Depressive Symptoms, Criticism, and Counter‐Criticism in Marital Interactions

• Author: Kristina M. Post,David A. Smith,Joseph M. Trombello
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12349
• Date: 01 March 2019
• Published date: 01 March 2019

Depressive Symptoms, Criticism, and Counter-

Criticism in Marital Interactions

JOSEPH M. TROMBELLO*

KRISTINA M. POST

†

DAVID A. SMITH

‡

Although people with depressive symptoms face criticism, hostility, and rejection in their

close relationships, we do not know how they respond. Following interpersonal theories of

depression, it might be expected that depressive symptoms would be associated with a ten-

dency to receive and also to express criticism toward one’s spouse, and that at least some of

this criticism would be a contingent response to criticism received (i.e., “counter-criticism” ).

However, other research has determined that depressive symptoms/behaviors suppress

partner criticism, suggesting that depressed people might respond to partner criticism sim-

ilarly, by subsequently expressing less criticism. In a sample of 112 married couples, par-

tial correlations, regressions, and Actor-Partner Interdependence Modeling indicated that

lower criticism and counter-criticism expression during a laboratory marital interaction

task was associated with higher depressive symptoms, especially when such individuals

were clinically depressed. Furthermore, during a separate and private Five-Minute Speech

Sample, lower criticism by partners was associated with higher depressive symptoms, espe-

cially when those who chose the interaction topic were also clinically depressed. All analy-

ses controlled for relationship adjustment. These results suggest that spouses wi th higher

depressive symptoms and clinical depression diagnoses may be suppressing otherwise ordi-

nary criticism expression toward their nondepressed partners; furthermore, nondepressed

partners of depressed people are especially likely to display less criticism toward their

spouse in a private task.

Keywords: Expressed Emotion; Criticism; Depression; Couples; Communication

Fam Proc 58:165–178, 2019

Major depression is highly prevalent (Kessler et al., 2005) and economically and

socially destructive (Greenberg et al., 2003). One of depression’s social consequences

is interpersonal dysfunction, including negative emotional communication and aversive

behaviors such as criticism, hostility, rejection, and defensiveness. These negative behav-

iors are also generally accompanied by a paucity of positive emotional expressions and

pleasant behaviors (Gabriel, Beach, & Bodenmann, 2010; Rehman, Gollan, & Mortimer,

2008). Depressive symptoms therefore have negative consequences not only for the

*Center for Depression Research and Clinical Care, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Texas South-

western Medical Center, Dallas, TX.

†

Department of Psychology, University of La Verne, La Verne, CA.

‡

Department of Psychology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN.

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Joseph M. Trombello, Center for Depres-

sion Research and Clinical Care, Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical

Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX 75390-9119. E-mail: joseph.trombello@utsouthwestern.edu.

This research was supported by National Institutes of Health Grant MH-066301-02. NIMH had no other

research involvement in this study beyond grant funding.

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Family Process, Vol. 58, No. 1, 2019 ©2018 Family Process Institute

doi: 10.1111/famp.12349