Object Relations Theory and Marital Interaction

SUMMARY

A model of marital communication based on object relations theory is presented, and its utility in integrating and organizing findings from psychological research on marital interaction is described. The model includes context and process components. The context model describes stages of development and lines of development in marriage that jointly influence the sorts of situations that come to the couple's attention. The process model describes a path that leads from situations to each partner's representation of the situation, and then to the acts of communication that form the partners' interaction. The influence of internal object representations on the process of communication is depicted. A feedback loop in the model implies both the possibility of change and also the potential limits on change at several levels of the marital system. Possible paths of unconscious communication are described that reflect the more dynamic aspects of object relations theory. Principal findings from psychological research on marital interaction, marital therapy, and. social cognition are reviewed, and shown to be consistent with the model. Ways that constructs from object relations theory may clarify questions in behavioral models of marital interaction are discussed. The difference between proving the validity of a model and showing its Consistency with the known facts is noted     

Marital Conflict and Health in Taiwan: A Dyadic Longitudinal Analysis

Marital conflict is predictive of physical health; however, there are few studies that demonstrate this relationship in Chinese cultures. The purpose of this study was to test the effect of marital conflict on physical health among couples in Taiwan. This study utilized dyadic data of 239 married couples from three waves of a longitudinal study on work and family issues conducted in Taiwan. This study used participant’s reports of marital conflict at time 2, depressive symptoms at time 3, and physical health at time 4. Using a time-sequential method of analysis, results indicated that marital conflict was indirectly predictive of physical health 2 years later, with depressive symptoms fully mediating this relationship for husbands and wives. There were no significant partner effects or gender differences. The findings of this study provide evidence that the quality of marital relationships is important for the physical wellbeing of couples in Chinese cultures.     

Pathways of Influence: Marital Relationships and Their Association with Parenting Styles and Sibling Relationship Quality

We investigated the associations among marital relationship quality, mothers’ parenting styles, and young children’s sibling relationship quality drawing on the principles of family systems theory. Survey data were collected from 130 mothers who had a target child (mean age = 4.6 years) with a sibling close in age. The sample consisted of participants who self-identified as Mexican-American (49%), European-American (20%), and Taiwanese in Taiwan (24%). Structural equation modeling was used to test the direct and indirect effects of marital relationships on children’s sibling relationship quality through parenting styles and the reciprocal association between sibling relationship quality and parenting styles. The findings revealed evidence of a direct effect of marital relationships on sibling relationship quality and bidirectional relations between sibling relationships and parenting styles. The importance of research on bidirectional associations between sibling relations and parenting styles is discussed.     

澳门和东北地区夫妻沟通模式与婚姻满意度研究

采用问卷调查法对澳门（118对）和东北地区（266对）夫妻进行研究,以检验两地夫妻沟通模式的差异,及其对婚姻满意度的主客体效应。结果发现：澳门夫妻双方回避沟通显著少于东北夫妻;两地夫妻报告的妻子要求/丈夫回避行为多于丈夫要求/妻子回避行为;建设性沟通对两地夫妻婚姻满意度正向预测力最强;要求/回避沟通只对澳门夫妻的婚姻满意度有负向预测力。两地妻子的建设性沟通都能显著正向预测丈夫的婚姻满意度,而只有东北地区丈夫的建设性沟通能正向预测妻子婚姻满意度。     

A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Gender Factors Contributing to Long-Term Marital Satisfaction

Abstract

This article reports on the major findings of a cross-cultural study comparing long-term marital satisfaction between Caucasian couples and Chinese couples in Canada. The Dyadic Adjustment Scale was used to screen couples' marital satisfaction. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted individually and jointly with the screened couples to explore their meanings and experiences of marital satisfaction. With the use of narrative analysis, the study illuminates how couples constructed their gender relationships to achieve marital satisfaction over a long course of thirty to thirty-six years according to their sociocultural contexts. The similarities and differences in how the two cultural groups' respondents constructed their long-term marital satisfaction are discussed in terms of: (1) household division of labour, (2) decision-making, (3) conflict and compromise, and (4) mutuality.     

