Factors influencing the course of marital conflict incude compatibility between the partners, their personalities, their skills at resolving conflict, and the stressful circumstances they encounter. Distressed couples argue in a different way to non-distressed couples, displaying more frequently and more intensely such behaviours as sarcasm, hostility, criticism and rejection. Focus on conflict. A growing body of research has highlighted the health and health-related differences between married and unmarried people. The effects of prolonged marital conflict on health are well documented.
Marital problems increase the likelihood of depression, especially in women.
Second edition .