Lower Marital Adjustment Research Articles

Being the Mother of a Special Child: Resilience and Marital Adjustment in Mothers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

This study aims to examine the levels and the relationship between resilience and marital adjustment in mothers of a child diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Seventy mothers with a child diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder who have been followed up in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic of Bakırköy Training and Research Hospital for Psychiatry Neurology and Neurosurgery and 74 mothers with a typically developing child to form the control group were included in the study. The Childhood Autism Rating Scale was applied to assess the severity of autism symptoms in children. Sociodemographic form, Beck Depression Scale and Beck Anxiety Scale were applied. The Psychological Resilience Scale for Adults was used to assess resilience. The Marital Adjustment Scale was applied to evaluate the participants' marital adjustment. The level of resilience (P < .001) and marital adjustment (P = .002) in mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder were found to be lower when compared to mothers with a typically developing child. There is a negative correlation between the level of resilience and the severity of autism (P = .002) (r = -0.361). A positive correlation was found between marital adjustment and resilience (P < .001) (r = 0.465). High levels of depressive symptoms (P = .003), low marital adjustment (P = .003), and low educational level were found to be predictive of low resilience (P = .044). Taking advantage of the fact that resilience is a dynamic process, there is a need to develop strategies to increase resilience in mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder, which will also give rise to individual and marital well-being.

The Moderating Role of Marital Adjustment in Relationship Between Perceived Maternal Parenting Styles and Family Functioning among Fathers

The present study investigated the moderating role of marital adjustment in the relationship between perceived maternal parenting styles and the family functioning of fathers. It was qualitative cross-sectional research comprised of fathers (N = 200). The measures used in exploring the relationship were the Parental Authority Questionnaire (Buri, 1991), the Family ICPS Scale (Intimacy, Conflict, and Parenting Styles) developed by Noller. et. al, 1992, and the Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale (Crane, Bean, &amp; Middleton, 2000). Following the analysis, correlation, t-test, ANOVA, and regression (through Hayes Process Macro) was run. The results emphasize the importance of marital adjustment and the marital relationship’s quality influencing the effects of maternal parenting styles on family functioning and it acknowledges that perceptions play a crucial role in shaping family dynamics. It was found that with high marital adjustment, permissive and authoritative parenting styles influence the dynamics of family functioning, and with low marital adjustment, authoritarian parenting styles influence family functioning. The results provide insights into the dynamics of fatherhood within the context of Pakistani families, shedding light on the important factors that influence paternal experiences and overall family well-being. Further research and interventions in this area can potentially enhance family relationships and explore additional variables, such as children’s involvement, cultural norms, and societal expectations, to deepen the understanding of the complex dynamics within families.

Spouse and mother-in-law rejection and marital adjustment of Turkish women with child and adult marriage

Child marriages occur between a child under the age of 18 and an adult or another child and take place without children being physiologically or psychologically ready to shoulder the responsibilities of marriage and having children. Child marriages among women are prevalent in Turkey and linked with number of negative outcomes. The aim of this study is to investigate the predictor role of spouse and mother-in-law rejection on marital adjustment and whether this relationship differs for Turkish women married under and above 18. Results revealed that women who were married as children had significantly higher scores for spouse and mother-in-law rejection and lower marital adjustment than women married above 18. Additionally, the marital adjustment of women married as children and by the marriage of choice was significantly lower than women who had married at an adult age and by the marriage of choice. Moderation analysis, which was made by Process macro, indicated that marital age and mother-in-law rejection had a moderator role in the relationship between overall spousal rejection and marital adjustment. In conclusion, this study provides a unique contribution to the relevant literature in Turkish culture in terms of comparing women married under the age of 18 and above 18.

Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Anxiety, Cognitive Avoidance, and Empathy of Couples Visiting Counseling Centers in Ahvaz City, Iran

Background: Anxiety can reduce the couples’ self-confidence and damage their mental health. The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on anxiety, cognitive avoidance, and empathy among couples visiting counseling centers in Ahvaz City, Iran, in 2020. Methods: The research method was quasi-experimental with a pre-test, post-test design, follow-up, and a control group. The statistical population consisted of all couples with low marital adjustment who were referred to the psychological centers of Ahvaz in 2019. Using a convenience sampling method, 30 participants were selected and randomly divided into experimental and control groups (n=15 per group). The research instruments included the symptom checklist-90-revised, the cognitive avoidance questionnaire, and the basic empathy scale. The experimental group underwent eight 90-min sessions (one session per week) of ACT, and the control group did not receive any intervention. The follow-up was performed after 45 days. Repeated-measures ANOVA was used to analyze the data in SPSS. Results: ACT effectively decreased anxiety and cognitive avoidance and increased empathy among couples in the experimental group (P&lt;0.001). The Mean±SD pre-test and post-test scores of anxiety in the experimental group were 23.33±2.89 and 18.93±3.36, respectively, which decreased compared to the post-test mean score (24.27±2.96) of the control group. Conclusion: ACT decreased anxiety and cognitive avoidance and significantly increased empathy in married individuals. ACT can improve empathy in couples involved in marital conflicts.

Effects of Schema Therapy on Anxiety, Cognitive Avoidance, and Resilience in Couples With Conflicts

Background: Resilience, as a variable affecting couples’ relationships and resolving conflicts between them, plays an essential role in family psychology and family therapy. Materials &amp; Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test, post-test, a control group, and a 45-day follow-up design. The statistical population included all couples with low marital adjustment who were referred to the psychological counseling centers of Ahvaz City, Iran, in 2020. Thirty participants were selected using the convenience sampling method and randomly divided into the experimental and control groups (n=15 couples/group). The necessary data were collected using the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), the Cognitive Avoidance Questionnaire (CAQ), and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). The schema therapy program was performed for the experimental group in eight 90-minute weekly sessions; however, the control group received no intervention. The follow-up phase was performed after 45 days. Repeated-Measures Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used in SPSS to analyze the obtained data. Results: Schema therapy effectively decreased anxiety and cognitive avoidance and increased resilience among couples in the experimental group (P&lt;0.001). The Mean±SD post-test score of resilience was measured as 50.87±4.64 in the experimental group, which increased, compared to the post-test scores (43.33±5.71) in the control group. Conclusion: Schema therapy decreased anxiety, cognitive avoidance, and significantly increased resilience in the examined couples. Schema therapy can be used to improve resilience in couples presenting marital conflicts.

AN ASSESSMENT OF MARITAL ADJUSTMENT AND SEXUAL FUNCTIONS OF WOMEN WORKING IN SHIFTS IN HEALTHCARE

The aim of the study was to assess the marital adjustment and sexual functions of women working in shifts in healthcare. The population of this descriptive, cross-sectional study consisted of 152 women working in shifts in a hospital in the city of Adana. The sample of the study consisted of 117 women who met the inclusion criteria (married, active sexual life, not be in menopause, to have no premorbid psychiatric diagnosis) and who agreed to participate in the study. The data of the study was gathered using a “Personal Information Form” which included the descriptive data of the women, a “Sexual Function Index” to assess women’s sexual dysfunctions, and a “Marital Adjustment Test” to assess marital compatibilities of the women. The mean MAT score of women working in shifts in healthcare was 39,32 ± 11,01, suggesting that women had low marital adjustment. A weak positive and significant relationship was found between sexual functions and marital adjustments of women working in shifts in healthcare (r = 0.382, p < 0.05). Decreasing working hours and workloads women working in shifts, therefore allowing women to have a more active role at home, and allowing them to improve their marital relationships is suggested. Article DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.20319/lijhls.2019.51.7388 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-commercial 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.

Relationship between Health Behaviors and Marital Adjustment and Marital Intimacy in Multicultural Family Female Immigrants.

