Incremental validity of spouse ratings versus self-reports of personality as predictors of marital quality and behavior during marital conflict

Intimate Relationships and Coronary Heart Disease: Implications for Risk, Prevention, and Patient Management

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Research and clinical services addressing psychosocial aspects of coronary heart disease (CHD) typically emphasize individuals, focusing less on the context of intimate relationships such as marriage and similar partnerships. This review describes current evidence regarding the role of intimate relationships in the development, course, and management of CHD.

RECENT FINDINGS

Having an intimate partner is associated with reduced risk of incident CHD and a better prognosis among patients, but strain (e.g., conflict) and disruption (i.e., separation, divorce) in these relationships are associated with increased risk and poor outcomes. These associations likely reflect mechanisms involving health behavior and the physiological effects of emotion and stress. Importantly, many other well-established psychosocial risk and protective factors (e.g., low SES, job stress, depression, and optimism) are strongly related to the quality of intimate relationships, and these associations likely contribute to the effects of those other psychosocial factors. For better or worse, intimate partners can also affect the outcome of efforts to alter health behaviors (physical activity, diet, smoking, and medication adherence) central in the prevention and management CHD. Intimate partners also influence-and are influenced by-stressful aspects of acute coronary crises and longer-term patient adjustment and management. Evidence on each of these roles of intimate relationships in CHD is considerable, but direct demonstrations of the value of couple assessments and interventions are limited, although preliminary research is promising. Research needed to close this gap must also address issues of diversity, disparities, and inequity that have strong parallels in CHD and intimate relationships.

My problem or yours? Interpersonal problems and marital quality

OBJECTIVE

Research has consistently illustrated the impact of personality on marital quality. Given the inherent dyadic nature of relationships, recent investigations have integrated spouse-rated personality to account for both spouses' perspectives. Grounded in Contemporary Integrative Interpersonal Theory, we viewed personality through an interpersonal lens and conceptualized maladaptive interpersonal functioning as interpersonal problems. The present study examined the incremental validity of spouse-rated interpersonal problems beyond self-reported interpersonal problems to predict marital quality within an expanded actor-partner interdependence model (APIM).

METHOD

Within a community sample of heterosexual, married couples (N = 110), we used expanded APIMs, integrating both self-report and spouse-rating, to test the incremental validity of spouse-perceived interpersonal problems over self-perceived interpersonal problems on marital quality through a model comparison approach. We tested for possible gender differences in effects.

RESULTS

Spouse perception, notably spouse-rated partner effects, appears to be the most frequent predictor of marital quality, and self-perception had less impact.

CONCLUSION

Given the implications marital quality has on health and well-being, intervention efforts capitalizing on acceptance of spouses' perspectives are likely to lead to greater improvements in quality and overall health.

Emotion, Social Relationships, and Physical Health: Concepts, Methods, and Evidence for an Integrative Perspective

Emotional characteristics and processes are robust predictors of the development and course of major medical illnesses and premature mortality, as are a variety of indicators of the presence and quality of personal relationships. Despite clear evidence of close interconnection between these two domains of risk and protection, affective characteristics and relationships have largely been studied separately as influences on health. After a recent conference on integrative perspectives on emotions, relationships and health co-sponsored by the American Psychosomatic Society and the Society for Affective Science, the present review builds on prior calls for integration, related theory, and current research to outline what is known about the interconnection of these domains as it specifically relates to their overlapping influences on health. Areas of interest include the following: their interconnected roles over the course of development, which may inform current efforts to understand the influence of early life events on adult health; the parallel positive and negative factors in both domains that could have distinct influences on health; the role of emotion regulation in relationship contexts; and measurement, design, and analysis approaches to capture the dyadic and dynamic aspects of these interconnected influences on health. We conclude with a discussion of an emerging research agenda that includes the following: common biological foundations of affective and relationship processes, the cultural embeddedness of affective and relationship processes, the potential contribution of affective-relational processes to health disparities, and implications for intervention research.