More than One Way to be Happy: A Typology of Marital Happiness

This study utilized observational and self‐report data from 57 happily married couples to explore assumptions regarding marital happiness. Suggesting that happily married couples are not a homogeneous group, cluster analyses revealed the existence of three types of couples based on their observed behaviors in a problem‐solving task: (1) mutually engaged couples (characterized by both spouses' higher negative and positive problem‐solving); (2) mutually supportive couples (characterized by both spouses' higher positivity and support); and (3) wife compensation couples (characterized by high wife positivity). Although couples in all three clusters were equally happy with and committed to their marriages, these clusters were differentially associated with spouses' evaluations of their marriage. Spouses in the mutually supportive cluster reported greater intimacy and maintenance and less conflict and ambivalence, although this was more consistently the case in comparison to the wife compensation cluster, as opposed to the mutually engaged cluster. The implications of these typologies are discussed as they pertain to efforts on the part of both practitioners to promote marital happiness and repair marital relations when couples are faced with difficulties.     

Marital adjustment and interleukin-6 (IL-6)

Building on prior research that marital functioning is associated with a variety of health outcomes, we evaluated the association between marital adjustment and a marker of inflammation in a sample of married adults between the ages of 35 and 84 years old (N = 415) from the second wave of the population-based Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS II). Specifically, we evaluated associations between positive (i.e., partner support) and negative (i.e., partner strain) dimensions of marital adjustment and interleukin-6 (IL-6) separately for men and women, and whether these associations were moderated by age. Results indicated that (a) marital adjustment was not associated with IL-6 in men, (b) age moderated the association between marital adjustment and IL-6 in women, (c) partner support and partner strain were associated with IL-6 in younger women, and (d) partner support but not partner strain was uniquely associated with IL-6 in younger women. The associations between marital adjustment and IL-6 in younger women were significant when controlling for demographic variables, health status indicators, health behaviors, depressive symptoms, and perceived stress. These findings suggest that IL-6 may be a useful biomarker for studying health-relevant biological responses within intimate relationships, and that young women, in particular, may exhibit increased inflammation when partner support is low.     

Convergent and discriminant validity of the Marital Disillusionment Scale

The Marital Disillusionment Scale, together with measures of divorce proneness, marital disaffection, work addiction, sensation seeking, intimacy, and marital satisfaction (using the subscales Marital Disharmony and Disaffection), was administered to 116 married people (42 men, 74 women) in a university town in the western USA. Scores on the Marital Disillusionment Scale had significant positive correlations with scores on the Marital Instability Scale (r = .54), the Marital Disaffection Scale (r = .72), and the two subscales Disharmony (r = .53) and Disaffection (r = .75) of the eMarital Satisfaction Inventory. Scores for the Marital Disillusionment Scale were negatively correlated with those for the Personal Assessment of Intimacy in Relationships Inventory (r = -.65) but were not significantly associated with scores for the Work Addiction Risk Test and the Brief Sensation Seeking Scale. The results support the convergent and discriminant validity of the Marital Disillusionment Scale.     

Aggression in Toddlers: Associations With Parenting and Marital Relations

This study examined the relation among parenting factors, marital relations, and toddler aggression. A structured questionnaire was administered to both parents of 254 2-year-olds. The authors used correlation and hierarchical multiple regression analyses to assess the extent to which certain personality traits, drug use, parenting style, and marital conflicts were related to the toddlers' aggressive behavior. Results showed that the maternal child-rearing and parental aggression domains had a direct effect on toddler aggression. The domain of maternal child rearing also served as a mediator for the domains of marital relations, paternal child rearing, parental aggression, and parental drug use. The findings indicated that maternal child-rearing practices, personality attributes, and drug use were more important than paternal attributes in relation to toddler aggression. Implications for prevention among families at risk are discussed.     

Marital Status and Gender Similarity in Marital Therapy

This analogue study was designed to examine the effects of therapists' marital status and therapist and participant sex on participants' perceptions of therapist and expectations for therapy. Each partner of 20 couples presenting for marital therapy at four outpatient counseling centers independently completed one of four protocols. The protocols differed only on the therapist's marital status and sex. Results revealed that neither therapist marital status nor therapist sex had an effect on participants' perceptions of therapists or therapy expectations. Female participants, however, perceived therapists as more trustworthy, attractive, and expert and had higher expectations for therapy than did male participants.     

