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)     

Longitudinal study of marital success and failure.

Administered the Bentler Psychological Inventory, the Bentler Interactive Psychological Inventory, the Sexual Behavior Inventory, and a background questionnaire to 77 newly married couples. Four yrs later these couples were followed up to determine their marital status and satisfaction (the Locke and Wallace Marital Adjustment Scale and a rating scale of 19 potential marital problem areas). Findings indicate that (a) correlational similarity as well as mean differentiation between partners was higher in the still-married group than the divorced group; (b) accuracy of self-perception was marginally reflective of marital success; (c) living together before marriage had no apparent effect on the outcome of marriage; (d) divorced couples appeared to face qualitatively different problems than married couples; and (e) longitudinal prediction of marital adjustment was possible. It is suggested that variation in marital outcome is most accurately predicted from personality and not demographic variables, based largely on data from women. (41 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A component analysis of behavioral marital therapy: The relative effectiveness of behavior exchange and communication/problem-solving training.

Compared the relative effectiveness of behavioral marital therapy (BMT) with 2 of its major components, behavior exchange (BE) and communication/problem-solving training (CPT), each presented in isolation. 33 married couples seeking therapy were randomly assigned to 1 of these 3 treatments or to a waiting-list control group. Three doctoral candidates and 1 masters-level counselor served as therapists. All treatments involved 12–26 therapy sessions. The effects of therapy were evaluated using measures of global marital satisfaction (Dyadic Adjustment Scale), presenting problem checklists, and spouse reports of behavior at home. Treated couples showed significant improvement, relative to untreated couples. Complete BMT was no more effective than either BE or CPT at posttest. BE led to significantly greater increases in positive behavior than CPT. At a 6-mo follow-up, there was a tendency for BE couples to reverse their progress, whereas couples receiving CPT—either alone or in conjunction with BE—generally maintained their treatment gains or continued to improve. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reactivity to positive and negative behavior in distressed and nondistressed married couples.

Tested the reactivity hypothesis that distressed married couples react more to recent, high-valence events (positive or negative) than their nondistressed counterparts. 21 happily married couples and 20 couples seeking marital therapy collected nightly data in the home for 2 wks, recording both the frequency of positive, negative, and neutral events and global daily satisfaction ratings. Ss also completed the Dyadic Adjustment Scale. As in past studies, and consistent with a behavioral model of marital distress, distressed couples reported lower rates of positive behavior and higher rates of negative behavior than did nondistressed. Consistent with the hypothesis, distressed spouses were more reactive to recent events than were nondistressed. Their subjective satisfaction with the relationship depended to a greater degree on the frequency of recent positive or negative events than was the case for happily married couples. Evidence is provided that these reactivity differences were not simply a function of differences in behavioral frequencies and that the process reactivity is separable—both experimentally and statistically—from the frequency of positive and negative exchanges. The relationship between reactivity and other variables of interest is examined. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

L'appariement des styles de motivation et l'évolution de la satisfaction conjugale.

Examined whether couples tend to adopt self-determined motivational styles and observed the relationship between couples, motivation style pairings and marital satisfaction. The sample consisted of 226 married or cohabiting couples participating on a voluntary basis. 87 couples completed the questionnaires a 2nd time 36 mo later. The instruments used were the Couple Motivation Questionnaire and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale. Results showed that there is a significant relationship between women's and men's motivations to live together. The most frequent couples' pattern of pairing was 2 people with self-determined motivational styles. Furthermore, this couple pattern was related to higher marital satisfaction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Videotape replay in marital therapy.

24 couples seeking outpatient treatment for marital problems were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 treatment conditions and to 1 of 4 therapists. Two of the treatment formats involved the use of videotape feedback as part of the marital therapy procedure. To measure the expected additive effects of videotherapy techniques, comparisons between couples were made of marital adjustment, self-concept, and satisfaction with therapy (e.g., Marital Adjustment Scale, Pre-Counseling Inventory). At the conclusion of therapy, both marital adjustment reports and self-perception scores had significantly increased from the pretreatment data obtained for all groups. There was a significant therapist effect and a significant overall therapist-by-treatment format interaction, but the expected main effect for treatment format was not obtained. The interpretable patterns found in the significant therapist-by-treatment interactions suggest that there is an enhancement effect for at least some forms of psychotherapy in which some clinicians employ video techniques. (32 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)     

Traditional Versus Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy for Significantly and Chronically Distressed Married Couples.

