Personality, interpersonal context and depression in couples

The present study had two goals: first, to determine whether neediness and self-criticism are associated with distinct marital environments and, secon d, to evaluate two pathways by which marital environments may be related to personality and depressive symptoms. Personality vulnerability may be more strongly associated with depressive symptoms when the spouse's behavior ma tches the vulnerability (i.e. a needy person's spouse is emotionally distan t). Alternatively, spousal behavior may elevate levels of neediness or self -criticism, which then increases depressive symptoms. We tested these alter natives in a sample of 64 couples recruited from the community. Among men, neediness was associated with depressive symptoms only if the marriage lack ed intimacy. Self-criticism in both sexes and neediness in women were linke d to the interpersonal context in a different manner: self-critics tended t o have partners who have many complaints about them, and needy women tended to have partners who report low levels of marital intimacy. These results demonstrate that, to some extent, an individual's self-criticism or needine ss may be a realistic response to a distressing interpersonal context.