Modeling the effects of expressed emotion, psychiatric symptomology, and marital quality levels on male and female verbal aggression

Previous research has linked expressed emotion (EE) levels and psychiatric symptomology, whereas other empirical efforts have examined the relationshi p between EE and marital relationship variables. Still other research has l inked psychological conditions with acts of aggression, and the impact of m arital issues within this domain of inquiry also has been explored. The stu dy presented here examined the combined effects of EE, marital quality, and psychiatric symptomology on displays of verbal aggression by both relation ship partners Both husbands' and wives' reports of marital quality were pre dictive of both husbands' and wives' verbal aggression levels; here, report s of lower marital quality were associated with higher levels of verbal agg ression. Additionally, husbands' and wives' reports of psychological sympto mology in self and partner were important paths to marital quality as were husbands' and wives' reports of EE levels. further, some evidence was gener ated that supports the mediating role of marital quality with regard to EE and psychological symptomology. However, the overall fit indices of the mod els tested in this empirical effort were modest. Limitations that concern t he instruments utilized in the present study are discussed in this regard.