The Marital Problems Questionnaire (MPQ): A Short Screening Instrument for Marital Therapy

Abstract

Since Terman's (1938) study of marital happiness, dozens of marital assessment instruments have been published (Fowers, 1990; Fredman & Sherman, 1987; Sabatelli, 1988; Touliatos, Perlmutter, & Straus, 1990). These instruments were developed for a variety of purposes, but none are ideally suited to assess the behaviors and attitudes considered important for behavioral marital therapy (BMT). Although some are relatively better than others, each has certain limitations. The purpose of this article is to describe the development of a short marital screening instrument that is consistent with the practice of BMT and to examine its psychometric properties. Behavioral marital therapy is based upon a combination of social learning theory and social exchange theory (Jacobson, 1981). It assumes that individuals enter marriage with a set of needs or expectancies for reinforcement (benefits), which are partially determined by their experiences and observations encountered during early childhood. When one chooses a marital partner, one is attempting to establish a relationship that will provide a maximum of benefits with a minimum of expended effort (costs). When the benefits of the relationship do not meet expectancies (comparison level) or when the cost/benefit ratio is perceived as high, conflict can occur. In the early stages of a relationship, conflicts are frequently skirted by acquiescence or avoidance, but if the partners do not possess adequate communication and conflict resolution skills, the conflicts will gradually escalate over time and will begin to compound future conflicts. As the number and frequency of conflicts accumulate, the marital adjustment will deteriorate and the individuals are likely to report reduced satisfaction with the relationship. Before initiating marital therapy, it is desirable to administer self-report instruments to assist with the formulation of a treatment plan (Falloon & Lillie, 1988; Jacobson, 1981; Weiss & Heyman, 1990). These self-report instruments should be selected to address at least three dimensions of the relationship: overall marital adjustment, specific problem areas in the relationship, and divorce risk (Jacobson, 1981). Additionally, there should be an attempt to assess individual marital satisfaction. Once these dimensions have been evaluated, they can be used to formulate specific treatment strategies. For example, a measure of individual marital satisfaction and an estimate of relative divorce risk can be helpful for deciding how much effort should be expended to develop positive expectancies for improved marital quality. Information about overall marital adjustment and specific problem areas is needed to focus behavioral therapy strategies such as behavioral exchanges, conflict resolution skills, companionship enhancement, and communication skills (Jacobson et al., 1989). For each of these four dimensions, there are several possible assessment strategies. Each has certain strengths and certain limitations from a BMT viewpoint. Overall Marital Adjustment The first dimension of importance in BMT is overall marital adjustment. Jacobson (1981) has recommended using either the 15-item Marital Adjustment Test (MAT) by Locke and Wallace (1959) or the 32-item Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS) by Spanier (1976). He recommends these instruments because they are widely used and have proven to be more reliable than other available measures. A problem with the MAT and the DAS as clinical screening tools, as noted by Jacobson (1981), is that these instruments provide only a single value representing relative marital quality and do not yield information about the specific problems that are causing difficulty in the marriage. Another problem discussed by Fincham and Bradbury (1987) and by Sabatelli (1988) is that these instruments arbitrarily combine subjective evaluative questions, which presumably measure individual marital satisfaction, with objective descriptive questions, which presumably measure marital adjustment. …