Dimensionality of psychosocial responses to marital disruption

The purpose of the study was to assess whether psychosocial responses to ma rital disruption were best arranged along one single dimension ranging from maximum positive to maximum negative responses, or whether positive and ne gative responses constituted two separate and distinct dimensions. particip ants were 658 recently divorced individuals. A confirmatory factor analysis revealed that a two-factor model provided a better fit to the data than a one-factor model. Moreover, a number of external variables differentiated b etween positive and negative responses, indicating that such responses refl ect two separate domains. Thus, the findings support the notion that psycho social responses after marital disruption comprise a bidimensional rather t han a unidimensional pattern. The findings are discussed within the general framework of positive-negative asymmetry and the idea that positive and ne gative evaluations belong to different psychological system.