The Dutch Marital Satisfaction and Communication Questionnaire: A Validation study

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to validate the Dutch Marital Satisfaction and Communication Questionnaire (DMSCQ), a 16-item measure that disentangles marital satisfaction, negative communication and open communication. In three subsequent studies empirical evidence for the construct and criterion validity is presented using (confirmatory) factor analyses, and correlational analyses with criterion variables. Results indicate that the 16 items represent a solid three-factor structure, which was replicated across time and in independent samples. High agreement in factor structure between men and women was demonstrated by high levels of Tucker's coefficient of congruence. The internal consistencies of the marital satisfaction and negative communication scales are good; for the open communication scale it is somewhat lower but still acceptable. Consistent evidence was obtained for a negative relationship between the three marital outcomes and parental depression and conflictual family climate whereas the three former are positively related to life satisfaction and well-being. Spouses who feel restricted by their parental role or experience parenting stress tend to be less satisfied with their partnership and perceive the marital communication as more negative. Our results demonstrate that the DMSCQ provides a brief, valid and reliable measure of marital satisfaction, negative and open communication.

How do Money, Sex, and Stress Influence Marital Instability?

“…As discussed previously, this study took particular interest in the financial and sexual aspects of the couple relationship; thus, this study's adaptation of the ABC-X model integrated with Gottman's research will focus specifically on financial and sexual stressors, resources, and perceptions. While couples experience many diverse stressors, three main categories of stressors which have been shown to influence marital relationships were employed in the model: finances (Conger et al, 1990), work-family conflict (Carroll et al, 2013), and parenting (Van Den Troost, Vermulst, Gerris, & Matthijs, 2005). The resources used were financial communication and relational communication, along with income and sexual frequency (Hobfoll & Spielberger, 1992).…”

Comunicação conjugal negativa e aberta: modelo interdependente de efeito ator/parceiro no ajustamento conjugal

“…Os resultados do efeito ator e parceiro foram preponderantes em relação à comunicação negativa, confirmando pesquisas anteriores sobre o impacto que essa forma de se comunicar provoca na conjugalidade (Costa et al, 2017;Johnson et al, 2005;Luz & Mosmann, 2018;Markman et al, 2010). Essa evidência pode indicar que os esforços empreendidos nos programas de educação conjugal e nas intervenções clínicas com casais deveriam focalizar principalmente na redução da comunicação negativa e das características desse tipo de comunicação (Van den Troost et al, 2005), e menos em promover habilidades de comunicação positiva entre os parceiros, compreensão divergente do que foi referido por Baucom et al (2015) de que a comunicação construtiva proporcionaria efeitos mais consistentes em terapia de casal do que a comunicação destrutiva.…”

“…Communication Questionnaire (Van den Troost et al, 2005;traduzido por Luz & Mosmann, 2018). Trata-se de uma escala composta por quinze itens divididos em dois fatores.…”

“…A comunicação, se for negativa, ocorrerá por meio de comportamentos de acusação, dominância, interrupções, retraimento, indiferença, tom de voz hostil e um contexto de interações negativas que tendem a se agravar, provocando o conflito em escalada. Sendo positiva, a comunicação ocorre por meio de empatia, compreensão, validação, abertura para falar de forma clara e sincera sobre problemas e interesses de ordem pessoal, conjugal, profissional, entre outros (Van den Troost, Vermulst, Gerris, & Matthijs, 2005).…”

Effects of Spousal Economic and Cultural Factors on Dutch Marital Satisfaction

“…Another study on this sample established the uniqueness and stability of the concept (Van den Troost, Vermulst, Gerris, & Matthijs, 2006). For formulating the items, satisfaction with the relationship and/or the partner was used as the guiding principle (e.g., ''Generally, I'm dissatisfied with the relationship with my partner'' or ''If I could choose again, I would choose the same partner'').…”