The Relationship between Communication Skill and Marital Satisfaction: Some Moderating Effects

Abstract

BRANT R. BURLESON Purdue University WAYNE H. DENTON Wake Forest University* This article proposes that the relationship between communication and marital satisfaction is not simple and straightforward, but rather is quite complex, varying a function of several moderating factors-skill type, marital distress, gender, and analytic unit (couple, self, or other). Participants (30 couples and 30 nondistressed couples) completed tasks providing assessments of four communication and two aspects of marital satisfaction. Analyses revealed that the magnitude-and even the direction-of the associations varied a function of the moderating variables. In particular, and satisfaction were positively associated among nondistressed couples, but were negatively associated among couples. The results are explored in terms of their implications for research on communication in marriage and the treatment of marital distress. Key Words: communication skills, marital communication skills, marital communication, marital distress. marital satisfaction. Communication plays a central role in marriage. For example, communication problems are the relationship difficulty most frequently cited by couples in community surveys (e.g., Cunningham, Braiker, & Kelley, 1982). Consistent with survey findings, communication problems also are the most frequent complaint of couples entering (Geiss & O'Leary, 1981; Hahlweg, Revenstorf, & Schindler, 1984). A popular assumption has been that the cause of many marital communication problems is deficient communication on the part of spouses (e.g., Halford, Hahlweg, & Dunne, 1990; O'Donohue & Crouch, 1996). This assumption, which we shall refer to the communication skills-deficit model of marital distress, has remained largely untested. We examine it critically in this article. We begin by briefly reviewing the contention that communication are an important determinant of marital satisfaction. Next, we critique the assumption that deficits in communication lead to dissatisfaction, identify several confusions in existing research on this topic, and offer four sets of distinctions that should assist in overcoming these confusions. We then report on a study that is designed to provide a fine-grained examination of the relationship between communication skill and marital satisfaction, well some of the factors that may moderate this relationship. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK The Assumed Connection Between Communication Skills and Marital Satisfaction The notion that the communication of spouses are major determinants of marital satisfaction is shared by theorists, researchers, and therapists alike. For example, one widely used counseling text asserts: Research indicates that communication problems are the major source of interpersonal difficulties. For example, most marital and family problems stem from misunderstanding, from ineffective communication, which results in frustration and anger when implicit expectations and desires are not fulfilled. And a major problem of those who seek professional help is their inability to recognize and communicate their problems or concerns. (Okun, 1991, p. 23) Consistent with this view, O'Donohue and Crouch (1996) note that communication training, as an attempt to remediate problematic communication, has become an important component in many approaches to marital therapy (p. 87). In particular, behavioral marital therapy-which may be the most researched clinical intervention for the treatment of marital distress (Shadish et. al., 1993)-assumes that a major reason for the scarcity of positive outcomes in relationships is a lack of on the part of marital partners. Specifically, Jacobson and Margolin (1979) suggested that distressed couples are often lacking in a variety of communication skills (p. …