Marriage as a risk factor for internalizing disorders: Clarifying scope and specificity.

Abstract

Objective Marital discord has been linked to both depression and anxiety; however, our understanding of how marriage contributes to the development of internalizing symptoms is limited in scope and lacking specificity. First, it is unclear whether the marital relationship contributes to the broad dimension of internalizing symptoms as opposed to specific diagnoses. Second, it is unclear how the marital relationship contributes to internalizing symptoms: through global marital dissatisfaction or through specific relationship processes (and which processes). The purpose of the present study was to address these two issues and, more generally, to develop a comprehensive and refined framework within which to understand the role of marriage in the developmental course of internalizing symptoms. Method Questionnaire and interview data were collected from 102 husbands and wives 5 times over the first 7 years of marriage. Results Results indicated that marital discord during the transition into marriage was associated with the broad dimension of internalizing symptoms for husbands but not for wives. Further, both global marital dissatisfaction and an imbalance of power and control put husbands at significant risk for symptoms over the first 7 years of marriage, whereas low levels of emotional intimacy put wives at significant risk. Conclusions Results exemplify the need to routinely consider intimate relationship processes in etiological models of depression and anxiety, and identify specific clinical targets that can be prioritized in interventions aimed at preventing internalizing disorders.

Partner support and maternal depression in the context of the Iowa floods.

“…Perhaps other aspects of intimate relationships represent key protective factors to be examined. For example, recent research has demonstrated the relative importance of having a strong emotional bond with one’s partner during the transition into marriage for the mental health of women (Brock & Lawrence, 2011; Brock & Lawrence, 2014a). Indeed, emotional intimacy—closely related to support but also a distinct construct—predicts depressive and anxiety symptoms during the first seven years of marriage, beyond the effects of enduring vulnerabilities (i.e., neuroticism) and stress external to the relationship.…”

The Effectiveness of Communication Skills Training on Marital Conflicts and its Different Aspects in Women

“…Most people experience conflicts in their communications as infinitely intensive (Halford, 2001;HoltLunstad, & Birmingham, 2008). Conflicts are also positively correlated with inappropriate psychological well-being conditions (Galinsky and Waite, 2014;Hawkins, & Booth, 2005), insecure attachment style (Gouin, 2009), several psychiatric disorders such as internalizing disorders (Brock, & Lawrence, 2011), depression (Wang , Wang , & Miller 2014), anxiety disorders (Doss, Simpson, & Christensen, 2004), sexual dysfunction disorders (Metz, & Epstein, 2002), and physical health problems (Galinsky and Waite, 2014) such as hypertension (Holt-Lunstad, & Birmingham, 2008), chronic pain (Cano et al, 2004) and ischemic heart diseases (Galinsky and Waite, 2014). The more unsatisfied the spouses are with their marital status, the higher is the probability of divorce (Gottman, 1997).…”

Marital processes, neuroticism, and stress as risk factors for internalizing symptoms.

“…Brock & Lawrence (2011) demonstrated univariate associations among four relationship processes (conflict, support, emotional intimacy, power/control) and internalizing symptoms; however, when examining the simultaneous effects of these variables on symptoms, control was associated with husbands’ symptoms whereas (low) emotional intimacy was associated with wives’ symptoms. This study represents an important step in identifying the aspects of the marital relationship contributing to individual psychopathology; however, it is unclear whether these relationship processes represent predictors of symptoms when considered in the context of their complex relations with key diatheses and stressors (neuroticism and chronic stress).…”