Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ASCO Annual Meeting 2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

2024 ASCO Annual Meeting

Keep up to date with all the top stories and latest evidence with our hub page, including official congress videos and expert takeaways.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 3/2013

01-03-2013 | Original Paper

Relationship quality and levels of depression and anxiety in a large population-based survey

Authors: Liana S. Leach, Peter Butterworth, Sarah C. Olesen, Andrew Mackinnon

Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology | Issue 3/2013

Login to get access

Abstract

Purpose

There is substantial literature suggesting that the mental health benefits of marriage (compared to being single) are greater for those in ‘good-quality’ relationships in comparison to those in ‘poor-quality’ relationships. However, little of this research utilises large population-based surveys. Large surveys in psychiatric epidemiology have focused almost exclusively on the association between marital status and mental health. The current study explores some of the reasons for this gap in the literature, and adopts a large, representative community-based sample to investigate whether associations between relationship status and levels of depression and anxiety are moderated by relationship quality.

Methods

Participants were from Wave 3 of the PATH Survey, a longitudinal community survey assessing the health and well-being of residents of the Canberra region, Australia (n = 3,820). Relationship quality was measured using the 7 item Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS-7), and levels of depression and anxiety were measured using the Goldberg Scales.

Results

Both cross-sectional and prospective analyses showed that associations between relationship status and mental health were moderated by relationship quality for both men and women, such that only good-quality relationships bestowed mental health benefits over remaining single. For women, being in a poor-quality relationship was associated with greater levels of anxiety than being single.

Conclusions

Epidemiological studies need to measure relationship quality to qualify the effect of relationship status on mental health.
Footnotes
1
The terms marriage relationship and marital relationship in this paper refer also to ‘marriage-like’ relationships, and therefore encompass both married and cohabiting individuals.
 