BackgroundThis study analyzed the relationship between health behaviors and marital adjustment in multicultural couples to evaluate their health status.MethodsMarried couples (70 Korean men and their immigrant wives) completed a structured interview on health behaviors and sociodemographic factors, the Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale (RDAS), and the Marital Intimacy Scale. Based on the cutoff value of the RDAS, respondents were classified into two groups: high or low dyadic adaptation groups. The collected data were compared with health behavior regarding smoking, alcohol consumption, exercise, and weight.ResultsThe odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval [CI]) by logistic regression with adjustment for age, educational level, career, occupation, length of residence in Korea, nationality, religion, age difference between couple, number of children, monthly income, and proficiency in Korean was 1.279 (1.113–1.492) for unhealthy exercise and 1.732 (1.604–1.887) for unhealthy body weight in female immigrants with low marital adjustment. In Korean husbands with low marital adjustment, the OR (95% CI) was 1.625 (1.232–2.142) for smoking and 1.327 (1.174– 1.585) for unhealthy exercise. No significant relationship was found between marital intimacy and health behaviors in female immigrants or Korean husbands.ConclusionMore desirable health behaviors were observed in highly adapted couples. Therefore, family physicians should be concerned with marital adjustment and other associative factors to evaluate and improve multicultural couples’ health status.

Marital adjustment, convergent communication patterns, and psychological distress in women with early and late marriage

Early marriage among women is prevalent in Pakistan and is linked with a number of negative health outcomes. This study aimed to determine significant differences in marital adjustment, convergent communication patterns, and psychological distress in Pakistani women with early and late marriages. Further, it investigated the predictors of psychological distress in married women of Pakistan. Cross sectional design was used to select the sample of 100 women (50 with early marriage; 50 with late marriage) from Lahore, Pakistan. Marital Adjustment test (Locke & Wallace Marriage and Family Living, 21(3), 251–255, 1959), The Convergence Communication scale (Miller-Day & Jackson Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 29(8), 1036-1057, 2012) and Kessler Psychological Distress Scale- K10 (Kessler et al. Psychological Medicine, 32(6), 959-976, 2002) were administered. Results revealed that women with late marriages had higher marital adjustment, whereas, women with early marriages showed higher psychological distress. Regression analysis indicated low marital adjustment and interpersonal deference communication style as significant predictors of psychological distress in married women. The findings of this study may help service providers to recognize the impact of early and late marriage on women’s psychological health.

To study the relationship between religious coping spiritual well being, and marital adjustment, among the wives of males with Alcohol Dependence Syndrome

Introduction: The impact of alcoholism on marital – family functioning and the influence of marital – family relationship on the development and the maintenance of the alcoholism are challenging problems to both the clinicians and researchers. The aim was to study the relationship between religious coping spiritual well being, and marital adjustment, among the wives of males with Alcohol Dependence Syndrome.&#x0D; Material And Method: Wives of alcohol dependent male patients admitted in the Department of Psychiatry, Armed Police force Hospital were included in the study after informed consent. a) Semi-Structured Proforma b) The Spiritual Well-Being Scale, C) R- COPE Scale, (D) Dyadic Adjustment Scale. were used to collect the data.&#x0D; Results: The results of the study show that majorities were from a rural background, low socio economic status, nuclear family and were homemakers. Spiritual well being and religious well being correlated positively with positive religious coping and inversely correlated with negative religious coping. The total score on religious coping correlated inversely with the dyadic adjustment showing that in times of stress and low marital adjustment the sample turned more to religion to help them cope. High negative correlation was seen between the dyadic adjustment of the wives and negative religious coping .The years of drinking inversely correlated with spiritual well being and the subscale of existential well being, indicating that the more number of years the patient consumed alcohol the wife had lower spiritual well being and in particular existential well being.&#x0D; Conclusion: Spiritual well being enhances the positive religious coping strategies of the wives of men with alcoholism in this study. When the spiritual well being is low more negative methods of religious coping are used.

Patterns of Spillover Between Marital Adjustment and Parent-Child Conflict During Pediatric Cancer Treatment.

