with positivity, but they were no longer significant after controlling for withdrawal. Conclusions: We found support for improvements in observed communication following treatment termination, with IBCT demonstrating greater maintenance of communication improvement over follow-up. We found limited evidence of associations between communication and relationship outcomes at 5-year follow-up. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Longitudinal relations between marital aggression and alcohol problems.

Relations between couples' (N = 158) marital aggression and alcohol problems were examined across a two-year period. Alcohol problems and aggression were assessed via self-report and partner-reports. Results support bidirectional relations between marital aggression and problem drinking. T1 wife problem drinking was associated with decreased T2 verbal aggression; T1 husband problem drinking was associated with increased T2 physical aggression. T1 physical aggression predicted increased T2 wife problem drinking; it predicted increased T2 husband problem drinking only when wife problem drinking was low. T1 verbal marital aggression predicted increased T2 husband problem drinking only when husbands engaged in greater problem drinking at T1. Results suggest that problem drinking may prevent couples from adequately handling marital disagreements, and that marital problems may lead to drinking as a form of coping with stress; couples in which the husband engages in greater problem drinking than the wife may be at increased risk. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gender and social structure in the demand/withdraw pattern of marital conflict.

This study examined the effects of gender and social structure on the demand/withdraw pattern of marital conflict. In this pattern, the demander, usually the woman, pressures the other through emotional requests, criticism, and complaints, and the withdrawer, usually the man, retreats through defensiveness and passive inaction. In this study, 31 couples were assessed in 2 conflict situations: 1 in which husband wanted a change in wife and 1 in which wife wanted a change in husband. Data from husbands, wives, and observers consistently revealed a significant main effect of gender (wife-demand/husband-withdraw interaction was more likely than husband-demand/wife-withdraw interaction) and a significant interaction of gender and conflict structure (wife-demand/husband-withdraw interaction was more likely than the reverse only when discussing a change the wife wanted). Separate analyses of demand and withdraw behaviors indicated that both husband and wife were more likely to be demanding when discussing a change they wanted and more likely to be withdrawing when discussing a change their partner wanted. However, men were overall more withdrawn than women, but women were not overall more demanding than men. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Conflict structure moderates associations between cardiovascular reactivity and negative marital interaction.

This study examined the role of marital conflict structure--who desires and requests change versus who responds to the change request--in spouses' cardiovascular responses to marital interactions. Forty-one couples discussed 2 marital topics: one in which the wife desired change in the husband, and one in which the husband desired change in the wife. Cardiovascular responses were assessed at 2-min intervals. Results indicated that marital conflict structure moderates cardiovascular reactivity during negative marital interactions: Husbands and wives whose interactions were characterized by high levels of negative behavior showed the most pronounced diastolic blood pressure reactivity, but only when they were in the role of desiring change in their spouses. Implications for gender differences in marital conflict physiology are considered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The baby and the marriage: Identifying factors that buffer against decline in marital satisfaction after the first baby arrives.

This longitudinal study identified factors of couples' marital friendship in the beginning months of marriage that predicted stability versus decline in marital satisfaction over the transition to parenthood. Newlywed couples (N?=?130) were followed longitudinally for 6 years. 43 couples became parents, and 39 childless couples served as a control group. Couples were interviewed about the history and philosophy of their relationship as newlyweds. What predicted the stable or increasing marital satisfaction of mothers were the husband's expression of fondness toward her, the husband's high awareness for her and their relationship, and her awareness for her husband and their relationship. In contrast, what predicted the decline in marital satisfaction of mothers were the husband's negativity toward his wife, the husband's disappointment in the marriage, or the husband or wife having described their lives as chaotic. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Marital interactions of depressed men and women.

This article examined marital interactions in 50 couples with a depressed husband, 41 couples with a depressed wife, and 50 nondepressed control couples. As expected, couples with a depressed partner evidenced more disturbed marital interaction than control couples. Furthermore, couples with a depressed wife demonstrated less positive communication than couples with a depressed husband, notwithstanding the fact the depressed husbands exhibited greater depression severity than depressed wives. Findings are integrated with recent research on gender differences in affective expression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gender and conflict structure in marital interaction: A replication and extension.

