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The present study examined both husbands and wives attachment orientations and depressive symptoms in predicting reports of marital conflict behaviors. Married couples (N = 60)
completed questionnaires to assess their attachment orientations, depressive symptoms,
and perceptions of positive and negative conflict behaviors in the marital relationship.
Using hierarchical regression analyses, statistical models were tested wherein husbands and
wives reports of marital conflict behaviors were regressed on their own and their spouses
attachment orientations and depressive symptoms. The results suggest that both attachment
orientations and depressive symptoms were important predictors of reported marital conflict
behaviors. However, different predictors were found for husbands and wives reports of
positive and negative conflict behaviors. In general, spouses attributes played only a small
role in predicting reports of marital conflict behaviors.
KEY WORDS: attachment; depressive symptoms; marriage; conflict behaviors.
1 Human
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C 2005 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.
1068-0667/05/0100-0085/0
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addresses in exchange for extra course credit. Parents were mailed questionnaires and a stamped and
addressed envelope for returning the questionnaires.
Wives and husbands mean ages were 47.5 (SD =
4.6) and 49.0 (SD = 5.1), respectively. Couples average annual income was $81,302 (SD = $30,036),
and their mean length of marriage was 21.9 years
(SD = 8.9). Most couples represented Caucasian
backgrounds (98.3%).
METHOD
RESULTS
Instruments
Conflict Behaviors
The Managing Affect and Differences Scale
(MADS; Arellano & Markman, 1995) was used to assess perceptions of typical conflict strategies in dyadic
interactions. This 109-item measure contains scales
theoretically designed to assess both positive and
negative communication. In the present study, the
alpha coefficients for positive and negative strategies
were .97 and .91, respectively, for both husbands and
wives.
Attachment Orientations
The 18-item Adult Attachment Scale (AAS;
Collins & Read, 1990) was used to assess three underlying dimensions of attachment orientations: comfort
with closeness, comfort depending on others, and
anxiety over experiencing abandonment and rejection. In the present study, Cronbachs alphas for
the Closeness, Dependency, and Anxiety subscales
ranged from .68 to .89.
Depression
The 20-item Center for Epidemiological Studies
Depression Scale (CES-D; Radloff, 1977) was used
to assess depressive symptoms. In the present study,
alpha coefficients were .88 and .89 for wives and
husbands, respectively.
87
1. Wife closeness
2. Husband closeness
3. Wife dependency
4. Husband dependency
5. Wife anxiety
6. Husband anxiety
7. Wife depressive
symptoms
8. Husband depressive
symptoms
9. Wives positive
strategies
10. Husbands negative
strategies
11. Wives negative
strategies
12. Husbands negative
strategies
M
SD
1.00
.03
.46
.12
.33
.00
.33
1.00
.19
.63
.27
.36
.15
1.00
.20
.50
.14
.62
1.00
.21
.37
.07
1.00
.28
.45
1.00
.29
1.00
.07
.50
.01
.41
.16
.15
.04
1.00
.22
.18
.38
.26
.55
.41
.51
.24
.05
.42
.29
.45
.32
.37
.17
.41
10
.62
1.00
.26
.30
.33
.50
.52
.44
.31
.78
.48
.13
.42
.14
.58
.26
.45
.13
.50
.49
.69
18.5
6.2
17.7
4.1
19.6
4.5
18.8
4.6
11.4
4.1
11.2
8.5
8.1
7.5
12
1.00
.25
13.3
6.2
11
319.1
43.3
316.4
40.7
1.00
.56
66.7
17.2
1.00
65.9
15.6
88
symptoms were significant predictors, accounting for
20% (p < .01) and 11% (p < .01) of the variance,
respectively; less comfort with closeness and more
depressive symptoms were associated with more negative behaviors. Wives attributes were not significant
predictors.
When husbands negative conflict behaviors
were being predicted from husbands and wives
comfort depending on others and depressive symptoms, the final model was significant, R2 = .41,
F (4, 49) = 8.16, p < .01. Husbands dependency and
depressive symptoms were significant predictors, explaining 30% (p < .01) and 9% (p < .01) of the variance, respectively; less comfort depending on others
and more depressive symptoms were associated with
more negative behaviors. Wives attributes were not
significant predictors.
When husbands negative conflict behaviors
were being predicted from husbands and wives anxiety and depressive symptoms, the final model was
significant, R2 = .33, F (4, 49) = 5.86, p < .01. Husbands anxiety and depressive symptoms were significant predictors, accounting for 12% (p < .05) and
20% (p < .01) of the variance, respectively; more
anxiety and depressive symptoms were associated
with more negative behaviors. Wives attributes were
not significant predictors.
When wives positive conflict behaviors were
being predicted from wives and husbands comfort
with closeness and depressive symptoms, the final
model was significant, R2 = .33, F (4, 49) = 5.65,
p < .01. Wives depressive symptoms were
significant predictors, explaining 19% (p < .01)
of the variance; more depressive symptoms were
associated with fewer positive behaviors. Wives
closeness and husbands closeness and depressive
symptoms were not significant predictors.
When wives positive conflict behaviors were
being predicted from wives and husbands comfort
depending on others and depressive symptoms, the
final model was significant, R2 = .34, F (4, 49) = 5.90,
p < .01. Wives dependency and depressive symptoms were significant predictors, accounting for 15%
(p < .01) and 12% (p < .01) of the variance; less
comfort depending on others and more depressive
symptoms were associated with fewer positive behaviors. Husbands attributes were not significant
predictors.
When wives positive conflict behaviors were
being predicted from wives and husbands anxiety
and depressive symptoms, the final model was significant, R2 = .45, F (4, 49) = 9.59, p < .01. Wives
DISCUSSION
Findings from the present study provide evidence that even in well-established marriages, attachment orientations are significant predictors of
an individuals perceptions of marital conflict. The
connection between attachment processes and the
conflict behaviors of long-term married couples provides support for Bowlbys (1979) statement that
attachment behavior is important from the cradle
to the grave. Consistent with previous research
(Marchand & Hock, 2000), husbands and wives
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