When a child is diagnosed with cancer, problems may arise in family relationships and negatively affect child adjustment. The current study examined patterns of spillover between marital and parent-child relationships to identify targets for intervention aimed at ameliorating family conflict. Families (N = 117) were recruited from two US children's hospitals within 2-week postdiagnosis to participate in a short-term prospective longitudinal study. Children with cancer were 2-10 years old (M = 5.42 years, SD = 2.59). Primary caregivers provided reports of marital and parent-child conflict at 1-, 6-, and 12-month postdiagnosis. Results indicated that a unidirectional model of spillover from the marital to the parent-child relationship best explained the data. In terms of specific temporal patterns, lower marital adjustment soon after diagnosis was associated with an increase in parent-child conflict 6 months later, though this pattern was not repeated in the latter 6 months of treatment. Targeting problems in marital relationships soon after diagnosis may prevent conflict from developing in the parent-child relationship.

Identifying the relationship between marital adjustment and, sex roles and burnout rather than dependence features of the patient in wives of the patients with AUD

ObjectiveTo identify the relationship between marital adjustment and, sex roles and burnout rather than dependence features of the patient in wives of the patients with AUD.MethodThe study sample consisted of 33 wives of AUD patients (according to DSM-IV-TR criteria) who were applied to a University Hospital Alcohol Dependence Clinic to leave alcohol use. Sociodemographic questionnaire, Marital Adjustment Scale (MAS), Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), Bem Sex Role Inventory-Short Form (BSRI) and, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were applied to the wives of ADD patients.ResultsMean MAS score was under cut-off score (29.63 ± 10.33) and it shows that marital adjustment is lower in wives of ADD patients. It was shown that marriages longer than ten years, and higher emotional exhaustion scores were associated with lower marital adjustment in our study. Masculinity scores were higher in wives who perceived their income status higher. In contrast to previous studies, which examined marital adjustment, masculinity role was found to be associated with higher marital adjustment in our study.DiscussionEmotional exhaustion and depression are common in spouses of the patients with ADD in our study. There may be a distortion in expected roles of the spouses which cause a disequilibrium on the family relationship. Lower income status, having increased number of children was associated with severe depression in wives which found to reduce marital adjustment scores. Finally, most of the wives of ADD patients will need psychotherapeutic treatments during addiction period. So incorporating spouses into treatment of ADD patients is a necessity to improve marital adjustment and burnout.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Psychological distress, self esteem and emotional dependency of married individuals as predictors of marital adjustment

In current literature there are studies that have evaluated the relationship between psychological distresses, self-esteem, emotional dependency and marital adjustment. This study aims to contribute to the expansion of this area of research concentrating on especially Turkish case which seems to be considerably different one from both the United States and other Western countries. It is concluded that marital adjustment is higher for the men than for the women. Psychological distress negatively predicts marital adjustment for both women and men, whereas self-esteem and emotional dependency predicts it positively and psychological distress levels are higher for the women than for the men. Some factors for this could be subordinated status of women at home, lack of sufficient income, violence, social and economic inequalities, traditional duties that should be performed in daily affairs. Those in low income class have lower marital adjustment, self-esteem, emotional dependency compared to those in middle and high income classes. There is no doubt that economic problems enhance the preoccupation with financial issues in many couples. Higher-Post Graduate educational level had higher marriage adjustment scores compared to individuals with Primary-Secondary School educational level. Higher/Post Graduate educational level had lower psychological distress scores compared to individuals with Primary-Secondary School educational level and High School.

Traumatization, Marital Adjustment, and Parenting among Veterans and Their Spouses: A Longitudinal Study of Reciprocal Relations.

Despite considerable research on secondary traumatization, the ramifications of veterans' and their wives' posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) for the family system remain largely uninvestigated. Beginning to fill this gap, the current study aims to investigate the reciprocal relations between both spouses' PTSS and marital adjustment, and the implications these bear for their parental functioning. Two hundred and twenty-five Israeli veterans (mean age=58.62, SD=7.6) from the 1973 Yom Kippur War and their wives (mean age=58.28, SD=5.79) were examined at two points in time: 30 (T1) and 35-37years after the war (T2). Analysis included longitudinal actor-partner interdependence modeling and sequential mediation analyses. The results show that higher PTSS among the wives at T1 predicted higher PTSS among husbands at T2, and vice versa, and predicted their husbands' marital adjustment at T2. Moreover, wives' PTSS at T1 had a significant effect on parental overinvolvement of both parents at T2, but neither their PTSS nor their husbands' PTSS had an impact on positive parenting. In the intrapersonal domain, better marital adjustment at T1 predicted positive parenting among both spouses in subsequent measurement. Interpersonally, wives' lower marital adjustment at T1 predicted husbands' higher parental functioning, but not vice versa. Furthermore, marital adjustment mediated the association between PTSS and positive parenting for both spouses. The results emphasize the detrimental ramifications of war trauma on the interpersonal domains in veterans' families. Hence, both marital and parental consequences of trauma should be considered in clinical family interventions.

