Change in marital adjustment following marital therapy: A comparison of two outcome measures.

Comparability of treatment outcome as measured by the Dyadic Adjustment Scale and the Global Distress Scale (GDS) was examined for 49 couples who completed a behavioral marital therapy program. The GDS provided a more conservative estimate of treatment efficacy, as assessed by (1) computed effect sizes based on couple, husband, and wife scores and (2) clinical significance statistics based on couple and husband scores. This difference was hypothesized to be due in part to items on the GDS that assess historical dissatisfaction with marriage that are not affected by treatment. The GDS, however, continued to provide a more conservative estimate of treatment outcome even after controlling for the historical items. Implications of gender differences and suggestions for future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Distinctiveness of behavioral versus insight-oriented marital therapy: An empirical analysis.

The present study determined whether behavioral and insight-oriented marital therapy could be rendered in a distinct and uncontaminated fashion in manual-guided outcome research in which therapists were crossed with treatment condition. Results indicated that therapist interventions could be reliably coded into techniques specific to the respective approaches and into additional interventions not specific to either treatment modality. When provided with explicit treatment manuals and ongoing case supervision, therapists were able to administer both treatment conditions faithfully without contamination from techniques that were inconsistent with that theoretical approach. Behavioral marital therapy (BMT) was shown to be highly structured, with 93% of therapist interventions reflecting techniques specific to that approach. In contrast, insight-oriented marital therapy (IOMT) comprised a large percentage of nonspecific interventions (62%) compatible with but not unique to a psychodynamic orientation. Implications for the two treatment approaches and for future marital therapy outcome research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Congruence of parental perception, marital satisfaction, and child adjustment.

Fathers and mothers of 95 children 5–7 yrs old completed the Short Marital Adjustment Test, Interpersonal Checklist, and the Children's Behavior Checklist to assess marital satisfaction, congruence of self- and mate-perceptions, and agreement in parents' perceptions of their child and child adjustment, respectively. All variables were significantly, positively intercorrelated. Strongest association was between congruence in parents' perceptions of the child and child adjustment. Similarity in partners' self-concepts and psychological empathy were significantly associated with marital satisfaction and child adjustment. A general dimension of family harmony (vs conflict) is seen as contributing to children's social adjustment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Postpartum psychiatric disorders: Their relationship to psychological adjustment and marital satisfaction in the spouses.

The authors examined mental health and marital quality in an index group of spouses of women with postpartum psychiatric disorders and a control group of men whose wives had recently given birth but had no such disorders. At 6 to 9 weeks postpartum, couples underwent a psychiatric interview and completed self-report measures of psychological symptoms, marital satisfaction, and changes in couple and family functioning since the birth. Index spouses reported more symptoms and had lower Global Assessment of Functioning (R. L. Spitzer, J. B. W. Williams, M. Gibbon, & M. B. First, 1990) scores than controls. Index men reported greater marital dissatisfaction and more change in household routines, recreation, and intimacy with their partners than controls. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-disclosure and marital satisfaction.

Examined the effect of self-disclosure on marital satisfaction in couples and also introduced attitude similarity as a possible predictor of marital satisfaction. 51 couples (mean age 30.6 yrs) completed 5 test instruments, including a self-disclosure scale, 2 marriage satisfaction scales, an attitude survey, and a demographic questionnaire. Results (1) revealed high reciprocity between spouses on most measures, (2) found a consistent positive relationship between self-disclosure and marital satisfaction, (3) substantiated self-disclosure as a significant predictor of marital satisfaction, and (4) demonstrated that attitude similarity had a strong positive relationship to marital satisfaction. Findings provide a firm basis for self-disclosure and attitude similarity as important predictors of marital satisfaction. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Convergent and discriminant validity of three measures of adjustment and three measures of social desirability.

Administered the MMPI, Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability scale, TAT, and the Rorschach to 19 undergraduates and 19 psychiatric patients. Scores were viewed in terms of a multitrait-multimethod matrix, which was analyzed by a principal-components analysis. 2 traits, adjustment and social desirability, were clearly revealed, although inspection of the matrix appeared to provide only weak evidence for convergent and discriminant validity. Results indicate the usefulness of considering the 2 constructs independent. (15 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The assessment of marital satisfaction: An evaluation of the Dyadic Adjustment Scale.