Relação conjugal: Desafios e possibilidades do “nós”

RESUMO A relação conjugal é constituída por três realidades distintas que interagem e se mantêm. O estudo buscou compreender os significados da permanência na relação conjugal de quatro casais brasileiros. A obtenção dos dados ocorreu por meio de entrevistas semiestruturadas e grupo focal. Para a interpretação dos dados, utilizou-se a análise de conteúdo, considerando três tópicos temáticos: a concepção de família e o amor conjugal; o casal e a relação conjugal; o permanecer casados. A família nuclear e o amor conjugal permanecem idealizados e desejados; a relação conjugal constitui uma terceira realidade, um “nós” conjugal, que com o passar dos anos de convivência, modifica as individualidades e colabora para que os casais permaneçam unidos.

Incremental Validity of Self- and Informant Report of Personality Disorders in Later Life

Research shows moderate agreement between different sources of information when assessing personality disorders (PDs) in older adults. The differences between measurement methods appear to be not only the result of measurement error, but also an indication that each source holds nonredundant information relevant to PD diagnosis. The current article examines three sources of diagnostic information (self-report, informant report, and clinical interview) and the utility of these instruments in predicting important outcomes in older adulthood. We analyzed data from 1,630 adults between the ages of 55 and 64 years participating in a longitudinal study of later life. PD symptomatology was assessed using multiple methods, which were then used to predict health, marital satisfaction, and cognitive decline. All three sources contributed significantly to the prediction of these outcomes, with important implications for the assessment of older adults in research and clinical settings.

Assessment of social traits in married couples: Self-reports versus spouse ratings around the interpersonal circumplex

Personality traits predict the quality of intimate relationships, and as a result can be useful additions to assessments of couple functioning. For traits involving social behavior, the affiliation (i.e., warmth, friendliness vs. hostility, quarrelsomeness) and control (i.e., dominance vs. deference, submissiveness) dimensions of the interpersonal circumplex (IPC) are an alternative to the 5-factor model traits of agreeableness and extraversion, given that they may provide a more specific and relevant description of social behavior in the context of couple functioning. The couple context creates an opportunity to supplement commonly used self-reports with informant ratings. Although substantial correlations between self-reports and partner ratings of personality are well-documented, differences between these assessment modalities in levels of affiliation and control have not been examined previously. The present study of 301 middle-aged and older couples addressed this issue by comparing self-reports and spouse ratings, using parallel forms of a measure of the interpersonal circumplex derived from the NEO (Neuroticism-Extraversion-Openness) PI-R (Personality Inventory-Revised). Participants reported lower trait dominance relative to spouses' ratings, and less trait hostility. For dominance, this discrepancy was evident at all levels of marital quality, but for hostility it was particularly apparent among couples reporting low marital quality. The tendency to self-report less dominance relative to ratings by spouses was stronger among women than men. These discrepancies may be important in couple assessment and intervention. (PsycINFO Database Record

Explaining the Link between Personality and Relationship Satisfaction: Emotion Regulation and Interpersonal Behaviour in Conflict Discussions

Past research has shown that personality traits predict relationship quality in romantic couples. However, very little research has investigated psychological processes that underlie the link between personality and relationship satisfaction. The present study focused on the mediating role of spontaneous emotion regulation and positive interpersonal behaviour. This study applied a dyadic design with 137 couples who completed self–report questionnaires assessing Big Five personality traits at baseline. Subsequently, couples were asked to discuss a current relationship conflict during a laboratory session. Emotion regulation and relationship satisfaction were assessed via self–report directly after the discussion. Relationship satisfaction was additionally assessed at 6–month follow–up. Interpersonal behaviour during the conflict discussion was videotaped and coded by independent raters. As expected, emotion regulation (expressive suppression, perspective taking and aggressive externalisation), positive interpersonal behaviour and state relationship satisfaction during the conflict discussion mediated the relation between personality and long–term relationship satisfaction. In sum, this study provides evidence that personality is linked to relationship satisfaction through intrapersonal and interpersonal processes during social interactions. Copyright © 2015 European Association of Personality Psychology

Personality Traits and Relationship Satisfaction in Intimate Couples: Three Perspectives on Personality

