Biomedical subjects

S R Beach

Publications and source records attributed to S R Beach.

23 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed1989

Marital distress, depression, and attributions: is the marital distress-attribution association an artifact of depression?

We examined whether the association between marital distress and attributions is an artifact of depression. Study 1 showed that the attributions of 40 wives recruited from the community accounted for variance in their marital satisfaction after the effects of depression had been taken into account. Study 2 compared the attributions of 20 clinically depressed and maritally distressed wives (respondents to an advertisement offering therapy for depression and marital problems), 20 nondepressed but distressed wives (clients seeking marital therapy at a clinic), and a control group of 20 nondepressed and nondistressed wives (respondents to an advertisement for participants in a research project). The first two groups did not differ in attributions, but the attributions of both groups differed from those of the control group. Both studies therefore suggest that the association between attributions and marital satisfaction is not due to depression.

Adult↗

PubMed1987

Attribution processes in distressed and nondistressed couples: 4. Self-partner attribution differences.

The importance of the self-other distinction for understanding the relation between attributions and marital satisfaction is examined in two studies. In Study 1, causal attributions for naturally occurring behavior by the self and spouse were investigated. Study 2 examined both causal and responsibility attributions for hypothetical behaviors. In both studies, the attributions of spouses seeking therapy were investigated in relation to those of happily married persons in the community. The results showed that self-other attribution differences varied as a function of marital distress. Nondistressed spouses showed a positive attribution bias by making more benign attributions for partner behavior as opposed to self-behavior, whereas distressed spouses showed a negative attribution bias by making less benign attributions for partner behavior than for self-behavior. These findings suggest that self-attributions may, in part, determine the impact of attributions for spouse behavior on marital satisfaction. The clinical relevance of the results and their implications for research on actor-observer attribution differences are outlined.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1985

Extramarital sex: impact on depression and commitment in couples seeking marital therapy.

The effects of extramarital sex on depression and commitment were examined in couples seeking marital therapy. One hundred and twenty couples completed a standard assessment battery which assessed level of depression, level of commitment and demographic variables. Couples presenting extramarital sex as an issue reported higher rates of depression and lower levels of commitment to their marriages. In fact, all couples presenting extramarital sex indicated either lowered commitment, elevated depression, or both. Interestingly, it was the spouse engaging in extramarital sex who was most likely to show higher levels of depression and/or lower levels of commitment than other same sex spouses presenting for marital therapy. The need for individual sessions with the spouse engaging in extramarital sex as a preliminary step in marital therapy is discussed.

Adult↗

PubMed1983

Assessment of perceptual discrepancy: utility of the Primary Communication Inventory.

The Primary Communication Inventory was factor-analyzed in order to validate the subscales of this instrument. These subscales were derived by Navran (20) on the basis of face validity and were labeled verbal and nonverbal communication subscales. The analysis yielded two factors. However, they could not be labeled verbal and nonverbal. Instead, the factors were interpreted as: (a) the individual's perceptions of own communication ability, and (b) the spouse's perceptions of the individual's communication ability. The scoring of the Primary Communication Inventory was revised and used as a measure of perceptual discrepancy between husbands and wives. Interestingly, discrepancy within the marital dyad was greater for the nondistressed participants than for the distressed participants. The results illustrate the potentially adaptive nature of positive perceptual distortion within the marital dyad and the potential utility for future research of calculating perceptual discrepancy scores for each spouse using the Primary Communication Inventory.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The nature and correlates of underachievement among elementary schoolchildren in Hong Kong.

This study investigated for the first time several characteristics of underachievement in a large sample of Hong Kong elementary schoolchildren. More males were identified as underachievers than females, but the ratio was substantially less than the two-to-one rate typically found in the American literature. The stability and persistence of underachievement increased during the elementary school years, and the stability of underachievement tended to be higher in subject matter that was relatively more difficult, which varied with gender. Underachievement became more specific to particular academic subjects rather than more general across the elementary grades. Parents and teachers, but not the children themselves, perceived that underachievers were more capable than same-grade nonunderachievers (who score lower on ability tests), although this awareness is more likely directed at male than female underachievers, which has been observed in other samples. In grades 1-4, teachers provided extra mentoring, communications, and support to underachievers. Thereafter, underachievers became more disruptive, impatient, and aggressive in school and perhaps at home. At that point, teachers became less supportive, offered less extra mentoring, and applied greater behavioral control over underachievers. Underachieving children also perceived that their parents became less supportive and used more discipline in grades 5-6 relative to grades 3-4. These correlates of underachievement suggests the existence of a syndrome of underachievement that separates underachievers from children who have the same grades but lower mental ability.

Child Behavior Disorders↗