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The Relationship between Scores on Ryle's Marital Patterns Test and Independent Ratings of Marital Quality

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

John Birtchnell
John Birtchnell*
Affiliation:
MRC Social Psychiatry Unit, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF
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Summary

This study concerns 250 marriages of 40–49 year-old women from a psychiatric patient and general population series. Psychiatric patients' marriages involved less exchange of affection, were husband-dominated, and were of poor quality. In general population marriages, poor quality was related to wife domination. Affection given (AG) and affection received (AR) scores were significantly associated, being high in good marriages and low in bad ones. Zero or near-zero domination was associated with high AG and AR scores and with good quality marriages. Husband domination was linked with wives having high (MMPI) dependency scores. Terminated marriages, compared with bad but non-terminated marriages, had significantly lower AR scores.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 146 , Issue 6 , June 1985 , pp. 638 - 644
Copyright
Copyright © 1985 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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