Literature
1.
Kiecolt-Glaser JK, Newton TL (2001) Marriage and health: his and hers. Psychol Bull 127(4):472–503PubMedCrossRef
2.
O’Connor P, Brown G (1984) Supportive relationships: fact or fancy? J Soc Pers Relat 1(2):159–175CrossRef
3.
Henderson S (1977) The social network, support and neurosis. The function of attachment in adult life. Br J Psychiatry 131:185–191PubMedCrossRef
4.
Gove WR, Hughes M, Style CB (1983) Does marriage have positive effects on the psychological well-being of the individual? J Health Soc Behav 24(2):122–131PubMedCrossRef
5.
6.
Slade T, Johnston A, Oakley Browne MA, Andrews G, Whiteford H (2009) 2007 national survey of mental health and wellbeing: methods and key findings. Aust N Z J Psychiatry 43(7):594–605. doi:912416701 PubMedCrossRef
7.
Dehle C, Weiss RL (1998) Sex differences in prospective associations between marital quality and depressed mood. J Marriage and Fam 60(4):1002–1011CrossRef
8.
Whisman MA (1999) Marital dissatisfaction and psychiatric disorders: results from the national comorbidity survey. J Abnorm Psychol 108(4):701–706PubMedCrossRef
9.
Weissman MM (1987) Advances in psychiatric epidemiology: rates and risks for major depression. Am J Public Health 77(4):445–451PubMedCrossRef
10.
11.
Jenkins R, Lewis G, Bebbington P, Brugha T, Farrell M, Gill B, Meltzer H (2003) The national psychiatric morbidity surveys of Great Britain—initial findings from the household survey. Int Rev Psychiatry 15(1–2):29–42. doi:10.​1080/​0954026021000045​921 PubMedCrossRef
12.
Kessler RC, Berglund P, Demler O, Jin R, Koretz D, Merikangas KR, Rush AJ, Walters EE, Wang PS (2003) The epidemiology of major depressive disorder: results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R). J Am Med Assoc 289(23):3095–3105. doi:10.​1001/​jama.​289.​23.​3095 CrossRef
13.
Regier DA, Farmer ME, Rae DS, Myers JK, Kramer M, Robins LN, George LK, Karno M, Locke BZ (1993) One-month prevalence of mental disorders in the United States and sociodemographic characteristics: the Epidemiologic Catchment Area Study. Acta Psychiatr Scand 88(1):35–47PubMedCrossRef
14.
Wilhelm K, Mitchell P, Slade T, Brownhill S, Andrews G (2003) Prevalence and correlates of DSM-IV major depression in an Australian national survey. J Affect Disord 75(2):155–162PubMedCrossRef
15.
16.
Holt-Lunstad J, Birmingham W, Jones BQ (2008) Is there something unique about marriage? The relative impact of marital status, relationship quality, and network social support on ambulatory blood pressure and mental health. Ann Behav Med 35(2):239–244. doi:10.​1007/​s12160-008-9018-y PubMedCrossRef
17.
Butterworth P, Rodgers B, Windsor TD (2009) Financial hardship, socio-economic position and depression: results from the PATH Through Life Survey. Soc Sci Med 69(2):229–237PubMedCrossRef
18.
19.
Stansfeld S, Candy B (2006) Psychosocial work environment and mental health—a meta-analytic review. Scand J Work Environ Health 32(6):443–462 (pii 1050)PubMedCrossRef
20.
21.
Hunsley J, Pinsent C, Lefebvre M, James-Tanner S, Vito D (1995) Construct validity of the short forms of the Dyadic Adjustment Scale. Fam Relations 11:231–237CrossRef
22.
Sharpley C, Cross D (1982) A psychometric evaluation of the Spanier Dyadic Adjustment Scale. J Marriage Fam 44:739–741CrossRef
23.
Hunsley J, Best M, Lefebvre M, Vito D (2001) The seven-item short form of the Dyadic Adjustment Scale: further evidence for construct validity. Am J Fam Ther 29(4):325–335
24.
Anstey KJ, Christensen H, Butterworth P, Easteal S, Mackinnon A, Jacomb T, Maxwell K, Rodgers B, Windsor T, Cherbuin N, Jorm AF (2011) Cohort Profile: The PATH through life project. Int J Epidemiol doi:10.​1093/​ije/​dyr025
25.
Goldberg D, Bridges K, Duncan-Jones P, Grayson D (1988) Detecting anxiety and depression in general medical settings. Br Med J 297(6653):897–899CrossRef
26.
Mackinnon A, Christensen H, Jorm AF, Henderson AS, Scott R, Korten AE (1994) A latent trait analysis of an inventory designed to detect symptoms of anxiety and depression using an elderly community sample. Psychol Med 24(4):977–986PubMedCrossRef
27.
Australian Bureau of Statistics (2008) National survey of mental health and wellbeing: summary of results, 2007. Cat. No. 4326.0. Australian Bureau of Statistics, Canberra
28.
Ware J, Kosinski M, Keller SD (1996) A 12-item short-form health survey: construction of scales and preliminary tests of reliability and validity. Med Care 34(3):220–233PubMedCrossRef
29.
Eysenck H, Eysenck S (1964) Manual of the Eysenck Personality Inventory. University of London Press, London
30.
Naswall K, Sverke M, Hellgren J (2005) The moderating role of personality characteristics on the relationship between job insecurity and strain. Work Stress 19:37–49CrossRef
31.
Spector PE, Chen PY, O’Connell BJ (2000) A longitudinal study of relations between job stressors and job strains while controlling for prior negative affectivity and strains. J App Psychol 85:302–307CrossRef
32.
Piccinelli M, Wilkinson G (2000) Gender differences in depression. Critical review. Br J Psychiatry 177:486–492PubMedCrossRef
33.
Mackinaw-Koons B, Vasey MW (2000) Considering sex differences in anxiety and its disorders across the life span: a construct-validation approach. App Prevent Psychol 9:191–209CrossRef
34.
35.
Horwitz AV, McLaughlin J, White HR (1998) How the negative and positive aspects of partner relationships affect the mental health of young married people. J Health Soc Behav 39(2):124–136PubMedCrossRef
36.
Brown GW, Birley JL, Wing JK (1972) Influence of family life on the course of schizophrenic disorders: a replication. Br J Psychiatry 121(562):241–258PubMedCrossRef
37.
Vaughn CE, Leff JP (1976) The influence of family and social factors on the course of psychiatric illness. A comparison of schizophrenic and depressed neurotic patients. Br J Psychiatry 129:125–137PubMedCrossRef
38.
Bierman AF, Fazio EM, Milkie MA (2006) A multifaceted approach to the mental health advantage of the married—assessing how explanations vary by outcome measure and unmarried group. J Fam Issues 27(4):554CrossRef
39.
Rimehaug T, Wallander J (2010) Anxiety and depressive symptoms related to parenthood in a large Norwegian community sample: the HUNT2 study. Soc Psych and Psychiatric Epidemiol 45(7):713–721. doi:10.​1007/​s00127-009-0110-9 CrossRef
40.
Brown S (2000) The effect of union type on psychological well-being: depression among cohabitors versus marrieds. J Health Soc Behav 41(3):241–255PubMedCrossRef
41.
Kuehner C (2003) Gender differences in unipolar depression: an update of epidemiological findings and possible explanations. Acta Psychiatr Scand 108(3):163–174PubMedCrossRef
42.
Nolen-Hoeksema S (1987) Sex-differences in unipolar depression—evidence and theory. Psychol Bull 101(2):259–282PubMedCrossRef
43.
Mamun AA, Clavarino AM, Najman JM, Williams GM, O’Callaghan MJ, Bor W (2009) Maternal depression and the quality of marital relationship: a 14-year prospective study. J Womens Health (Larchmt) 18(12):2023–2031. doi:10.​1089/​jwh.​2008.​1050 CrossRef
44.
Joutsenniemi K, Moustgaard H, Koskinen S, Ripatti S, Martikainen P (2011) Psychiatric comorbidity in couples: a longitudinal study of 202,959 married and cohabiting individuals. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 46(7):623–633. doi:10.​1007/​s00127-010-0228-9 PubMedCrossRef
45.
Metadata
Title
Relationship quality and levels of depression and anxiety in a large population-based survey
Authors
Liana S. Leach
Peter Butterworth
Sarah C. Olesen
Andrew Mackinnon
Publication date
01-03-2013
Publisher
Springer-Verlag
Published in
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology / Issue 3/2013
Print ISSN: 0933-7954
Electronic ISSN: 1433-9285
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-012-0559-9

Other articles of this Issue 3/2013

Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 3/2013 Go to the issue

Original Paper

Suicide and media reporting: a longitudinal and spatial analysis

Original Paper

Exposure to violence in relation to depressive symptoms among male and female adolescent students in Cambodia

Original Paper

The course of posttraumatic stress symptoms and functional impairment following a disaster: what is the lasting influence of acute versus ongoing traumatic events and stressors?

Original Paper

The neglect of child neglect: a meta-analytic review of the prevalence of neglect

Original Paper

Alcohol and smoking consumption behaviours in older Australian adults: prevalence, period and socio-demographic differentials in the DYNOPTA sample

Original Paper

Assessing overweight and obesity across mental disorders: personality disorders at high risk