29 married couples engaged in 2 videotaped discussions: 1 in which the husband requested a change in the wife and 1 in which the wife requested a change in the husband. Conflict behavior was assessed by self-report and observer ratings. Neither conflict structure (who requested the change) nor gender was associated with the positivity or negativity of spouses' behavior. During discussions of husbands' issues, wives and husbands did not differ in demand/withdraw behavior, whereas when discussing wives' issues, wives were more demanding and husbands were more withdrawing. Husband-demand/wife-withdraw interaction predicted an increase in wives' satisfaction 1 yr later, whereas wife-demand/husband-withdraw interaction predicted a decline in wives' satisfaction 1 yr later. These results replicate and extend those of an earlier study (A. Christensen and C. L. Heavey; see record 1991-01045-001). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sequential interactions in the marital communication of depressed men and women.

Despite studies showing patterns of sequential interaction between depressed wives and their husbands, no published research has contrasted sequential interactions of depressed husbands and their wives. This study compared problem-solving interactions of 49 couples with a depressed husband, 41 with a depressed wife, and 50 normal controls. Interactions were coded using the Marital Interaction Coding System. Although no clear patterns of sequential interaction distinguished couples with a depressed wife from normal control couples, results suggested a unique pattern of interaction between depressed husbands and their spouses, whereby positive communications from the husband resulted in decreased positivity and increased negativity from their wives. Given the importance of positivity for promoting effective problem solving, this pattern appears to have important implications for couples' long-term marital satisfaction and husbands' mood regulation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Wives' employment and husbands' attitudes toward work and life.

Previous research has established that wives' employment has a positive association with the mental health of wives but a negative association with the mental health of husbands. The present study investigated the connections between wives' employment and husbands' work life, using data from the 1977 Quality of Employment Survey on 208 couples in which both husband and wife worked and 408 couples in which only the husband worked. Data indicate that wives' employment had nonspurious negative associations with husbands' job and life satisfaction. Husbands of working wives felt less adequate as family breadwinners than did husbands of housewives, and this appeared to account for their lower levels of job and life satisfaction. Findings suggest that the occupational domain is particularly important to understanding the negative relations between wives' employment and husbands' job and life satisfaction. (12 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of differentiation of self in marital adjustment.

In the present investigation, Murray Bowen's (1978) theoretical propositions about the relationship between differentiation of self and quality of marital relationships were tested. Couples' levels of differentiation explained substantial variance in marital adjustment: 74% of variance in husband marital adjustment scores and 61 % of variance in wife marital adjustment scores were accounted for by couple differentiation of self-scores. Greater husband emotional cutoff uniquely accounted for husband and wife marital discord. Contrary to family systems theory, actual couples were no more similar on differentiation than were randomly matched couples. Finally, greater complementarity among couples along the specific dimensions of emotional cutoff and emotional reactivity predicted greater marital distress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Type A behavior of administrators and wives' reports of marital satisfaction and well-being.

Self-reported Type A behavior (measured by a 44-item scale developed by S. M. Sales, 1969) of 85 top level administrators of correctional institutions was correlated to their spouses' reported marital satisfaction, emotional well-being, and health-related behaviors. In general, higher levels of Type A behavior of job incumbents was associated with less marital satisfaction and poorer well-being of spouses. This effect was most pronounced on dependent variables related to the husband–wife relationship and to home and family functioning. Several explanations for these findings are considered. (30 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Affect and behavioral involvement in spousal complaints and compliments.

The authors explored affect and behavioral involvement (gaze, talk time, and speaking turns) in spousal complaints and compliments, relating these constructs to current and longitudinal relational well-being. Participants were 65 married couples. Concurrent relational well-being was higher when partners negotiated (a) complaints with less negative affect, more gaze, less wife talk time, and more husband talk time and (b) compliments with less negative affect and more husband gaze. Husbands' satisfaction decreased over time when they experienced more negative affect while complimenting. Both spouses' satisfaction decreased over time when either partner, especially wives, took more speaking turns complaining. Partial support for the sentiment-override effect is discussed, but findings went beyond the effect to demonstrate contingent affect when responding to spousal behaviors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality and compatibility: A prospective analysis of marital stability and marital satisfaction.