التوافق الزواجی وعلاقته ببعض سمات الشخصیة لدى طلاب الدراسات العلیا فی برنامج إدارة الأعمال التنفیذی بکلیة العلوم الإداریة والمالیة بجامعة الطائف

هدفت الدراسة إلى معرفة العلاقة بين التوافق الزواجي وبعض سمات الشخصية لدى طلاب برنامج إدارة الأعمال التنفيذي بکلية العلوم الإدارية والمالية بجامعه الطائف،ومعرفه الفروق في التوافق الزواجي وبعض سمات الشخصية وفقا لاختلاف مدة الزواج ووفقا للعمر عند الزواج واختلاف عدد الأطفال في الأسرة . وقد تکونت عينة الدراسة من (102) طالبا من طلاب برنامج ماجستير إدارة الأعمال التنفيذي بجامعه الطائف. واستخدم الباحث مقياس التوافق الزواجي من إعداد العنزي (2009) ومقياس سمات الشخصية من إعداد کوستا وماکري ( 1992) تعريب بدر الأنصاري (1997). وباستخدام الأساليب الإحصائية الملائمة تم التوصل إلى وجود علاقة ارتباطية سالبة ذات دلالة إحصائية عند مستوى (01,0) بين ابعاد التوافق الزواجي والدرجة الکلية وبعد العصابية من العوامل الخمسة الکبرى للشخصية. کما أظهرت نتائج الدراسة وجود علاقة ارتباطية موجبة بين أبعاد التوافق الزواجي والدرجة الکلية وبين (بعد الأنبساطيه وبعد الصفاوة وبعد الطيبة وبعد نقطة الضمير) من العوامل الخمسة الکبرى للشخصية. وکذلک وجود فروقات ذات دلالة إحصائية بين متوسطات درجات التوافق الزواجي لدى أفراد عينة البحث وفقا لاختلاف مدة الزواج ووفقا للعمر عند الزواج واختلاف عدد الأطفال في الأسرة. وأوضحت نتائج الدراسة وجود فروق ذات دلالة إحصائية بين متوسطات درجات مرتفعي ومنخفضي التوافق الزواجي والعوامل الکبرى للشخصية (بعد العصابية وبعد الانبساطيه وبعد الصفاوة وبعد الطيبة وبعد يقظة الضمير) لدى عينة البحث. The present study aimed to identify the relationship between marital adjustment and some personality traits and the detection of the difference in Marital adjustment and some personality traits of the light of some variables ( the duration of the Marriage and age at marriage. and the number of children in the family). The study simple consisted of (102) students from the study tools: Measuring of Marital adjustment prepared by alanazy (2009) and Measuring of the top five factors of personality by costa and Mc Rae ( 1992) and Arabization Ansari (1997). Accordins to the correlation coefficient, analysis of variance and the single, and the test of V t. test. Results: There is negative is statistically significant relation between marital adjustment the dimensions and the degree of the faculty and the Neuroticism to the sample after a search, There is Apostive statistically significant relation between marital adjustment the dimensions and the degree of the faculty the dimensions of Extraversion and openness and Agreeableness and Conscientiousness to the sample search. There is statistically significant differences the average of the students degree in marital Adjustment According to the duration of the Marriage and age at the Marriage and the number of children in the family. There is statistically signficant between the Average of the students degree of high and low Marital Adjustment and certain personality traits ( Neuroticism - Extraversion – openness- Agreeableness- Conscientiousness ) to the sample search.

