This study was carried out to examine the relationship between marital dissatisfaction and depressive symptoms using a cognitive-interpersonal approach(CIA). According to the CIA, the dysfunctional cognition and the maladaptive patterns of interperson...
This study was carried out to examine the relationship between marital dissatisfaction and depressive symptoms using a cognitive-interpersonal approach(CIA). According to the CIA, the dysfunctional cognition and the maladaptive patterns of interpersonal relationship are originated from the earlier problems of insecure attachment. To test the validity of the CIA, 1) the relationship among attachment level, dysfunctional attitude, and the marital communication pattern of married females were examined. Also, the relative statistical contributions for these variables were assessed; 2) using a structural equation modeling procedure, the causal relationships among the above variables were explored, and the statistical fitness based on the CIA was tested; 3) to test the feasibility and the valid ity of CIA in a real therapeutic situation, the therapeutic intervention effects on females with clinical depressive symptoms were tested.
Study 1-A analyzed the correlations among variables(e.g., attachment quality, dysfunctional attitude, marital communication pattern, and depression) that are assumed to be related to marital satisfaction. In addition, the relative explanatory power of these variables for accounting marital satisfaction was estimated using a hierarchical multiple regression technique. Statistical analyses showed that the size of the predictive power of attachment quality was larger than that of the dysfunctional attitude and the marital communication. The results support the CIA, suggesting that the attachment quality is more crucial variable than the dysfunctional cognition and the interpersonal pattern for explaining marital satisfaction and depression.
Study 1-B was administered to build a structural model of CIA and to test the fitness of the model. Specifically, using a structural equation modeling, a model was built upon the causal relationship among the attachment quality, dysfunctional attitude, marital communication pattern, depressive symptoms and marital dissatisfaction. The analyses showed that the statistical fitness of the CIA model is higher than that of the original cognitive model and interpersonal model. Therefore, the earlier experiences of insecure attachment give rise to dysfunctional attitudes and negative marital communication patterns, henceforth deteriorates the marital satisfaction.
Study 2 tested the validity of CIA in the therapeutic situation. Married female outpatients with depression were classified into three groups: control group(without therapeutic intervention), therapeutic factor control group(treated with both cognitive intervention and interpersonal intervention) and cognitive-interpersonal(CIA) therapy group(interventions for attachment problems in addition to the procedures in the therapeutic factor control group). The scores from several dissatisfaction scales(i.e., overall dissatisfaction, emotional intimacy dissatisfaction, problem solving communication dissatisfaction, and sexual dissatisfaction) were recorded three times(pre-test, post-test, and follow-up-test) for each subject. The results showed that after therapeutic intervention, overall dissatisfaction levels was lowered significantly both in the therapeutic factor control group and in the CIA therapy group. Also, therapeutic effects of the CIA group tend to be slightly higher than those of the therapeutic factor control group. More interestingly, for emotional intimacy dissatisfaction, only CIA therapy group showed significant therapeutic effect. These results implicate that the original therapeutic technique emphasizing the modification of dysfunctional cognition and communication pattern alone may not be sufficient for improving the emotional intimacy of depressive females. Considering the effects of attachment which is related to the emotional intimacy upon the depression and marital satisfaction, this result suggests that CIA therapy would be more efficient espe ially in dealing with the marital problems of the depressive females. In addition, for the problem solving communication dissatisfaction level, both therapeutic groups yielded the same amount of therapeutic effects. This indicates that for the apparent behavior disparities in the marital communication, there is no therapeutic difference between the CIA group and the therapeutic control group.
In conclusion, the results of the present study may offer a framework for explaining the relationship between depression and marital satisfaction in married females, and for understanding and predicting the thoughts and behaviors relating their marital life. Finall, the results of the therapeutic intervention may shed some lights on providing useful ideas of therapeutic applications in dealing with marital problems.