Investigated 2 critical issues underlying the clinical and research utility of the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS), a widely used self-report instrument for assessing marital satisfaction. A factor analysis of data from 219 female and 190 male parents is presented indicating support for 1 general dimension of satisfaction, rather than the 4 factors frequently used. Separate analyses of men's and women's data indicated that gender is an important variable in this field, and 1 that warrants further theoretical and empirical investigation. (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)     

Assessment of marital satisfaction and interaction.

Assessed the discriminant and criterion-related validity of 2 questionnaire measures of marital satisfaction (the Locke-Wallace Marital Adjustment Scale and Stuart's Marital Precounseling Inventory), as well as the discriminant and criterion-related validity and stability and perceived reactivity of a system for observation of marital interaction in the home. Seven dissatisfied and 6 satisfied couples were administered a marital satisfaction questionnaire, and each couple was observed in their home for 3 ?-hr periods by 2 trained observers. Analysis of the data suggests that there was (a) a high level of stability and discriminant validity for several behavior codes, (b) discriminant validity for the questionnaires, and (c) a moderate degree of self-reported reactivity to the observation process. (5 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavior-based versus trait-oriented performance ratings: An empirical study.

23 US Navy officer raters evaluated the performance of subordinate officers using (a) behaviorally anchored scales, (b) scales containing the same dimensions and definitions but without behavioral anchors, and (c) a series of scales involving trait-oriented dimensions, also without anchors. Comparisons of the formats' psychometric properties indicated that the behaviorally anchored scale format was somewhat superior to the other 2 on 3 of 4 dependent variables (involving estimates of leniency, halo, interrater agreement, and degree of differentiation among ratees). However, the magnitudes of the differences due to formats were small, in no case exceeding more than 5% of the variance on the dependent variable. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neuroticism, marital interaction, and the trajectory of marital satisfaction.

Theories of how initially satisfied marriages deteriorate or remain stable over time have been limited by a failure to distinguish between key facets of change. The present study defines the trajectory of marital satisfaction in terms of 2 separate parameters—(a) the initial level of satisfaction and (b) the rate of change in satisfaction over time—and seeks to estimate unique effects on each of these parameters with variables derived from intrapersonal and interpersonal models of marriage. Sixty newlywed couples completed measures of neuroticism, were observed during a marital interaction, and provided reports of marital satisfaction every 6 months for 4 years. Neuroticism was associated with initial levels of marital satisfaction but had no additional effects on rates of change. Behavior during marital interaction predicted rates of change in marital satisfaction but was not associated with initial levels. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

An empirical test of a model of nontraditional student adjustment.

Predictors and consequences of psychological adjustment were examined by testing a model of nontraditional student adjustment. The empirical model, developed from prior conceptual work (J. P. Bean and B. S. Metzner, 1985), featured developmentally relevant factors, such as family support and career-related academic variables. Results supported the feasibility of the model. Academic and noncollege environmental variables were predictive of institutional commitment and an absence of psychological distress, which in turn predicted intended continuance in school. Implications of the results were related to the special academic and personal needs of nontraditional students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The dynamic goal theory of marital satisfaction.

Marital satisfaction is gaining increasing concern in modern society. The current review proposes the dynamic goal theory of marital satisfaction to integrate previous findings about marital satisfaction from a life span developmental perspective. The theory argues that people have multiple goals to achieve in their marriage. These marital goals can be classified into three categories: personal growth goals, companionship goals, and instrumental goals. The priority of the three types of marital goals is under dynamic changes across adulthood. Generally speaking, young couples emphasize the personal growth goals, middle-aged couples prioritize the instrumental goals, and old couples focus on the companionship goals. Whether the prioritized marital goals are achieved in marriage determines marital satisfaction. Other factors influencing marital satisfaction can be linked with marital goals in two ways. Some factors, such as life transitions and cultural values, can affect the priority of different marital goals; while other factors, such as communication pattern, problem solving, and attribution, can facilitate the achievement of the prioritized marital goals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Treatment of relationship dysfunction: An empirical evaluation of group and conjoint behavioral marital therapy.

