Work

The Taxometrics of Marriage: Is Marital Discord Categorical?

Year: 2005

Type: article

Abstract: This study used taxometric methods to investigate the latent structure of the construct of marital adjustment as indexed by the Marital Adjustment Test (MAT; H. J. Locke & K. M. Wallace, 1959). That is, the authors examined whether marital adjustment is best thought of as a "dimension" of adjustment only or whether there also are categorical differences between "discordant" and "nondiscordant" couples. Analyses of data provided by 447 couples married for approximately 2 years provided converging evidence for a latent category of marital discord, suggesting that marital discord can be viewed as a qualitatively distinct state experienced by approximately 20% of the couples in the current sample. Implications for marital assessment are outlined.

Source: Journal of Family Psychology

DOI: 10.1037/0893-3200.19.2.276

Authors: Steven R. H. Beach, Frank D. Fincham, Nader Amir, Kenneth E. Leonard

Institutions: University of Georgia, University at Buffalo, State University of New York

Language: English

Topic: Attachment and Relationship Dynamics

Subfield: Social Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funder: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

Award: Alcohol and Early Marriage: Spouse and Peer Influence