The relationship of sexual adjustment and related sexual behaviors and attitudes to marital adjustment

Abstract

This paper examines the extent of relationship between sexual adjustment and marital adjustment for 30 married couples followed for 3–6 months. Sexual adjustment was assessed by means of the LoPiccolo-Steger Sexual Interaction Inventory, and two other measures termed a Couple Interaction Scale (CI) and a Couple Compatibility Ratio (CCR). Marital adjustment was assessed by means of the Locke-Wallace Marital Adjustment Scale (L-W MAS) and a clinically-devised instrument based on the extent of support between the marital partners. The two marital adjustment instruments agreed closely. A high degree of association was obtained between most of the sexual adjustment measures and the two marital adjustment measures; using the most reliable of these measures, it is estimated that sexual adjustment contributed between 40 % and 55 % of the variance in marital adjustment. This association was not due to a specific stage of. the human sexual response cycle of desire, excitement, orgasm and gratification. Intercorrelation of measures of each of these stages with the marital adjustment measures generally yielded significant relationships.     

Prognostic factors and classification issues in the treatment of secondary orgasmic dysfunction

The present study examined patient and problem characteristics as well as therapy process factors associated with success and failure in sex therapy for secondary orgasmic dysfunction. Ss were 23 married couples selected for emotional and marital stability; all wives were suffering from secondary orgasmic dysfunction. Sexual functioning and satisfaction were evaluated before and after 15 sessions of therapy. Ss also engaged in daily self-monitoring throughout the therapy program. Two criteria of therapeutic success were used: the couples' global sexual harmony and the females' frequency of orgasmic response in couple sexual activity. Higher pre-treatment masturbation rates by the female, as well as better awareness of her partner's sexual tastes and preferences, were related to poor therapeutic outcome. Greater pre-treatment enjoyment of non-genital caressing by the female as well as higher incidence of interpersonal orgasmic response in the past were associated with therapeutic success. The theoretical and research implications of the present findings are discussed.     

Relationship factors in the treatment of sexual dysfunction

The role of marital harmony in the development, assessment and treatment of sexual dysfunction is addressed in the present study. Twelve couples with mixed sexual dysfunctions received both sex therapy and marital therapy in a balanced cross-over design. The major variables investigated were therapy outcome on measures of sexual satisfaction and marital adjustment as a function of treatment modality (sexual or marital) and relationship functioning. Findings showed significant differences in outcome between treatment approaches with a strong mediating effect of relationship factors. Limited interpersonal understanding and inaccurate perceptual agreement in relationship functioning characterized those couples who failed to exhibit a differential response to treatment in favour of sex therapy over marriage therapy. Implications of these findings for the assessment and treatment of sexual dysfunction are discussed.     

The Maudsley marital questionnaire (MMQ): A further step towards its validation

Psychometric evaluation of the 20-item Dutch version of the Maudsley Marital Questionnaire (MMQ) in a non-distressed-couples group (N=64 couples) supported further the reliability, factorial as well as divergent, and convergent construct validity of the Marital, Sexual and General Life Adjustment scales. Correlational analyses revealed both the MMQ items and the scales to be negligibly lowly correlated with Social Desirability. Some important relationships between different aspects of marital communication and marital adjustment were established and briefly discussed.     

Behavioral Marital Therapy: An Outcome Evaluation of Conjoint,Group and One Spouse Treatment

Abstract

Behavioral Marital Therapy has focussed on the modification of marital behavior in conjoint and couples group settings. This study extends previously published outcome studies in that one treatment condition involved treating only one of the partners. Fifty-seven couples were consecutively assigned to one of the three treatment conditions. Outcome evaluations included an independent assessment, marital satisfaction, sexual adjustment and an assessment of target problems. The results revealed no significant differences between the three treatment conditions. However, couples in the conjoint treatment resolved their target problems more rapidly than the other two treatments. The implications of the result as well as issues of outcome prediction, cost-effectiveness and the viability of treating one spouse are discussed.     

