CONJUGAL ADJUSTMENT - THE ROLE OF ATTRIBU TIONS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between attr ibutions, psychological distress and marital adaptation. The sample is made up of 124 couples from the Province of Quebec. Results show that the attributions of causality, responsibility and blame directed towa rds a partner are negatively linked to marital adaptation. As well, th e more spouses report symptoms of depression, anxiety, aggressiveness and problems of a cognitive nature, the lower their degree of marital adaptation is found to be. Simultaneous contributions of these two gro ups of variables, attributional and symptomological, show that the wif e's anxiety, depression and cognitive problems are associated to her d egree of marital adaptation. In addition, causality attributions formu lated by the husband, as well as his symptoms of depression, constitut e variables linked to the wife's marital adaptation. This simultaneous examination also reveals that depression, causality and blame attribu tions of the husband are linked to his degree of adaptation to married life. Finally, causality attributions formulated by the wife, as well as her degree of aggressiveness and depression are associated to the degree of marital adaptation of the husband.