Marital Cognitions and Depression in the Context of Marital Discord1

The cognitions of 63 couples were examined to explicate the link between marital conflict and depression. Following a laboratory-based marital problem solving discussion, spouses listed cognitions about these discussions and thoughts about the future of their relationship. Cognitions also were assessed using the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire and Marital Attitude Survey. Self-reported assessments of mood were obtained before and after the problem solving discussion. Depressed wives exhibited significantly more self-blame and hopeless thoughts than nondepressed wives. Selfblame, partner-blame, and hopelessness in reference to the problem solving discussions were associated with spouses’ mood states after a problem solving discussion, albeit in different ways. The results support the importance of hopelessness and blame in understanding the link between marital discord and depression.