The contribution of captivity and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder to marital adjustment of Israeli couples

This study examined marital adjustment and relations among couples where husbands had been a prisoner-of-war (i.e., POW) and couples where husbands were veterans, but not POWs. The study also examined the relative contribution of the husband's post-traumatic stress disorder (i.e., PTSD) and POW experience to both spouses' marital adjustment. Results from 157 couples (85 former POWs and spouses as well as 72 veterans but not POWs and their spouses as controls) indicated that former POW couples had lower marital adjustment, sexual satisfaction, and self-disclosure, and higher verbal abuse than the control couples. Captivity indirectly influenced the husband's marital adjustment through his PTSD. In turn, PTSD had an indirect effect on both spouses' marital adjustment, fully mediated through marital relations variables.

Work–family conflict and psychological well-being: Stability and cross-lagged relations within one- and six-year follow-ups

The rank-order stability and cross-lagged relations between work-to-family conflict (WFC), family-to-work conflict (FWC), and psychological well-being were examined in two longitudinal studies with full two-wave panel designs. In Study 1 ( n = 365), the time lag was one year, and in Study 2 ( n = 153), six years. The Structural Equation Modeling showed that the stability for WFC was .69 over one and .73 over six years. The respective stabilities for FWC were .57 and .48. Cross-lagged relations were not detected between WFC/FWC and low psychological well-being (job exhaustion, marital adjustment, parental stress, and psychological distress), expected to exist on the basis of the integrative model of work–family interface [Frone, M. R., Yardley, J. K., & Markel, K. S. (1997). Developing and testing an integrative model of the work–family interface. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 50, 145–167.]. Instead, high job exhaustion preceded high psychological distress, both within one- and six-year time lags, and within a one-year time lag: low marital adjustment preceded high psychological distress, and high psychological distress preceded high parental stress. These findings supported the spillover perspective on work–family interface [Edwards, J. R., & Rothbard, N. P. (2000). Mechanisms linking work and family: Clarifying the relationship between work and family constructs. Academy of Management Review, 25, 178–199.].

The effect of maternal depression and marital adjustment on young children's internalizing and externalizing behaviour problems

The present study aimed to clarify the circumstances under which maternal depression is associated with adverse outcomes in pre-school-aged children, and to explore the additional impact of the marital relationship in a socio-economically low-risk sample. Ninety-two mothers recruited into a longitudinal study were assessed for symptoms of depression when their children were 4, 12 and 15 months, and later at 4 years of age. At 4 years of age, mothers were also asked to report on marital adjustment. Mothers, fathers and pre-school teachers were asked to report on children's internalizing and externalizing behaviour problems. Children exposed to chronic maternal depression were rated by their parents as significantly more problematic on internalizing and externalizing behaviours. This association was not mediated or moderated by low marital satisfaction. No parent-reported effects were evident for children exposed to transient depression. Ten per cent of the children had internalizing scores in the clinical range, and 7% had externalizing scores in the clinical range. Almost all of the children with clinically elevated scores had been exposed to chronic maternal depression. Teacher reports of internalizing behaviours corroborated parent reports; however, teachers tended to report significantly lower levels of behaviour problems. Although there was a tendency for teachers to rate children exposed to any depression as more problematic on internalizing behaviours, the subgroup differences were not significant. Findings confirm that depression chronicity is important in determining child behavioural outcomes, and that depression effects cannot be accounted for by low marital adjustment. Results are discussed with reference to transmission of risk models, and treatment implications are considered.

COUPLES' PERCEPTIONS OF WIVES' CFS SYMPTOMS, SYMPTOM CHANGE, AND IMPACT ON THE MARITAL RELATIONSHIP

The purpose of this descriptive correlational study was to describe the differences in couples' perceptions of wives' Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) symptoms and to describe the relationship between changing symptoms and the marital relationship. The convenience sample of 131 wives with CFS and their spouses reported symptom changes similarly. However, wives reported significantly higher problem levels for constitutional, fatigue, cognition, central nervous system (CNS), musculoskeletal, and allergy symptom domains and significantly less problem levels of mood disturbance domain than their husbands. Husbands who reported more symptom changes also reported lower marital adjustment, less empathy and support from their wives, and more conflict within the relationship. Wives who reported more symptom changes reported lower marital adjustment, less empathy for their husbands, and more conflict within the relationship and had husbands who reported lower marital adjustment and less empathy and support by the wives.

