Transitions From Negative Affect During Marital Interaction: Husband and Wife Differences

Negative-affect expression during marital interaction is the most consistent and powerful discriminator of marital quality. This negative-affect expression may also be influenced by gender. This investigation examined how covariates differentially influence, by gender, the "transitioning out" of negative affect during marital interaction. Self-report of negative affect was gathered in real time from 19 couples immediately after a positive interaction and a negative interaction. Event history analysis was used to determine covariate influence on the negative-affect hazard rate. Results indicated substantial gender differences. Wives were influenced by marital satisfaction, communication orientation, education, and previous durations of negative affect, whereas husbands were influenced only by education. For husbands, evidence was found suggesting that some covariate effects were moderated by time already spent in the negative state.