A randomized clinical trial compared the effects of traditional behavioral couple therapy (TBCT) and integrative behavioral couple therapy (IBCT) on 134 seriously and chronically distressed married couples, stratified into moderately and severely distressed groups. Couples in IBCT made steady improvements in satisfaction throughout the course of treatment, whereas TBCT couples improved more quickly than IBCT couples early in treatment but then, in contrast to the IBCT group, plateaued later in treatment. Both treatments produced similar levels of clinically significant improvement by the end of treatment (71% of IBCT couples and 59% of TBCT couples were reliably improved or recovered on the Dyadic Adjustment Scale; G. B. Spanier, 1976). Measures of communication also showed improvement for both groups. Measures of individual functioning improved as marital satisfaction improved. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predictive validity of coping strategies on marital satisfaction: Cross-sectional and longitudinal evidence.

The present study investigated the contribution of coping strategies, when facing marital difficulties, to marital satisfaction, using both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. For the cross-sectional design, both members of 506 couples individually completed the Ways of Coping Questionnaire and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale. Results revealed that self-reported coping strategies were significant—linear and curvilinear—predictors of both self- and partner-reported marital satisfaction. Results of the longitudinal analyses were based on 2 distinct samples: 95 couples who completed the same questionnaires 4 months later (short-term cohort) and 108 couples who again completed the same questionnaires 1.5 years later (long-term cohort). Significant, but weak, curvilinear relations between coping strategies and subsequent marital satisfaction were observed for women. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Marital power, marital adjustment, and therapy outcome.

This study examined the association of marital power type to (1) marital adjustment and (2) response to behavioral marital therapy. A behavioral measure was used to classify 53 distressed couples into egalitarian, husband-dominant, wife-dominant, or anarchic power patterns. Marital adjustment was assessed by measures of marital satisfaction, desired relationship change, and 2 communication indexes. At pretreatment, egalitarian couples showed the best overall marital adjustment, and anarchic couples showed the worst; at posttreatment, egalitarian and wife-led couples reported the highest marital satisfaction, and anarchic couples reported the lowest. Wife dominant couples improved the most, reporting increased marital satisfaction and demonstrating improved communication. The discussion considers the special treatment needs of anarchic couples for whom improved communication occurred in a context of continued marital dissatisfaction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sex role identity, marital satisfaction, and response to behavioral marital therapy.

Explored the relationships among masculinity, femininity, marital satisfaction, and response to behavioral marital therapy (BMT) using 44 married nonclinic couples (mean ages of males and females 33.7 and 31 yrs, respectively), 54 maritally distressed clinic couples receiving BMT, and 18 maritally distressed clinic couples placed on a waiting list; the mean ages of males and females in both distressed clinic groups were 32.1 and 29.9 yrs, respectively. Ss completed the Marital Adjustment Scale and masculinity and femininity scales derived from the California Psychological Inventory. Results indicate that for each sex, both femininity and masculinity were significantly correlated with self-reported marital satisfaction; the magnitude of the correlations between femininity and marital satisfaction was higher than the correlations between masculinity and marital satisfaction. Among clinic couples, androgyny was the least frequent sex-role identity for either husbands or wives; conversely, among nonclinic couples, there were more androgynous husbands and wives than there was any other sex-role type. In the clinic group, both husbands and wives showed statistically significant but small increases in masculinity after receiving 10 wks of BMT. Masculinity and femininity level prior to treatment also significantly predicted response to BMT. The potential importance of both masculinity and femininity in successful marriages is highlighted, and treatment implications are discussed. (29 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Testing the ruler with item response theory: Increasing precision of measurement for relationship satisfaction with the Couples Satisfaction Index.

The present study took a critical look at a central construct in couples research: relationship satisfaction. Eight well-validated self-report measures of relationship satisfaction, including the Marital Adjustment Test (MAT; H. J. Locke & K. M. Wallace, 1959), the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS; G. B. Spanier, 1976), and an additional 75 potential satisfaction items, were given to 5,315 online participants. Using item response theory, the authors demonstrated that the MAT and DAS provided relatively poor levels of precision in assessing satisfaction, particularly given the length of those scales. Principal-components analysis and item response theory applied to the larger item pool were used to develop the Couples Satisfaction Index (CSI) scales. Compared with the MAS and the DAS, the CSI scales were shown to have higher precision of measurement (less noise) and correspondingly greater power for detecting differences in levels of satisfaction. The CSI scales demonstrated strong convergent validity with other measures of satisfaction and excellent construct validity with anchor scales from the nomological net surrounding satisfaction, suggesting that they assess the same theoretical construct as do prior scales. Implications for research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Marital Satisfaction Questionnaire for Older Persons.