Multiple approaches to the treatment of violent couples

Abstract

The relationship of the discrepancy between couple's actual level of intimacy and desired level of intimacy and marital adjustment was explored using data from 185 randomly selected couples who completed the Personal Assessment of Intimacy in Relationships and the Marital Adjustment Test. Multivariate and univariate regression analyses indicated that the discrepancy between actual and desired intimacy of husbands and wives was highly predictive of marital adjustment (R²=.665). Particularly interesting was that couples with low intimacy scores who did not desire more intimacy had good marital adjustment. The relationship between intimacy and marital adjustment was curvilinear, and wives' marital adjustment was more affected by intimacy than husbands'. Implications for marital therapy are discussed.     

Evaluating Marital Therapy: A Hospital and Community Study

The study investigated the application of marital therapy using three contrasting clinical approaches: conjoint treatment, couples groups, and treating the partner alone. Thirty-six couples comprised the research sample, with eighteen couples being treated in each of two NHS treatment settings. The duration of the treatment was ten weekly sessions each lasting one hour, and couples were followed up six months after termination. Outcome evaluations included marital satisfaction, sexual adjustment, and an assessment of target problems. The analysis of the results showed no significant difference between groups at the post-treatment and follow-up assessments. There was, however, a significant difference in the rates of change between experimental groups. The implications of these results are discussed.     

Marital counselling: Teaching an eclectic approach

Limited opportunities for training combined with misperceptions about the nature of marital counselling lead to many professionals conducting consultations with couples without training. Where training exists, generally a specific ‘pure’ approach, or a definite brand of eclecticism is taught. The Sheffield Marital and Sexual Difficulties Clinic training course currently aims to give trainees the building blocks for evolving their own brand of eclecticism, or the opportunity to follow a particular approach. Psychodynamic, behavioural and systems theories are highlighted, and the various ways to which these (and other theories) can be used together are examined.     

Family Measurement Techniques

Abstract

This study examined the extent to which a brief, structured couples therapy program based on Imago Relationship Therapy was associated with improvements on the COMPASS scales of individual psychological functioning as well as on a measure of relationship satisfaction, the Marital Satisfaction Inventory. An examination of pre- to post-treatment differences revealed statistically significant differences on three of the four COMPASS scales and all three MSI scales. The rate of improvement in individual distress per couples therapy session was approximately equal to the improvement, found in previous studies, yielded by individual therapy. The results support previous findings that couples therapy may be an effective modality for the treatment of intrapersonal difficulties, and suggest that both relationship and individual distress indices should be utilized in the evaluation of the efficacy of marital therapies.     

Why they may say, “i don't know”

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop an interpersonal perception inventory which would demonstrate that various ratings of facial caricature drawings when made by a husband and wife can be used as a predictor of marital adjustment. The subjects in this study were 30 operationally defined adjusted and 30 non-adjusted couples. A series of three tests were administered to each couple: 1) The Facial Interpersonal Perception Inventory (FIPI), the instrument designed in this study to assess interpersonal perception and marital adjustment; 2) The Locke and Wallace Short Marital Adjustment Test; and 3) The Short Marital Conventionalization Scale. Analysis of the data collected relative to the principal objectives of the study established both criterion and concurrent validity for the FIPI. Reliability and internal consistency was established through a test-retest method. Implications of these findings as they relate to interpersonal perception and marital adjustment are discussed.     

Distress and Divorce: Establishing Cutoff Scores for the Marital Status Inventory

This study was designed to identify Marital Status Inventory (MSI) scores that could be used as cutoff points for degrees of marital distress. Cutoff scores are useful in clinical work as a way to estimate degrees of marital distress, differentiate couples for treatments, and to provide uniformity across studies. Subjects consisted of 474 couples requesting marital therapy at a university-based clinic. Based on their individual Marital Adjustment Test (MAT) scores, participants were placed in severely distressed, moderately distressed, and non-distressed groups. Using a discriminant analysis, MSI scores of 4 for husbands and 5 for wives were found to be useful cutoff points for severe distress.     

