Associations Between Marital Discord and Depressive Symptoms: A Cross-Cultural Analysis

The objectives of this study were to investigate actor and partner effects of the association between marital discord and depressive symptoms in a cross-cultural sample of 4,779 couples from 11 European countries that were divided into 3 groups (i.e., Northern, Central, Southern Europe), and evaluate the potential gender and cross-cultural invariance of this association. Actor-partner interdependence models were used to analyze the cross-sectional associations between self-reported perceived marital conflict and depressive symptoms. Marital conflict was significantly and positively associated with self-reported depressive symptoms for husbands and wives (actor effects), as well as with partner-reported depressive symptoms (partner effects). Pooling across cultural groups, no significant difference in the magnitude of actor or partner effects based on gender were found. The magnitude of the positive actor association varied across cultural groupings only for women: a significantly weaker association existed for women residing in North Europe relative to women in Central or Southern Europe. These results suggest that marital discord is a reliable correlate of depressive symptoms for European couples, and that the magnitude of the positive association varies by culture for women. Should these results be replicated longitudinally, couple-based interventions may be indicated to reduce marital discord and prevent and treat depression for discordant couples in Europe

Contemporary quantitative statistical methods for family psychology

This chapter discusses some contemporary statistical methods and their application in the field of family psychology. It focuses on longitudinal data analyses, because the author believes that family psychology benefits from longitudinal designs. The chapter outlines some key issues in operationalizing constructs - that is, measurement models, including latent factor modeling and measurement invariance. It turns to basic and advanced statistical methods for describing and explaining the associations between constructs. Basic statistical methods include moderation and mediation analyses, whereas advanced statistical methods include developmental cascade models, growth curve models, latent difference score models, and growth mixture models. The discussion of each method begins with a description of the statistical techniques, followed by a relevant study in the field of family psychology, used as an illustration of that particular method. The chapter concludes with a general discussion of statistical methods and future directions for their use in the field of family psychology

Contemporary quantitative statistical methods for family psychology

This chapter discusses some contemporary statistical methods and their application in the field of family psychology. It focuses on longitudinal data analyses, because the author believes that family psychology benefits from longitudinal designs. The chapter outlines some key issues in operationalizing constructs - that is, measurement models, including latent factor modeling and measurement invariance. It turns to basic and advanced statistical methods for describing and explaining the associations between constructs. Basic statistical methods include moderation and mediation analyses, whereas advanced statistical methods include developmental cascade models, growth curve models, latent difference score models, and growth mixture models. The discussion of each method begins with a description of the statistical techniques, followed by a relevant study in the field of family psychology, used as an illustration of that particular method. The chapter concludes with a general discussion of statistical methods and future directions for their use in the field of family psychology

Marital Satisfaction and Depression: A Replication of the Marital Discord Model in a Latino Sample

The Marital Discord Model of Depression maintains that marital discord is an important antecedent in the development of depression. Although empirical evidence supports this premise, none of this research has been done with Latinos. The purpose of this study was to test the longitudinal relationship between marital satisfaction and depression among 99 Brazilian women. Using structural equation modeling, results indicated that marital satisfaction was a strong predictor of depression 2 years later. Marital satisfaction was also related to co-occurring depression. These results provide evidence that the Marital Discord Model of Depression is an appropriate theoretical model for the conceptualization of marital discord and depression with Latina women and suggest the potential utility of using couples therapy for treating depression among this population