Sunday, June 20, 2010

Angry Fathers or Husbands, read this.

Father's Day.
In honor of all things related to being male, check out what I've posted below, an article about a new study which apparently discovered a huge link between a husband's anger and his wife's depression.
I am fortunate to have a loving, patient Dad who rarely raises (or raised, when I was a young child) his voice. To the Fathers out there who are less than patient, read below, to see how your yelling and critical behaviors and curse words, are damaging your children's Mom.
If you're not a Dad, but you've got a wife--or a girlfriend--please read this anyway.
It will enlighten you on the truly negative impact you're having, on those you love...
Peace, kids.

Angry Husbands Linked to Depression in Wives
By Jeanna Bryner, LiveScience Managing Editor


Depression in women can be fueled by hostile husbands, a new study suggests. But the reverse seems not to be true.

Additionally, warm, positive behavior from husbands lessened the negative impact of their hostile behavior.

In the study, researchers watched 20-minute clips of 416 married couples interacting at home. The videos were coded for two behavior types: anti-social behaviors, which are those that are self-centered, defiant or show a lack of constraint; and hostile behaviors that are angry, critical or rejecting. Participants in the study also reported any symptoms of depression.

Forinstance, being snippy or curt with a spouse, interrupting her, eye-rolling, sneers and yelling were considered hostile behaviors.

"In the study, husbands' marital hostility was significantly related to increases in wives' symptoms of depression," said study researcher Christine Proulx of the University of Missouri. "The more hostile and anti-social behavior exhibited by husbands, the more depressed their wives were after three years. These findings suggest that husbands' treatment of their wives significantly impacts their psychological well-being and that hostile behavior has a lasting effect on couples that continues throughout their marriages."

On the flip side, the researchers didn't find any link between wives' angry behaviors and their husbands' depression — unless there was a significant life event at the time, including a death in the family or a job loss.

"It is possible that women's well-being is more closely tied to the well-being of their close relationships than is the case for men," Proulx told LiveScience. "So they may be more vulnerable than husbands are when there is hostility in the marriage."

But a greater number of recent, stressful events might put husbands at risk for being negatively impacted by their wives' hostility, according to Proulx.

In the United States, nearly 10 percent of the population suffers from a depressive disorder, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. While the causes of depression vary, a husband's angry behavior could be a contributing factor.

"It's critical that professionals ask people experiencing depression about their close relationships and recognize that their spouse's behavior influences how they feel about life and themselves, especially among women," Proulx said. "It is important to intervene at the couple level and make spouses aware that how they act toward each other has a long-term effect on their emotional and physical well-being."

The study was published in a recent issue of the Journal of Family Psychology.

2 comments:

Rhiannon said...

and of course don't forget how all this affects any children they may have. Father's and Mother's DO take a lot of their hurt feelings from this out on their children from the time they are young and on to young adult hood. Believe me I know firsthand.

Good post Lisa...thank you for sharing it with us.

Love and Blessings,

Rhi

Lisa Nanette Allender said...

Rhiannon-Thank you; you're welcome.
I'm very sorry that you know of this "first-hand." :(