Keywords

marital discord, depression, China, cross-cultural

Abstract

Although there is substantial evidence that low marital satisfaction is a significant risk factor for depression, little research has examined this relationship in cultures outside of the U.S. and Europe. The validity of the marital discord model of depression in Chinese culture was tested by studying 391 couples living in Beijing and Hangzhou, China. Results of structural equation modeling using an actor–partner interdependence model strategy indicated that husbands’ and wives’ marital satisfaction was significantly predictive of their own depressive symptoms. In addition, wives’ marital satisfaction significantly predicted husbands’ depressive symptoms. These results provide evidence that the marital discord model of depression is useful in understanding the role of marital dissatisfaction as a risk factor for depressive symptoms in collectivistic societies, such as China.

Original Publication Citation

Miller, R. B., *Mason, T. M., *Canlas, J. M., Wang, D. H., Nelson, D. A., & Hart, C. H. (2013). Marital satisfaction and depressive symptoms in China. Journal of Family Psychology, 27, 677-682.

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2013-07-08

Permanent URL

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/6771

Publisher

Journal of Family Psychology

Language

English

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Sociology

University Standing at Time of Publication

Full Professor

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