Family and Marital Profiles of Couples in Which One Partner Has Depression Or

Twenty-nine couples in which one partner was depressed, 21 couples in which one partner had an anxiety disorder and 26 normal control couples were compared on measures of (1) quality of life, stress, and social support; (2) family functioning; (3) marital functioning; and (4) relationship attributions. The depressed group had significant difficulties in all four domains. In contrast, the control group showed minimal difficulties. The profile of the anxious group occupied an intermediate position between those of the other two groups, with some difficulties in all four domains, although these were less severe and pervasive than those of the depressed group. Family and Marital Profiles in Depression and Anxiety 4 INTRODUCTION Current biopsychosocial research findings support multifactorial conceptualizations of the etiologies of depression and anxiety (Carr & McNulty, In Press). Genetic factors and early socialization experiences may render people vulnerable to depression and anxiety. The onset of episodes of depression and anxiety may be precipitated by a build-up of stressful life events. Depression and anxiety may be maintained by a dysregulation of monoamine or neuroendocrine systems, cognitive processes and belief systems, the absence of social support, and patterns of family interaction. While there is a growing consensus about such broad multifactorial formulations there are still significant gaps in our knowledge about the precise biological and psychosocial processes associated with anxiety and depression. In particular, few previous studies have compared groups of cases with DSM IV diagnoses of depression and anxiety disorders across a comprehensive range of psychosocial variables from theoretically significant domains. The aim of this study was to fill this gap in our knowledge by developing comprehensive psychosocial profiles of couples in which one partner had a diagnosis of anxiety or depression. The domains we profiled were (1) quality of life, stress, and social support; (2) family functioning; (3) marital functioning; and (4) relationship attributions. Such clarification is particularly important for deepening our understanding of psychosocial factors in anxiety and depression and the refinement of systemic treatment approaches to these conditions (Carr,