Marital Satisfaction And Mental Health In Mexican American Couples

San Diego State University, San Diego CA

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

Marital relationships[unreadable] are one of the most important relationships established in adulthood, and they have significant[unreadable] consequences for psychological well-being. However, Mexican Americans are virtually absent in the close[unreadable] relationship research literature and very little is known about marital satisfaction among Mexican Americans[unreadable] or how it may be related to mental health. The purpose of this longitudinal study is to 1) examine the[unreadable] relationship between marital satisfaction and depression and anxiety among married Mexican American and[unreadable] European American couples; and 2) investigate how marital satisfaction in the first year of marriage is[unreadable] related to depression and anxiety in the third year of marriage. At each time period, ethnic group and gender[unreadable] differences will be assessed. In addition, among Mexican Americans, the relationships between acculturation[unreadable] and acculturative stress and marital satisfaction and mental health will be determined. This study will be one[unreadable] of the first longitudinal investigations of marital satisfaction among Mexican Americans, and one of the first to[unreadable] examine the relationship of marital satisfaction to mental health over time in this group. This study will[unreadable] increase knowledge about contemporary Mexican American couples' relationships; determine whether[unreadable] marital satisfaction is related to psychological adjustment, and clarify how Mexican Americans may differ[unreadable] from European Americans in this respect; and results may have direct applicability to therapeutic[unreadable] interventions to help distressed Mexican American couples. Furthermore, by including an examination of[unreadable] acculturation and acculturative stress in marital satisfaction and mental health among Mexican American[unreadable] couples, this study provides an initial step in development of a social ecological perspective for[unreadable] understanding the marital dynamics of Mexican American couples. Greater knowledge about married[unreadable] couples' relationships is important in light of the pivotal role they play in family stability, children's overall[unreadable] adjustment, and the mental and physical health of partners themselves. This study addresses the NIMH[unreadable] priority of identifying mechanisms that may confer vulnerability to psychiatric illnesses. From a public health[unreadable] standpoint, this research will contribute to reducing the burden of mental disorders for this population by[unreadable] informing the understanding of the relationship between marital distress and mental disorders for this[unreadable] understudied group. It is a first step in future development of early interventions for reducing severity and[unreadable] incidence of mental health problems in Mexican American married couples.