Husbands' and wives' marital quality: the role of adult attachment orientations, depressive symptoms, and conflict resolution behaviors.

Abstract

Although previous research has examined the role of adult attachment orientations, depressive symptoms, and conflict resolution behaviors (attacking and compromising) in marital quality, these variables have typically been considered separately. In the present study, these attributes were examined together in a community sample of 64 married couples. Correlational analyses revealed significant associations among the study variables and generally supported the hypothesized relations. When a regression series was applied to the data in order to examine indirect links between husbands' and wives' attachment orientations and their marital satisfaction, results provided some support for mediation; husbands' conflict resolution behaviors partially mediated the association between husbands' depressive symptoms and marital satisfaction. Interestingly, wives' conflict resolution behaviors did not mediate the association between wives' depressive symptoms and marital satisfaction. Instead, a different pattern was found; wives' conflict resolution behaviors partially mediated the association between wives' attachment anxiety and marital satisfaction. Findings highlight the importance of considering husbands' and wives' attributes separately and suggest directions for future research on this topic.