Externalizing psychopathology and marital adjustment in long-term marriages: Results from a large combined sample of married couples.

Abstract

The current study evaluated the associations between externalizing psychopathology and marital adjustment in a combined sample of 1,805 married couples. We further considered the role of personality in these associations, as personality has been found to predict both the development of externalizing psychopathology as well as marital distress and instability. Diagnostic interviews assessed Conduct Disorder, adult symptoms of Antisocial Personality Disorder, and Alcohol Dependence. Personality was assessed using the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire. The Dyadic Adjustment Scale was used to measure marital adjustment. Results indicate that more externalizing psychopathology, greater Negative Emotionality, and lower Communal Positive Emotionality were associated with reduced marital adjustment in both individuals and their spouses. Low Constraint was associated with reduced marital adjustment for individuals but not for their spouses. Multivariate analyses indicated externalizing psychopathology continued to predict marital adjustment even when accounting for overlap with personality. These results highlight the importance of examining the presence of externalizing psychopathology and the personality attributes of both members of a dyad when considering psychological predictors of marital adjustment. Keywordsexternalizing; psychopathology; personality; marital adjustment Satisfying marriages are valued by nearly all adults in the United States (e.g., Karney & Bradbury, 2005). Indeed, marital satisfaction is one of the largest correlates of life satisfaction according to a recent meta-analysis (average r = .42: Heller, Watson, & Ilies, 2004). Moreover, distressing romantic relationships are associated with poor physical health and diminished well-being (Bloom, Asher, & White, 1978;Kiecolt-Glaser & Newton, 2001). Given these findings, there is considerable clinical interest in understanding the risk factors for relationship distress. The primary objective of the present study is to examine how externalizing spectrum psychopathology (i.e., substance use disorders and antisocial behavior; Krueger, Markon, Patrick, & Iacono, 2005) and personality traits are uniquely associated with marital adjustment in sample of over 1,800 married couples. Theoretical Perspectives Linking Personal Attributes to Intimate RelationshipsTheoretical approaches to relationships have been broadly distinguished as either intrapersonal or interpersonal (see Kelly & Conley, 1987 NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript differences in either personality or psychopathology are associated with relationship functioning whereas interpersonal approaches focus on how behavioral interactions between partners are associated with relationship quality and stability. Several integrative models have recognized that these are complementary perspectives, linking individual differences and interpersonal processes (e.g., Bradbury & Fincham, 1988;Caughlin, Huston, & Houts, 2000;Donnellan, Assad, Robins, & Conger,...

Development of the Brief Romantic Relationship Interaction Coding Scheme (BRRICS).

“…Of the 236 participants, only three (1.3%) were missing self-report data on marital adjustment. The current study made use of an extension of the DAS that was originally used as part of the Minnesota Twin Family Study (see Humbad, Donnellan, Iacono, & Burt, 2010) in which two additional items were added to the original 32-item scale to assess spousal agreement regarding parenting (i.e., how to raise the children and how to discipline the children). These items were added because conflicts over child rearing play a known role in marital satisfaction (e.g., Cui & Donnellan, 2009).…”

Risk factors for intimate partner violence in prison inmates

“…The CD group presents a dysfunctional relationship style, due to their antisocial characteristics, as they usually have numerous short-term relationships, with a high likelihood of offspring for whom they refuse to be held responsible, due to their emotional coldness and use of aggressive responses to conflicts, and this is a source of IPV (Humbad, Donnellan, Iacono, & Burt, 2010;Wymbs, Pelham, Molina, Gnagy, & Wilson, 2008). In contrast, in men convicted for IPV, in addition to antisocial couple relationships we find relational problems associated with borderline personality disorder, characterized by psychological aggression due to their intimate partners' emotional dependence and their own control and jealousy.…”

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

“…Low levels of marital satisfaction have also been linked to broader classes of disorders, including mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders (Whisman, 1999, Whisman, 2007). In a recent study, Humbad and colleagues (2010) found that both individual externalizing syndromes (i.e., conduct disorder, antisocial behavior, substance use) and a composite of these various syndromes were negatively related to marital adjustment, suggesting that externalizing psychopathology per se is an individual vulnerability to marital distress. Left unanswered in that study was the question of whether marital dysfunction was attributable to whatever is shared in common between externalizing disorders, or if each syndrome has unique and specific effects on the marital relationship after accounting for overall levels of externalizing pathology.…”