Personality traits are important predictors of relationship satisfaction. However, the majority of previous study findings are based on self–perceptions of personality. Thus, by means of the self–, partner–, and meta–perceptions of personality, the present study focused on three different perspectives on the Big Five personality traits to examine dyadic associations with relationship satisfaction of intimate couples. The study was based on the first measurement occasion of the Swiss longitudinal study ‘Co–Development in Personality: Longitudinal Approaches to Personality Development in Dyads across the Life Span’ and included data of 216 couples. The main analyses were based on Actor–Partner Interdependence Model. Three general findings emerged. First, the three personality perspectives represented related, albeit distinct, constructs, and showed incremental validity with respect to relationship satisfaction. Second, neuroticism was negatively related to relationship satisfaction, whereas agreeableness and conscientiousness were positively related to relationship satisfaction across all perspectives. Third, substantial associations between extraversion and relationship satisfaction were exclusively evident in terms of the partner– and meta–perception. The present results contribute to the literature by showing that each perspective is essential for the understanding of the role of personality for relationship satisfaction. Copyright © 2014 European Association of Personality Psychology

Aging: empirical contribution. A longitudinal analysis of personality disorder dimensions and personality traits in a community sample of older adults: perspectives from selves and informants

Research has indicated that personality disorders (PDs) and normal-range personality traits generally "get better" with time, as evidenced by mean-level decreases in PD traits and mean-level increases in broad factors such as emotional stability, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. One limitation of many of these studies is their reliance on self reported data. In the current study, the authors analyzed the 2.5-year course of PD dimensions and normal personality traits in a representative sample of adults approaching later life (originally ages 55-65) by using a semistructured diagnostic interview as well as self- and informant-reported data from two personality inventories. Consistent with previous literature, many self-reported PD traits showed mean-level decreases over time, and self-reported normal-range personality traits generally showed positive aging effects (e.g., mean-level increases in emotional stability, agreeableness, and conscientiousness). Surprisingly, however, informant-reported PD traits often demonstrated small but significant increases over time, and informant-reported normal-range personality generally "worsened" with age (e.g., mean-level decreases in extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness). Informant reports may challenge the finding that personality and PDs tend to "improve" over time.

How large are actor and partner effects of personality on relationship satisfaction? The importance of controlling for shared method variance

Previous research suggests that the personality of a relationship partner predicts not only the individual's own satisfaction with the relationship but also the partner's satisfaction. Based on the actor-partner interdependence model, the present research tested whether actor and partner effects of personality are biased when the same method (e.g., self-report) is used for the assessment of personality and relationship satisfaction and, consequently, shared method variance is not controlled for. Data came from 186 couples, of whom both partners provided self- and partner reports on the Big Five personality traits. Depending on the research design, actor effects were larger than partner effects (when using only self-reports), smaller than partner effects (when using only partner reports), or of about the same size as partner effects (when using self- and partner reports). The findings attest to the importance of controlling for shared method variance in dyadic data analysis.

Factors related to marital satisfaction in women with major depressive disorder

OBJECTIVE

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most common psychiatric disorders which affects married couples frequently.The present study aims to explain the role of family processes, social support and demographic factors in marital satisfaction of women with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD).

METHOD

In this cross-sectional study, 188 women with MDD were randomly selected among the patients who visited Bozorgmehr Clinic of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. The sample selection was carried out through structured psychiatric interviews based on DSM-TV-TR criteria. Data were collected using Index of Marital Satisfaction (IMS), Family Process Scale (FPS) and Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire (NSSQ).The Mann Whitney U, Multivariate and ANOVA tests were used to analyze the data.

RESULTS

No relationship was observed between age, educational level, age difference of couples and number of children with family processes and marital satisfaction (p ≥ 0.05). The patients with low educational level reported less social support (p ≥ 0.05).Marital satisfaction and family coherence were lower when the husband had a psychiatric disorder (P ≤ 0.01). The family processes (family coherence, problem-solving skills, communication skills and religious beliefs) and social support positively predicted marital satisfaction, while the husband's psychiatric disorders negatively predicted marital satisfaction.

CONCLUSION

The findings highlight the significance of family processes, social support and husband's psychiatric disorders in marital satisfaction of women with MDD.