Conducted 5 studies to construct and psychometrically evaluate a marital satisfaction questionnaire for older persons. The questionnaire content was generated and refined in Study 1, temporal stability was evaluated in Study 2, and criterion-related validity was examined in Study 3. Norms, factor structure, and construct validity of the questionnaire were established in Study 4. The degree to which scores on the questionnaire predicted observer ratings of marital interactions during an analog problem-solving situation was examined in Study 5. The final questionnaire consists of 24 items with 1 major and 2 minor factors. Factor scores and a total Marital Satisfaction Scale score were found to be homogeneous, temporally stable, and significantly correlated with multiple measures of marital adjustment, life satisfaction, perceived spouse behaviors, and observer ratings of marital communication. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Communication and intimacy in the marriages of depressed patients.

Marital discord is common among depressed patients. To explain the concurrence of depression and marital discord, it was hypothesized that depressed patients and their spouses have weak relationship-coping abilities, specifically communication, problem solving, and capacity for intimacy. 17 depressed patients and their spouses were compared with 17 control couples on a communication task, an intimacy interview, and self-reports of marital satisfaction. Results indicated that, compared with control Ss, the depressed patients and their spouses (1) reported greater marital dissatisfaction, (2) demonstrated poorer communication and problem-solving ability, and (3) were more likely to have an impaired capacity for establishing and maintaining intimacy. The implications for understanding the development of depression and marital discord are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Système d'Observation des Dimensions d'Interaction (SODI): validation canadienne fran?aise de l'Interactional Dimensions Coding System (IDCS).

Studied the psychometric properties of a modified French version of the IDCS (D. Julien and H. J. Markman, 1987). Ss were 40 husbands and 40 wives (all aged 21–44 yrs). Based on a measure of marital adjustment, 20 couples were classified as well adjusted and 20 couples as poorly adjusted. Intergroup differences from the results of the IDCS applied to videotapes of marital conflict discussions were analyzed. Correlations between IDCS results and Ss' perceptions of relationship problems, behavioral measures of interactional intimacy, and psychological symptoms also were determined. The predictive validity of the IDCS was established by analyzing interactions between IDCS scores and measures of marital satisfaction obtained 1 yr later. Gender differences were determined. Several French-language instruments, including French versions of the Marital Adjustment Test (H. Locke and K. Wallace, 1959), and the Symptom Checklist-90—R, were used. (English abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparative evaluation of therapeutic components associated with behavioral marital treatments.

Investigated the relative effectiveness of 3 therapeutic components common to behavioral marital therapies: procedures designed to change behavior, procedures to change attitudes, and nonspecific therapeutic effects. A hierarchical ordering of these components produced 3 treatment conditions—nonspecific, behavioral, and behavioral–attitudinal. 77 20–72 yr old couples experiencing marital distress were randomly assigned to 1 of the 3 treatment conditions and 1 of 5 paraprofessional counselors. After 4 therapy sessions, the groups were compared on measures of self-reported satisfaction (Locke-Wallace Marital Adjustment Test, Areas of Change Questionnaire and Adjective Check List), daily reported pleasing (or displeasing) relationship events (Spouse Observation Checklist), and observations of communication skillfulness (Marital Interaction Coding System). All groups showed significant decreases in negative relationship behaviors. The behavioral–attitudinal group, compared to the other groups, showed significantly greater improvement in reported marital satisfaction, pleasing behaviors, and positive communication responses. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Hitting home: Relationships between recent deployment, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and marital functioning for Army couples.

Using a sample of 434 couples consisting of active duty Army husbands married to civilian wives, relationships between recent deployment, current posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and a range of marital outcomes were investigated. Self-reports from both husbands and wives regarding relationship functioning did not differ between couples who were and were not separated due to deployment in the prior year. However, deployment in the past year was related to higher levels of current PTSD symptoms for husbands, and husbands' current PTSD symptoms were associated with lower marital satisfaction, confidence in the relationship, positive bonding between the spouses, parenting alliance, and dedication to the relationship for both husbands and wives. In addition, husbands' current PTSD symptoms were associated with higher levels of negative communication for both husbands and wives, and lower satisfaction with sacrifice for the relationship for husbands. Once positive bonding, negative communication, and parenting alliance were controlled, husband PTSD symptoms no longer significantly predicted marital satisfaction for wives. Husband PTSD symptoms continued to exert a significant, but reduced, unique effect on husband marital satisfaction once these variables were accounted for. The results provide greater understanding of the relationship of deployment/PTSD symptoms and marital functioning and suggest areas for intervention with military couples. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Marital stability, mental health, and marital satisfaction.

Administered a test of emotional stability and a marital satisfaction scale to 50 couples seeking help with their marriage and to 50 couples with stable marriages. The stable group scored significantly higher on each of the 4 subtests of the emotional stability test as well as on the total score. For the stable group there was a significant relationship between marital satisfaction and emotional stability, but this finding did not hold for the group seeking help. The hypothesis was not supported that women who marry men with emotional problems are more unstable themselves, or that if 1 partner in a marriage is emotionally unstable the other tends to also become emotionally unstable. (19 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)