Prevention of marital distress: A longitudinal investigation.

Abstract

This study examines the impact of an intervention designed to prevent divorce and marital distress. Both short-and long-term effects of a cognitive-behavioral marital distress prevention program were assessed. Forty-two couples planning marriage were matched and randomly assigned to intervention (n = 21) and control (n = 21) conditions. Couples participated in pre-and postintervention assessment sessions and in similar assessment sessions 1 Vi years and 3 years later. The intervention emphasized communication and problem-solving skills, clarifying and sharing expectations, and sensual/ sexual enhancement. Although postintervention results indicated that couples learned the skills taught in the program, no group differences emerged on self-report measures of relationship quality. At 1V4 years, intervention couples showed higher levels of relationship satisfaction than control couples. At 3 years, intervention couples showed higher levels of both relationship satisfaction and sexual satisfaction and lower levels of problem intensity. These data support cost-effective prevention programs for attacking the major social problem of divorce.The need for well-designed and empirically validated interventions to prevent marital distress is evident both from current divorce statistics and from studies of relationship development.Because newlyweds in the United States still face a 50% likelihood of getting a divorce (National Center for Health Statistics, 1987), almost every couple can be considered to be at risk for divorce and for the resulting stress on themselves and their children (Bloom, 1985). Furthermore, studies of relationship development have indicated that factors such as poor communication and problem-solving skills and dissatisfaction with interactions, when they are present premaritally or early in marriage, can predict the development of relationship distress later in marriage (Markman, 1981). For example, longitudinal studies have indicated that dysfunctional communication patterns precede the development of marital problems and that early signs of future distress are potentially identifiable in premarital interaction, independent of the couple's level of premarital relationship satisfaction (Markman, 1981). Furthermore, once dysfunctional interaction patterns form, they are hard to modify (Raush, Barry, Hertel, & Swain, 1974). Therefore, couples may benefit from premarital communication training before severe marital conflict develops.

Can skills training prevent relationship problems in at-risk couples? Four-year effects of a behavioral relationship education program.

“…It has been shown that five to six sessions of relationship education with a skills-training focus reliably improve couple communication (Avery et al, 1980;Hahlweg, Markman, Thurmair, Engel, & Eckert, 1998;Markman, Floyd, Stanley, & Storaasli, 1988;Markman & Hahlweg, 1993;Miller et al, 1975;Renick, Blumberg, & Markman, 1992). These changes in communication are maintained for months or even years after completion of the education program (Hahlweg et al, 1998;Ridley et al, 1982;Stanley, Markman, St. Peters, & Leber, 1995).…”

“…For example, the Minnesota Couples Communication Project (Miller, Nunnally & Wackman, 1975;Wampler & Sprenkle, 1980) Leslie, & Milholland, 1980;Ridley, Jorgensen, Morgan, & Avery, 1982), and the Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program (PREP;Markman, Stanley, & Blumberg, 1994) all emphasize training couples in communication skills. This focus seems appropriate given that deficits in communication and conflict management prospectively predict relationship distress in newly married couples (Noller & Feeney, 1994;Karney & Bradbury, 1995;Markman, 1981;Markman & Hahlweg, 1993;Pasch & Bradbury, 1998).It has been shown that five to six sessions of relationship education with a skills-training focus reliably improve couple communication (Avery et al, 1980;Hahlweg, Markman, Thurmair, Engel, & Eckert, 1998;Markman, Floyd, Stanley, & Storaasli, 1988;Markman & Hahlweg, 1993;Miller et al, 1975;Renick, Blumberg, & Markman, 1992). These changes in communication are maintained for months or even years after completion of the education program (Hahlweg et al, 1998;Ridley et al, 1982;Stanley, Markman, St. Peters, & Leber, 1995).…”

Untitled

“…The association of locus of control with both sexual and marital satisfaction may be best understood from the Markman, et al [42] point of view. Markman, et al [42] defines the locus of control construct as a learning process and claim that people with internal locus of control can change their behaviors easily since they believe that they can control the reinforcements.…”

“…Markman, et al [42] defines the locus of control construct as a learning process and claim that people with internal locus of control can change their behaviors easily since they believe that they can control the reinforcements. From this perspective, it is reasonable that internals experience more satisfactory relationships.…”

Locus of control and its relationship with some social-demographic factors

“…On the other side, Sheth (2015) stated that external locus of control was associated with higher marital adjustment in comparison to the people with internal locus of control. Markman, Floyd, Stanley, and Storaasli (1988) claimed that people with internal locus of control were likely to change their behaviors easily to reach their desires when they believed that personal efforts were effective for their sexual and marital satisfaction. From a scientific point of view, the results are interesting because they indicated that the partnership determined the high degree of internal locus of control.…”