The antecedents of marital stability (divorce or remaining married) and marital satisfaction (within the group that remains married) were investigated with a panel of 300 White couples who were followed from their engagements in the 1930's until 1980. 22 of the couples broke their engagements; of the 278 couples who married, 50 got divorced between 1935 and 1980. Personality characteristics (measured by acquaintance ratings made in the 1930's) were important predictors of both marital stability and marital satisfaction. The 3 aspects of personality most strongly related to marital outcome were the neuroticism of the husband, the neuroticism of the wife, and the impulse control of the husband. The remaining variance was accounted for by attitudinal, social-environment, and sexual history variables. (29 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Power and satisfaction in marriage: A review and critique.

Examines empirical studies of the relation between husband–wife power interactions and marital satisfaction. Both self-report and observational measures of marital power interactions have tended, in general, to suffer from similar difficulties, including overly simplistic conceptualizations of power processes and limitations in the measurement of marital power and marital satisfaction. Despite these weaknesses, the present group of studies has been fairly consistent in indicating that marriages in which the wife appears to be dominant are the most likely to be unhappy, whereas highest levels of satisfaction are more often found among egalitarian couples. Another group of studies focusing on the bases of marital power suggests that coercive control techniques may be related to marital dissatisfaction. A discussion of the kind of expanded framework that studies will need in order to make additional theoretical and substantive contributions to the understanding of power and satisfaction in marriage is presented. (90 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Developmental change and intraindividual variability: Relating cognitive aging to cognitive plasticity, cardiovascular lability, and emotional diversity.

Repeated assessments obtained over years can be used to measure individuals' developmental change, whereas repeated assessments obtained over a few weeks can be used to measure individuals' dynamic characteristics. Using data from a burst of measurement embedded in the Berlin Aging Study (BASE; Baltes & Mayer, 1999), we illustrate and examine how long-term changes in cognitive ability are related to short-term changes in cognitive performance, cardiovascular function, and emotional experience. Our findings suggest that “better” cognitive aging over approximately 13 years was associated with greater cognitive plasticity, less cardiovascular lability, and less emotional diversity over approximately 2 weeks at age 90 years. The study highlights the potential benefits of multi-time scale longitudinal designs for the study of individual function and development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Affect, verbal content, and psychophysiology in the arguments of couples with a violent husband.

Studied the affect, psychophysiology, and verbal content of arguments in couples with a violent husband. On the basis of self-reports of violent arguments, there were no wife behaviors that successfully suppressed husband violence once it began; moreover, husband violence escalated in response to nonviolent as well as violent wife behaviors, whereas wife violence escalated only in reaction to husband violence or emotional abuse. Only wives were fearful during violent and nonviolent arguments. The observational coding of nonviolent arguments in the laboratory revealed that both battering husbands and their wives (DV) were angrier than their maritally distressed but nonviolent (DNV) counterparts. As predicted, on the more provocative anger codes, only DV men differed from their DNV counterparts. However, DV wives were as verbally aggressive toward their husbands as DV husbands were toward their wives. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological patterning in marriage.

Theory and research are reviewed and integrated with sociological data on mate selection and marital happiness. Topics included are homogamy, interpersonal perception, identifications, complimentary needs, and role theory. Modal marriage-role expectations exist; they are different for the sexes, and are established by parental identifications. The husband role is more instrumental; the wife role more integrative. For the marital happiness of both spouses, the husband's role performance is more crucial than that of the wife. For all marriages—both modal and unique—happiness is a function of the satisfaction of those needs and expectations which, for each individual, are specific to marriage. Thus, investigation of role-specific need dispositions is preferable to conventional approaches which deal with general personality needs. (82 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

La consultation: Un r?le professionnel à mieux définir.

There are currently increasing requests for psychologists to provide “consultation” services to their peers, other professionals (ex., physicians, social workers, school teachers) or community services (ex., school, community agencies, mental health services, mass-medias). However, so far, there are few empirical works systematically aiming at defining the character of that professional activity and consultation may still be confused with the competency of intervention in the field of clinical psychology. This article aims at defining “consultation” as a specific professional activity, presenting the models of consultation and exploring clinical examples of consultation. Then, practical, ethical and training considerations related to “consultation” activities are discussed and some recommendations are provided, based on available literature. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)