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Couples’ depression and relationship satisfaction: examining the moderating effects of demand/withdraw communication patterns
Author(s) -
Li PeiFen,
Johnson Lee N.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of family therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.52
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1467-6427
pISSN - 0163-4445
DOI - 10.1111/1467-6427.12124
Subject(s) - interpersonal communication , psychology , depression (economics) , intervention (counseling) , context (archaeology) , perception , interpersonal relationship , clinical psychology , depressive symptoms , social psychology , psychiatry , cognition , biology , economics , macroeconomics , paleontology , neuroscience
This study used systemic perspectives and actor and partner interdependence model to examine actor and partner effects of depression on couples’ relationship satisfaction in sixty‐three clinical couples. We also examined if a demand/withdraw communication pattern served a unique communication context that modified the impacts of depression on relationship satisfaction. Couples participated in a treatment‐as‐usual situation. The results showed that male depression had a negative impact on female relationship satisfaction. Males and females had different perceptions of male demand/female withdraw behaviours and it created different influences on each partner's depression in relation to relationship satisfaction. Practitioner points Depression is an interpersonal event that therapists must always assess while providing intervention in relational issues Females’ relationship satisfaction is influenced by males’ depression and couple‐based therapy can be beneficial for treating men's depression and women's relational well‐being Couples therapists need to intervene in demand/withdraw behaviours at different levels corresponding to which gender is executing demand/withdraw behaviours