Classification of marital relationships: an empirical approach

The purpose of this study was to derive an empirically based classification system of marital relationships, employing a multidimensional self-report measure of marital interaction. Spouses' profiles on the Marital Satisfaction Inventory for samples of 89 clinic and 89 nonclinic couples were su...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of marriage and family 1986-02, Vol.48 (1), p.137-146
Main Authors: Snyder, D.K, Smith, G.T
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis of variance
Children
classification
Classification systems
Family therapy
Husbands
Marital Relations
marital relationships
Marital Satisfaction
Marriage
Marriage counseling
Of General Interest
Personal relationships
Social interaction
Social research
Spouses
Tests
Typology
Wives
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Summary:The purpose of this study was to derive an empirically based classification system of marital relationships, employing a multidimensional self-report measure of marital interaction. Spouses' profiles on the Marital Satisfaction Inventory for samples of 89 clinic and 89 nonclinic couples were subjected to cluster analysis, resulting in separate five-group typologies for husbands and wives. Replication of four of five clusters across sex supported the robustness of the procedures used in the derivation of profile types. Clinicians' ratings of each spouse on an extensive checklist were factor-analyzed to generate independent dimensions of marital functioning; subsequent analyses of variance confirmed the convergent and discriminant validity of the cluster-typologies across these independent criteria. Conditional and joint probabilities of husbands' and wives' profile types facilitated an empirical framework for classifying marital dyads. Implications for clinical intervention and research are discussed.
ISSN:0022-2445
1741-3737
DOI:10.2307/352237