The Effect of Problem-Solving Based Family Therapy on Emotional Intimacy and Marital Quality of Cultural Couples in Tabriz

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effect of problem-solving based family therapy on the emotional intimacy and marital quality of cultural couples in Tabriz. The research method was quasi-experimental by designing the pretest and post-test with the experimental group. The statistical population of this research consisted of all cultural couples with marital problems referring to counseling centers of Tabriz Education in 2019. The research sample based on The Cochran formula consisted of 32 couples that were selected by purposeful sampling and were randomly assigned into two experimental and control groups. The experimental group was exposed to 10 sessions of problem-solving based family therapy and the control group received no interventions. The research tool was the Marital Quality Index and the Intimacy Questionnaire, which was completed by both groups at the beginning and end of the intervention. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS software and inferential statistics of covariance analysis were also investigated. The results of covariance analysis showed that problem-solving based family therapy had a significant impact on the emotional intimacy and marital quality of cultural couples. Therefore, problem-solving based family therapy can be used as a treatment in couples with marital problems.     

Understanding general and specific connections between psychopathology and marital distress: a model based approach

Marital distress is linked to many types of mental disorders; however, no study to date has examined this link in the context of empirically based hierarchical models of psychopathology. There may be general associations between low levels of marital quality and broad groups of comorbid psychiatric disorders as well as links between marital adjustment and specific types of mental disorders. The authors examined this issue in a sample (N = 929 couples) of currently married couples from the Minnesota Twin Family Study who completed self-report measures of relationship adjustment and were also assessed for common mental disorders. Structural equation modeling indicated that (a) higher standing on latent factors of internalizing (INT) and externalizing (EXT) psychopathology was associated with lower standing on latent factors of general marital adjustment for both husbands and wives, (b) the magnitude of these effects was similar across husbands and wives, and (c) there were no residual associations between any specific mental disorder and overall relationship adjustment after controlling for the INT and EXT factors. These findings point to the utility of hierarchical models in understanding psychopathology and its correlates. Much of the link between mental disorder and marital distress operated at the level of broad spectrums of psychopathological variation (i.e., higher levels of marital distress were associated with disorder comorbidity), suggesting that the temperamental core of these spectrums contributes not only to symptoms of mental illness but to the behaviors that lead to impaired marital quality in adulthood.     

THERAPIST DEFENSIVENESS AND MARITAL THERAPY PROCESS AND OUTCOME

Abstract

This study examined the effect of couple socioeconomic status (SES); pretherapy marital adjustment; and therapist, husband, and wife defensiveness during the third session of marital therapy on posttherapy marital adjustment. Participants were 22 therapists and 88 couples. Each therapist treated 4 couples, 2 from the middle SES level and 2 from the lower SES level. Path analyses revealed that for husbands higher marital satisfaction before therapy was associated with higher adjustment at the end of therapy, but defensive therapist behavior during therapy was associated with lower posttherapy adjustment. A similar pattern was found for wives, but this should be interpreted with caution owing to potential dependencies in the wives' posttherapy adjustment scores. Neither SES nor pretherapy adjustment predicted therapist defensive behavior in therapy, and SES did not predict marital therapy outcome variance. Results suggest that therapist defensive behavior may reflect a style or characteristic of some marital therapists.     

Premarital Sex and Marital Satisfaction of Middle Aged Men and Women: A Study of Married Lithuanian Couples

A study was conducted to investigate possible links between current marital satisfaction and age of onset of sexual intercourse, having an experience of premarital intercourse, the number of premarital sexual partners, and having an experience of premarital cohabitation. A convenience sample of subjects consisted of 41 middle-aged married Lithuanian couples. Marital satisfaction was measured by a 16-item Marital Satisfaction Scale developed by the principle investigators of this study. Results indicated no significant relationship between the experience of premarital sexual intercourse and marital satisfaction of men or women. However, men, who had more premarital partners and cohabitation experience, were less satisfied with their marriages. For women, younger onset of sexual activity and larger number of premarital partners was related to lower marital satisfaction.     

