This study examined influence of self-silencing and ambivalence over emotional expressiveness on marital satisfaction and depression, and whether gender-differences between men and women regarding self-silencing and ambivalent emotional expression exi...
This study examined influence of self-silencing and ambivalence over emotional expressiveness on marital satisfaction and depression, and whether gender-differences between men and women regarding self-silencing and ambivalent emotional expression exist. This study collected 101 couples in Seoul and northern Gyeongi province as subjects, and conducted surveys to them using silencing-the-self scale(STSS), ambivalence over emotional expressiveness questionnaire(AEQ-K), marital satisfaction scale(MSS), and depression scale(CES-D). The results are as follows:
From correlation analysis between factors(variables), self-silencing and ambivalence of emotional expression showed significant negative correlation with marital satisfaction, but significant positive correlation with depression. As we see sub-factors, 'divided-self'(a sub-factor) under self-silencing had strong and positive correlation with marital dissatisfaction and depression, but 'care-as-self-sacrifice' and 'self-silencing'(a sub-factor) didn’t show any significant correlation with the mal-adaptation measure. Neither ambivalent participating in relationship which is a sub-factor under ambivalent emotional expression was significantly correlated with mal-adaptation measure.
Further, we examined if influence of self-silencing and ambivalence of emotional expression on intimate personal relationship or interior personal adaptation appear differently depending on genders. Separating the subjects into husbands group and wives group, we analyzed gender differences in self-silencing and ambivalence of emotional expression. From the analysis, self-silencing scores were higher in the husbands group than in the wives group. But, in ambivalence of emotional expression, there was no significant difference between two groups. In each group of husbands and wives, the correlation analysis between major factors and multiple regression analysis showed that there may be differences in the effects on them and their partners by self-silencing and ambivalence of emotional expression. Self-silencing of the husbands significantly influenced on marital satisfaction of them, but not on depression of them, or marital satisfaction or depression of their wives. This study suggested that in Korea, even though the higher self-silencing of a husband, the lower his marital satisfaction is, it doesn’t have impact on his wife’s marital satisfaction or psychological adaptation. On the contrary, self-silencing of a wife had impact on marital satisfaction and depression of herself, as well as depression of her husband. When level of ambivalence of emotional expression of a husband is high, it has impact on depression of him, but not on his personal mal-adaptation relationship. When a wife’s ambivalence of emotional expression is high, it has impact on her marital satisfaction and depression. From above, we confirmed that self-silencing and ambivalence of emotional expression acted differently on husbands and wives. Even though self-silencing and ambivalence of emotional expression are higher in men than in women, their adverse effects on intimate relationship are just slight in men. But, in women, they acted relatively toward mal-adaptation and had impact on women themselves, as well as adaptation of their partners.