Marital Maladjustment and the Crime of Murder Among Pakistani Female Criminals

This study explores marital maladjustment as concomittantly related to female crimes such as murder and running away from home. Seventy female convicts were interviewed in depth on variables indicating marital maladjustment. The variables were: Sharp disparity between the ages of husbands and wives, early marriage, husband's other wife, exchange marriage, forced marriage, problems with in-laws, husband's extra-marital relations and severe conflicts with husbands. The findings indicate that marital maladjustment is an important factor behind criminal acts commited by women in Pakistan. The two most frequent of these are murder and running away from home. Results have been discussed in terms of the peculiar cultural conditions existing in Pakistan. The implications of social reform are suggested and the need for adopting a helpful attitude towards women before and after their criminal acts is stressed.     

Humor and Marital Satisfaction

Abstract

Fifty married Israeli couples were administered a humor test measuring humor creation and humor appreciation, as well as a questionnaire measuring marital satisfaction. Each spouse completed the measurement for self and for his or her partner. Results obtained showed that marital satisfaction was related to perception of the partner's humor more than the spouse's own humor. There was a significant relation for husbands between their scores on humor appreciation and their marital satisfaction. No relation was found for wives between their humor scores and their marital satisfaction. Multiple stepwise regressions on humor scores showed that complementarity between spouses' perceptions of partners' humor explains most of the variance of marital satisfaction.     

Bidirectional Associations Between Newlyweds' Marital Satisfaction and Marital Problems over Time

Prevailing views of marital functioning generally adopt the view that marital problems predict decreases in marital satisfaction, but alternative theoretical perspectives raise the possibility that lowered satisfaction can also predict increases in problems. The current study sought to integrate and compare these perspectives by examining the bidirectional cross‐lagged associations between newlyweds' reports of their marital satisfaction and marital problems over the first 4 years of marriage. Using annual assessments from 483 heterosexual newlywed couples, we find evidence for problem‐to‐satisfaction linkages as well as satisfaction‐to‐problem linkages. Satisfaction was a stronger predictor of marital problems early in marriage but not as time passed; by Year 4 only problem‐to‐satisfaction linkages remained significant. These findings are consistent with the idea that couples with more problems go on to report lower levels of satisfaction and couples with lower levels of satisfaction go on to report more marital problems. This dynamic interplay between global judgments about relationship satisfaction and ongoing specific relationship difficulties highlights the value of examining bidirectional effects to better understand marital functioning over time.     

Enhancing the Marital Relationship

SUMMARY

Satir viewed individuals, couples and families as iso-morphic yel interrelated systems. The ability to focus on one component while impacting other systems remains a legacy of her work. Seeking to enhance an individual's autonomy and self worth, as well as enriching the marital relationship, Satir designed the Couples Parts Party. By attempting to surface the valued, alienated, extruded and unknown aspects of each partner, and assisting them in reclaiming and utilizing their diverse parts, this therapeutic intervention provides a potent catalyst for change. The Parts Parly offers practitioners a diversified approach for enhancing the marital relationship.     

Marital adjustment among rural couples: The role of expressiveness

This study examined the relationship between marital adjustment and husbands' and wives' instrumentalness and expressiveness. Eighty-five rural couples completed the Spanier Dyadic Adjustment Scale and the Personal Attributes Questionnaire. Multiple regression analyses indicated that husbands' expressiveness was the sole predictor of both husbands' and wives' marital adjustment. Results are compared to previous research findings with urban couples. Implications of the findings for gender-related patterns of socialization are also discussed.     