Assessment of factors in marital adjustment

The present study sought to assess important factors in marital adjustment and their interrelatedness. The explored factors were (a) sexual satisfaction and adjustment, (b) verbal and nonverbal communication, and (c) several demographic variables (e.g., age and number of years married). Marital adjustment was found to be significantly related to verbal and nonverbal communication, but not to sexual satisfaction and adjustment. Demographic variables were not found to be related to marital adjustment, but some were significant predictors of verbal and nonverbal communication and sexual satisfaction and adjustment. The implications of these findings for assessment and intervention in marital and sexual counseling and for future research are discussed.     

The GRIMS. A psychometric instrument for the assessment of marital discord

Research in marital therapy has been disadvantaged by the lack of a good, short and recent psychometric questionnaire to objectively assess the state of a marriage for research, demographic and clinical purposes. The Golombok Rust Inventory of Marital State (GRIMS) is a companion questionnaire to the Golombok Rust Inventory of Sexual Satisfaction (GRISS), and concentrates on aspects other than the sexual in a dyadic relationship between two adults living together. It is a 28 item psychometrically constructed inventory designed to produce a single scale along which changes in a marriage may develop as marital therapy progresses. It has been shown to be valid for this purpose, and to have a good reliability.     

Personality Factors,Attachment Styles and Coping Strategies in Couples with Good and Poor Marital Quality

Marital quality in connection to its demographical and psychological correlates has been studied extensively in the West. In India also, it has been given considerable attention, but adequate exploration of relevant psychological variables is still wanting. The present study was conceptualized in this context to explore differences in the Personality factors, Attachment styles and Coping strategies in couples with good and poor marital quality. Data were collected from 90 couples for initial screening. Finally 20 couples with good marital quality and 20 couples with poor marital quality were selected based on scores of Marital Quality Scale. The tools used for screening were Marital Quality Scale and General Health Questionnaire-28. Other tools consisted of Neo Five Factor Inventory, Attachment style Questionnaire, and Coping Check list. Analysis revealed that the husbands with poor marital quality had higher neuroticism, less extraversion, less secure attachment style, less problem focused coping and acceptance, and greater denial than those with good marital quality. Wives with poor marital quality differed significantly from the wives with good marital quality in terms of less religious coping, acceptance and social support. The findings of the study may be utilized for advising maritally distressed couples by enhancing their coping resources and utilizing attachment potentials for furtherance of quality of married life.     

Marital dissolution and distress in a psychiatric population: A longitudinal design

There has been interest in recent years in the relationship between marital distress and psychopathology. It has been rare, however, for investigators to follow patients after their release from the hospital and observe the course of their marital relationships. The present study included patients meeting criteria for three DSM III DISORDERS (MAjor depressive, bipolar, and schizophrenic) and a normal control sample, all of whom are participants in an ongoing longitudinal study of children at risk for psychopathology (Stony Brook High-Risk Project; Weintraub & Neale, 1984). Marital Adjustment Test (MAT; Locke & Wallace, 1959) scores were collected on patients at entry into the project (Phase I) and at a three year follow-up (Phase II). Course of marriage was defined as negative if the couple's marital adjustment was rated as poor at Phase II or resulted in divorce or separation at Phase II. It was found that only the depressed group differed from the normal group in having significantly worse course of marital relationship; 84% of the depressive couples showed a “negative” course of marital change over time. However, all three patient groups had significantly higher rates of divorce by Phase II. MAT scores at Phase I successfully predicted course of marital relationship for all diagnostic groups. Implications for aftercare of psychiatric inpatients are discussed.     

The Assessment of Marital Adjustment with Muslim Populations: A Reliability Study of the Locke–Wallace Marital Adjustment Test

The Muslim population is growing rapidly throughout the world and a sizable population of 6–8 million Muslims is estimated in North America alone. This population deals with a vast array of issues, including marital adjustment. Nevertheless, the marriage and family literature lacks the research needed to facilitate therapeutic treatment with Muslim couples adequately. Marital adjustment assessments that are commonly utilized have been tested on predominantly Anglo-American or Caucasian couples. The present study is a preliminary investigation of the Locke–Wallace marital adjustment test’s (LWMAT) reliability when administered to married, Muslim-American people.