Fifteen distressed couples were randomly assigned to group, conjoint, or waiting list conditions. A behavioral communication treatment package was administered over eight sessions and was evaluated via multidimensional assessments. Results revealed that behavioral communication therapy was a highly effective modality for the resolution of marital dysfunction. Both group and conjoint treatments were found to be superior to the waiting list condition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gender differences in adjustment to bereavement: An empirical and theoretical review.

The loss of a marital partner results in substantial increases in morbidity and mortality among both men and women, but the effects are relatively greater for widowers than for widows in the acute grieving period. Evidence is reviewed, and explanations of the pattern are examined. An interpretation in terms of gender differences in social support (M. Stroebe & W. Stroebe, 1983), although plausible, has not yet been empirically confirmed. Likewise, with respect to gender differences in coping styles, women are more confrontive and expressive of their emotions than men, but there has been little validation of the generally accepted grief work hypothesis (working through grief by women brings about their better recovery). Cognitive processes underlying effective coping with bereavement are analyzed, and a stressor-specific framework, the dual process model of coping with loss, is suggested to help explain gender differences in health outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Use of implicit measures for organizational research: An empirical example.

An increasing amount of attention is being paid by social and cognitive psychologists to implicit processing, which has ubiquitous effects on attitudes and behaviours. Unfortunately, organizational scholars have tended to focus almost exclusively on explicit processing, which limits understanding of how employees function at work if implicit processing does indeed play a role. In this article, the authors argue that implicit processing is likely prevalent in organizational settings and discuss ways that it can be measured. The authors then present the results of an experiment that suggests that organizational justice—an important work-based variable—has implicit effects on motivation. Moreover, the magnitude of explicit and implicit effects was moderated by need for cognition, a stable individual difference variable. These results support the need to examine implicit processing and its effects in organizations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perspective taking as a predictor of marital adjustment.

Recently, theorists have argued that positive personality dispositions may facilitate the maintenance of satisfying personal relationships. On a sample of 159 couples (married an average of 23.8 years) it was hypothesized that perspective taking, defined as the cognitive tendency to put oneself in another person's place, would be positively predictive of marital adjustment. Three dimensions of perspective taking were measured. A general measure assessed self perspective taking in general social interaction. A second instrument assessed the perspective taking of the self, and the third assessed the perspective taking of another within the marriage relationship. Results indicated that for both husbands and wives, all 3 dimensions of perspective taking were predictive of marital adjustment. Wives had significantly higher scores than did husbands on all 3 perspective-taking scales. The results are discussed within the context of a model of relational competence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An empirical comparison of the relative effects of rater response biases on three rating scale formats.

Compared Smith-Kendall type behaviorally anchored scales for derived performance dimensions (Format 1), scales for the same dimensions but without the behavioral anchors (Format 2), and scales for dimensions selected on an a priori basis (Format 3) on the basis of susceptibility to rater response biases. Raters were 30 graduate students and ratees were 3 associate professors whom the raters had had in succession during their 1st year of graduate study. Leniency error and composite halo error were present in all ratings; there was no evidence of relative or absolute halo errors in any ratings. There was some evidence that the use of scales for derived dimensions reduced leniency error and increased the amount of variance attributable to ratee differences. The scale reliabilities of the 3 formats were also determined. A discussion of the feasibility of obtaining relatively independent scales for several job performance dimensions is included. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A cross-cultural examination of the relation of marital communication behavior to marital satisfaction.

Numerous studies have examined the communication behaviors of Western, primarily North American, couples and have demonstrated a robust and reliable association between marital satisfaction and couple communication. However, there has been relatively less attention given to the generalizability of these findings to non-Western couples. To address this issue, the authors conducted an observational study of marital communication among couples from 3 different cultural groups: 50 White American couples, 52 Pakistani couples in Pakistan, and 48 immigrant Pakistani couples in America. The results show that positive and negative communication behaviors were associated with marital satisfaction within each of the 3 cultural groups. However, the American group's marital satisfaction was more strongly related to marital communication behaviors than was that of the Pakistani group and, to a lesser extent, the immigrant group. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)