Marital Satisfaction Assessment

1. Marital Satisfaction Assessment Chris Bedard Jonathan Cogburn

2. http://www.hulu.com/watch/15926/make-me-a-supermodel-countdown-to-finale-marriagehttp://www.hulu.com/watch/15926/make-me-a-supermodel-countdown-to-finale-marriage

3. Locke-Wallace Marital Adjustment Test Development: (Lock & Wallace, 1959) • Locke & Wallace’s Purpose • Provide reliable & valid adjustment testing • Combined most significant items of marital adjustment testing • Combined items reduced size and time • Marital Adjustment Benchmark • Accommodation of partners to each other at a given time • Considered the benchmark for assessing the degree of adjustment in Marriage • Used for marital & cohabitating couples

4. Locke-Wallace Marital Adjustment Test Description: • Locke-Wallace Marital Adjustment Test Developed: 1959 Locke & Wallace to provide quicker, valid marital adjustment testing Statistical Properties: --Reliability: .90 -Validity: .63 --Norms: 118 husbands and wives, high SES, one or less children Administration: (English only) --Self-report, paper pencil only --Married or cohabitating couples --5 minutes to complete Scoring: (Gottman Appendix) --Can be scored in 5 minutes or less --15 items points range from 2 -158 --100+ suggest mutual adjustment Systemic Integration: --Gottman, EFT, Solution-Focused --Offers quick look at communication, conflict, and cohesion

5. Locke-Wallace Marital Adjustment Test Summary of Research: • Whitton & Markman, 2004 • LWMA used to test for marital/cohabitation satisfaction • Hypothesis: Cohabitate before marriage = less marital satisfaction • Cohabitation prior to marriage doesn’t equal lower satisfaction for women • Cohabitation prior to marriage = satisfaction for men • Those cohabitating prior to marriage reported less marital satisfaction that those that did not cohabitate prior

6. Locke-Wallace Marital Adjustment Test Summary of Research: • Wilson & Cousins, 2003 • Used LWMA as a standard to compare compatibility between established couples who share several commonalities VS. randomly selected couples (who may not have similarities) • Compatibility Quotient • Mean age was 51 for men and 47 for women • Mean length of relationship was 17 years • More similarities = more satisfied through the years • Can be used to help fight unreal expectations

7. Locke-Wallace Marital Adjustment Test Systemic Integration: • This tool assess relational adjustment, conflict issues, and cohesion • Gives an insiders view of the couple • By looking at what is working, there is a chance to build upon positive aspects, giving hope (Solution-Focused) • Can address gaps in communication that may be hindering satisfaction, adjustment, and happiness

8. Locke-Wallace Marital Adjustment Test Suggestions for Use: • Use this tool to get an ‘insider’s view’ • Offers a quick testing tool that is valid and reliable • Easy to score • Great tool to use with cohabitating couples • Can be used with Solution-Focused, EFT, and /or Gottman Models of Therapy (BTW Gottman loves it!!!)

9. http://www.hulu.com/watch/40080/sesame-street-what-is-marriagehttp://www.hulu.com/watch/40080/sesame-street-what-is-marriage

10. Marital Communication Inventory Development (Sherman, 1987): • Millard J. Bienvenu’s Purpose • Disruptions in communication are universal in unhappy marriages. • Good communication can be learned and improved upon throughout the life of a marriage. • MCI was created to measure dimensions of communication where clinicians could intervene. • This is filler • Point a • Point b • Point c

11. Marital Communication Inventory Description: • Locke-Wallace Marital Adjustment Test Developed: 1959 Locke & Wallace to provide quicker, valid marital adjustment testing Statistical Properties: --Reliability: .90 -Validity: .63 --Norms: 118 husbands and wives, high SES, one or less children Statistical Properties: -Internal Consistency: .93-.95 -Test-Retest: .92 @ 5 wks; .94@ 2 mo. -Norms: 1/6<85; 1/6>120 Administration: (English only) --Self-report, paper pencil only --Married or cohabitating couples --5 minutes to complete Administration: -Different forms for male and female. -30 mins to complete 7th grade level -Clinicians and couples can administer Scoring: (Gottman Appendix) --Can be scored in 5 minutes or less --15 items points range from 2 -158 --100+ suggest mutual adjustment Scoring: -Responses scored at 0-3 points -Scores combined for total; 0-138. -Higher scores=Healtiher process Systemic Integration: -Measuring elements of process areas -Use with Gottman or EFT -MCI, Process, and Enactments Systemic Integration: --Gottman, EFT, Solution-Focused --Offers quick look at communication, conflict, and cohesion --Insiders view of the marriage

12. http://www.hulu.com/watch/36500/the-simpsons-marriage-retreathttp://www.hulu.com/watch/36500/the-simpsons-marriage-retreat

13. Marital Disaffection Scale Development: Kayser, 1993 • Developed and found in her book When Love Dies: The Process of Marital Disaffection • Disaffection: gradual loss of positive emotions that occurs b/t spouses over time • Theoretical model developed from work of Snyder & Regts (1982) and Duck (1982) • Sample size, etc. • Random sample of 354 spouses • Mean age 32; mean length of marriage 8.1 years • Primarily middle class, white • Measures 21 items including: caring, attachment, desire for emotional intimacy with one’s partner

14. Locke-Wallace Marital Adjustment Test Description: • Locke-Wallace Marital Adjustment Test Developed: 1959 Locke & Wallace to provide quicker, valid marital adjustment testing Statistical Properties: --Reliability: .90 -Validity: .63 --Norms: 118 husbands and wives, high SES, one or less children Statistical Properties: -Internal Consistency: .93-.95 -Test-Retest: .92 @ 5 wks; .94@ 2 mo. -Norms: 1/6<85; 1/6>120 Administration: (English only) --Self-report, paper pencil only --Married or cohabitating couples --5 minutes to complete Administration: -Different forms for male and female. -30 mins. to complete 7th grade level -Clinicians and couples can administer Scoring: (Gottman Appendix) --Can be scored in 5 minutes or less --15 items points range from 2 -158 --100+ suggest mutual adjustment Scoring: -Responses scored at 0-3 points -Scores combined for total; 0-138. -Higher scores=Healthier process Systemic Integration: --Gottman, EFT, Solution-Focused --Offers quick look at communication, conflict, and cohesion --Insiders view of the marriage Systemic Integration: -Measuring elements of process areas -Use with Gottman or EFT -MCI, Process, and Enactments

15. Marital Disaffection Scale Summary of Research: Kayser, 1996 • When highly disaffected couples enter therapy, they are seeking assistance in making a decision about ending the marriage • Frustration can occur when one spouse is more disaffected than the other • Marital Disaffection Scale is a quick and accurate way a therapist can get a feel for the emotional state of each spouse. • Knowing the emotional state of each spouse can assist therapists in the development and implementation of a treatment plan.

16. Marital Disaffection Scale Summary of Research: Robinson, Carroll, & Flowers, 2001 • Workaholic marriages vs. Nonworkaholics • Spouses of workaholics feel: ignored, neglected, unappreciated, and believe they carry emotional burden for the family (similar to alcoholic families) • Rated emotoinal closeness toward workaholic spouse • Circular Causality found

17. Marital Disaffection Scale Systemic Integration: • EFT and Gottman Modles are good choices in working with this assessment • Education about Circular Causality • See inside the emotional interactions of the couple

18. Marital Disaffection Scale Suggestions for Use: • Caution in feedback sessions • Taking ownership of disaffection • Therapeutic empathy and support is crucial

19. Marital Satisfaction Assessment Chris Bedard Jonathan Cogburn