Based on cognitive-behavioral perspective, this study investigated the path model by which spouse's problem behavior, couple's daily turning toward bids, and dyadic perspective-taking may have direct and indirect influences through negative interpreta...
Based on cognitive-behavioral perspective, this study investigated the path model by which spouse's problem behavior, couple's daily turning toward bids, and dyadic perspective-taking may have direct and indirect influences through negative interpretation of spouse on men's and women's communication behavior escalating marital conflict. In addition, it was explored whether men's and women's parental emotional support in a growth period moderated the link between negative interpretation and communication behavior escalating marital conflict.
Self-report data were collected from 498 married men and women who were living in Busan, Korea. Multiple-group analyses were conducted to test men's path model vs. women's path model simultaneously. Also, hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to test moderating effect of parental emotional support separately for men and women.
Results of this study were as follows.
First, Women, compared with men, reported significantly more spouse's problem behavior, more negative interpretation, and less parental emotional support in a growth period.
Second, the path model was not equivalent for the man and woman groups. For men, couple's daily turning toward bids, dyadic perspective-taking, and negative interpretation had direct effects on communication behavior escalating marital conflict. And men's negative interpretation mediated the effects of spouse's problem behavior, couple's daily turning toward bids, and dyadic perspective-taking on communication behavior escalating marital conflict. For women, spouse's problem behavior, dyadic perspective-taking, and negative interpretation had direct effects on communication behavior escalating marital conflict. And women's negative interpretation mediated the effects of spouse's problem behavior and couple's daily turning toward bids on communication behavior escalating marital conflict. For both men and women, dyadic perspective-taking was the strongest predictor of communication behavior escalating marital conflict.
Finally, parental emotional support in a growth period moderated the relationship between negative interpretation and communication behavior escalating marital conflict only for women but not for men. Only in the condition of low level of negative interpretation, women with high parental emotional support used significantly less communication behavior escalating marital conflict than women with medium and low parental emotional support.
Implications for future study and couple intervention are also discussed.