Interpersonal theories of depression suggest that how couples communicate helps to explain bidirectional links between depressive symptoms and relationship distress. Disengaged and aversive couple communication should help explain these links. However, most research examining associations among couple communication, depressive symptoms and relationship distress have focused on aversive communication behaviors. Thus, this research examined associations among depressive symptoms, disengaged couple communication, and relationship distress in 2 studies. Study 1 examined cross-sectional associations using 2 heterogeneous samples of individuals in romantic relationships assessed via online survey. Study 2 examined the associations over 2 time points using Actor-Partner Interdependence Modeling with data provided by newlywed couples. The first aim was to examine whether depressive symptoms were uniquely associated with disengaged couple communication after controlling for relationship distress and aversive couple communication. The second aim was to test whether disengaged couple communication explained the bidirectional associations between depressive symptoms and relationship distress controlling for aversive communication. Results for Aim 1 were consistent across studies. Depressive symptoms were uniquely associated with disengaged couple communication. Results for Aim 2 indicate that disengaged couple communication uniquely explains bidirectional associations between co-occurring relationship distress and depressive symptoms; and husbands' disengaged communication explains the association between husbands' depressive symptoms and husbands decline in relationship satisfaction. Results indicate there are unique contributions of disengaged couple communication for interpersonal theories of depression and suggest the importance of helping couplemembers to effectively and meaningfully engage with one another.

Emerging literature indicates individual and contextual differences impact response to oxytocin (OT). Intimate partner violence (IPV) is one chronic stressor that may moderate OT response. To test the hypothesis that IPV moderates the association between OT and reactivity to a dyadic conflict task, data from a larger randomized controlled study was collected from heterosexual couples (N=60 individuals; 30 couples) at high risk for IPV due to substance misuse. Partners within each dyad completed a 10-minute dyadic conflict task in the laboratory, and then self-administered a single dose of OT (40 IU) or placebo. Forty-five minutes later, participants completed another 10-minute dyadic conflict task. Stress reactivity was measured before and after the second conflict task using neuroendocrine (i.e., salivary cortisol), physiological (i.e., skin conductance), and subjective responses. Couple conflict behaviors were observed during the conflict tasks and assessed using a validated coding system. Among women, physical IPV modulated skin conductance in those administered OT, and OT interacted with physical and psychological IPV to yield less positive subjective and behavioral responses. No main or moderating effects were found for men. Findings support emerging literature on sex differences in response to OT. Future research is needed to effectively translate OT into therapeutic intervention.

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Objective: Self-report symptom inventories are commonly used in adult ADHD assessment, and research indicates they should be interpreted with caution. This study investigated one self-report symptom inventory for adult ADHD in a clinical sample. Method: Archival data were used to evaluate diagnostic utility of the Conners Adult ADHD Rating Scale—Self-Report: Long Version (CAARS-S:L) in a sample of 122 adults seeking ADHD assessment. Results: Overall, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) estimates for the ADHD Index and other CAARS-S:L scales demonstrated weak accuracy. Anxiety and depression were the most common diagnoses present when a false positive on the ADHD Index was observed. PPV and specificity for the ADHD Index were higher in males compared to females. Conclusion: The CAARS-S:L may be useful for screening purposes in some cases, but should not be the main method used for diagnostic purposes. Clinical implications of findings are discussed.