The Demand/Withdraw Pattern of Communication as a Predictor of Marital Satisfaction Over Time

There is ample evidence that marital dissatisfaction is associated concurrently with demand/withdraw, the marital pattern of communication in which one spouse nags or criticizes while the other avoids. However, the connection between demand/withdraw and changes in satisfaction is less clear. Some studies suggest that demand/withdraw is associated with low but steady marital satisfaction; other studies imply that demand/withdraw predicts declines in satisfaction; and still others indicate that demand/withdraw foreshadows increases in marital satisfaction. The current longitudinal study of married couples (N = 46) examined the connection between demand/withdraw and changes in satisfaction. The results suggest that the correlation between demand/withdraw and dissatisfaction endures to some extent, but also that demand/withdraw predicts increases in wives' satisfaction. Comparisons of the current study to previous studies of demand/withdraw imply that the association between demand/withdraw and marital satisfaction may be more complex than heretofore assumed, suggesting that future research ought to consider whether different ways of enacting demand/withdraw vary in their impact on marriage.     

Marital distress and DSM-IV psychiatric disorders in a population-based national survey

The associations between marital distress and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) Axis I psychiatric disorders were evaluated in a United States population-based survey of married individuals in which there was no upper age exclusionary criterion (N = 2,213). Marital distress was associated with (a) broad-band classifications of anxiety, mood, and substance use disorders and (b) all narrow-band classifications of specific disorders except for panic disorder, with the strongest associations obtained between marital distress and bipolar disorder, alcohol use disorders, and generalized anxiety disorder. The association between marital distress and major depressive disorder increased in magnitude with increasing age; there was no evidence that the association between marital distress and other psychiatric disorders was moderated by gender or age. Results support continued research on the association between couple functioning and mental health.     

Demand-Withdraw Patterns in Marital Conflict in the Home

The present study extended laboratory-based findings of demand-withdraw communication into marital conflict in the home and further explored its linkages with spousal depression. U.S. couples (N = 116) provided diary reports of marital conflict and rated depressive symptoms. Hierarchical linear modeling results indicated that husband demand-wife withdraw and wife demand-husband withdraw occurred in the home at equal frequency, and both were more likely to occur when discussing topics that concerned the marital relationship. For both patterns, conflict initiator was positively linked to the demander role. Accounting for marital satisfaction, both demand-withdraw patterns predicted negative emotions and tactics during marital interactions and lower levels of conflict resolution. Spousal depression was linked to increased likelihood of husband demand-wife withdraw.     

The Meta Marriage: Links Between Older Couples' Relationship Narratives and Marital Satisfaction

Drawing upon a relatively understudied population and a unique observational task, the current study sought to examine how older couples' interactional behaviors during a relationship narrative task were associated with marital satisfaction over time. Using observational data from a sample of 64 older, higher‐functioning married couples, we analyzed a series of Actor–Partner Independence Models (APIM) to explore how couples' interactional behaviors during a relationship narrative task were associated with spouses' marital satisfaction both concurrently and one year later. Analyses revealed that spouses' behaviors (e.g., expressions of positive affect, negative affect, communication skills, engagement) were associated with their self‐reported marital satisfaction both at the time of the narrative and with changes in marital satisfaction. We found particularly robust evidence for the role of husbands' negative affect during the narrative task in predicting changes in both spouses' marital satisfaction over time. Our results indicate that researchers and clinicians should carefully consider the influence of development on the associations between spouses' behaviors and marital satisfaction. Further, those seeking to improve marriages in later life may need to consider the meaningful role that gender appears to play in shaping the marital experiences of older couples.     

Marital dissatisfaction and psychiatric disorders: results from the National Comorbidity Survey

The association between marital dissatisfaction and 12-month prevalence rates of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd ed., rev., 1987) Axis I psychiatric disorders was examined in married respondents from the National Comorbidity Survey (N = 2,538). Results indicate that marital dissatisfaction was associated with the presence of any disorder, any mood disorder, any anxiety disorder, and any substance-use disorder; dissatisfaction was also associated with 7 of 12 specific disorders for women and 3 of 13 specific disorders for men. To evaluate the unique association between marital dissatisfaction and psychiatric disorders, analyses were conducted controlling for comorbid disorders. Covariance analyses generally attenuated the bivariate associations between marital dissatisfaction and specific disorders and groupings of disorders. Results indicate that marital dissatisfaction was uniquely related to major depression and posttraumatic stress disorder for women and dysthymia for men.