Psychological Distress Among Women With Recurrent Spontaneous Abortion

Fifty-seven of 100 women with recurrent abortion completed questionnaires designed to assess demographic and reproductive variables, depression, anxiety, social desirability, self-esteem, locus of control, and marital adjustment. The results indicated that 32% of the women could be classified as depressed. The subjects also reported higher than average levels of acute and chronic anxiety. Fifty-three percent of the subjects reported below average marital adjustment. Post hoc analyses indicated that the women who had a previous elective abortion had higher levels of anxiety, lower marital adjustment, and different attributions regarding their pregnancy losses than the women who had not had an elective abortion. Having a living child was not a protective buffer against psychological distress.

The Communication Patterns Questionnaire: The Reliability and Validity of a Constructive Communication Subscale

This study provides evidence for the reliability and validity of a 7-item constructive communication subscale of the Communication Patterns Questionnaire (CPQ-CC, Christensen & Sullaway, 1984). Seventy married couples completed the CPQ and participated in videotaped problemsolving discussions. The constructiveness of spouses' behavior during the videotaped problem-solving discussions was rated by trained observers. The CPQ-CC had high internal consistency and moderately high agreement between spouses. The CPQ-CC also was strongly associated with observer ratings of the spouses' constructiveness during videotaped problem-solving discussions. Finally, the CPQ-CC was strongly associated with spouses' self-reported marital adjustment. These data support the reliability and validity of this brief self-report measure of constructive communication. There is now a clear recognition of the central role of communication in marriage. Abundant research demonstrates that the quality of a couple's communication is associated with their marital adjustment. This is particularly true of communication during times of conflict. There is also evidence that certain aspects of conflict communication predict longitudinal changes in relationship adjustment (Bradbury & Karney, 1993; Heavey, Christensen, & Malamuth, 1995). Both global and mircoanalytic coding systems have been developed to characterize the nature of marital conflict behavior (see Markman & Notarius, 1987). However, using these observational systems is extremely time consuming and costly. Thus, there is a need for measures of conflict communication that are easier to employ. Despite this, there are few self-report measures of conflict communication with demonstrated reliability and validity. One measure is the Communication Patterns Questionnaire (CPQ, Christensen & Sullaway, 1984). The CPQ is a 35-item self-report measure that addresses spouses' behavior during three stages of conflict: (a) when some problem in the relationship arises, (b) during a discussion of a relationship problem, and (c) after a discussion of a relationship problem. Christensen (1988) presented data concerning the reliability and validity of three subscales of the CPQ: demand/withdraw communication, demand/withdraw roles, and mutual constructive communication. He demonstrated that there was relatively high agreement between partners' independent reports for these three subscales (r's above .70). He also found that the mutual constructive communication and demand/withdraw communication subscales were significantly related to marital adjustment in the expected direction. Christensen and Shenk (1991) examined three similar CPQ subscales in a later study. The subscales used in their study were mutual constructive communication, mutual avoidance, and demand/withdraw communication. The study compared three groups: nondistressed married couples, married couples beginning treatment for marital distress, and separated or divorcing couples. The mutual constructive communication subscale differentiated among all three groups, whereas the mutual avoidance and the demand/ withdraw communication subscales only differentiated the nondistressed couples from the other two groups. Noller and White (1990) also addressed the validity of the CPQ. They divided married couples into categories of high, medium, and low marital adjustment. They found that 27 of the 35 items significantly discriminated between couples of low and high marital adjustment. They also developed four subscales based on a factor analysis. All four of the subscales, coercion, mutuality, post-conflict distress, and destructive processes, discriminated between the high and low marital adjustment groups. Thus, there is some evidence for the reliability of CPQ subscales and considerable evidence for the discriminant validity of various subscales. However, there have not been any studies comparing couples' reports of communication behavior on the CPQ with observer ratings of their behavior during problem solving. …