DEPRESSION AND THE EXPERIENCE AND EXPRESSION OF ANGER IN MARITAL AND OTHER RELATIONSHIPS

In prior research using trait self-report measures, depression has bee n linked to elevated anger experience and anger suppression, whereas o bservational studies of marital interactions reveal high rates of over t anger expression by depressed people. This study tested whether the key distinction between these contradictory lines of research is a) ta rget of anger expression (people in general versus spouse) or b) metho d of measurement (self-report versus behavioral observation). Depresse d patients (N = 33) scored significantly higher than did nondepressed controls (N = 41) on self-report measures of anger and anger suppressi on regardless of whether the target of anger was the spouse or others. Group differences were nonsignificant on anger expression. Thus, it a ppears that the critical feature of studies linking depression with he ightened anger expression may be their use of behavioral observations rather than their specific focus on the marital relationship.