Affective self-disclosure, conflict resolution and marital quality.
Creators: name: Vito, Diana.
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 1998
Subjects: subject: Psychology, Clinical.

description: Couple communication is an important aspect in relationship quality and has a pervasive impact on most aspects of marital functioning. The verbal self-disclosure of affect, although having received less empirical attention than other aspects of couple communication, has been found to relate to relationship satisfaction and adjustment and is implicated in relationship conflict resolution. The current study was designed to investigate self-reported levels of affective self-disclosure and its relation to various aspects of relationship conflict resolution, as well as to relationship satisfaction and adjustment in individuals cohabiting in a heterosexual relationship. These variables were examined with self-report data from 162 individuals (98 women and 64 men) who participated in a mail survey. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses demonstrate that affective self-disclosure scores accounted for a significant amount of variance in both relationship quality and various aspects of conflict resolution. In particular, affective self-disclosure scores were positively related with relationship satisfaction and relationship adjustment. Individuals who reported engaging in more frequent self-disclosure of feelings to their partner also reported greater satisfaction with their relationship and obtained higher scores on relationship adjustment. As well, affective self-disclosure was positively related to conflict resolution styles described as effective, and negatively related to conflict resolution styles described as ineffective. The more individuals reported that they viewed themselves and their partners as engaging in effective and satisfactory ways of handling relationship conflicts, the more they reported engaging in affective self-disclosures. As well, affective self-disclosure scores were positively related to effective styles and behaviors found at various stages of the conflict discussion and resolution process (i.e., the beginning stages of the conflict where the objective is to get the issues out as they are perceived by each partner; the middle stages of the conflict where the objective is for each partner to argue for their point of view and to understand the areas of disagreement. and the final stages of the conflict where the objective is to reach a mutually satisfactory compromise regarding the problem area). Further, affective self-disclosure scores were positively related to the self-reported frequency of resolved relationship conflicts. The more individuals reported self-disclosing emotions to their partners, the more they reported being able to resolve relationship conflicts more frequently. These preceding relationships were maintained once additional factors, such as impression management scores, gender, and demographic variables were controlled for. In some of the findings, the relation between affective self-disclosure and relationship satisfaction was moderated by the gender of respondent. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)