Sexual dysfunction, depression, and marital dissatisfaction among Brazilian couples.

BACKGROUND: Health professionals treating sexual dysfunction and relational dissatisfaction recognize that they are multifactorial phenomena, and depression can be bidirectionally associated with both. AIM: The purpose of this study was to investigate sexual dysfunction in heterosexual couples in relation to the quality of their marital relationship and depression symptoms. METHODS: The sample consisted of 100 heterosexual couples recruited in Brazil. Both partners of each couple completed the Golombok-Rust Inventory of Sexual Satisfaction and the Golombok-Rust Inventory of Marital Satisfaction, which were translated and adapted, and the Beck Depression Inventory, which was validated for the Brazilian population. Both partners completed their questionnaires separately, and the couple's surveys were linked to preserve conjugal data for dyadic analysis. The Actor-Partner Interdependence Model was used to understand how sexual dysfunction in couples is related to depression and relationship quality among and between partners. RESULTS: Sexual dysfunction was found to be strongly associated with dissatisfaction in the relationship (husbands, ß = 0.57, P < 0.001; wives, ß = 0.60, P < 0.001), and a positive association was found between depressive symptoms and marital dissatisfaction (husbands, ß = .32, P < .001; wives ß = .40, P < .001). CLINICAL IMPLICATION: The results suggest that it is important for health professionals to be aware of the dyadic impact of struggles with both sex and the relationship and the presence of depression symptoms in patients who seek care for sexual complaints or depression and who are in a marital relationship. STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS: The different results found for men and women may shed light on the biopsychosocial dimensions of human sexuality. When treated as a purely physical experience, sex is myopic. In this study we demonstrated psychosocial aspects associated with gender and sexuality, and the partner's variables were found to have a greater impact on women than they did on the men. A limitation of this study is that the sample is not generalizable as it is not demographically representative of all socioeconomic groups in Brazil. Furthermore, the participants in this sample did not have clinical levels of depression, so the results cannot be extended to couples in which one or both spouses have depressive disorder. CONCLUSION: It was found that sexual dysfunction is strongly associated with the quality of the couple relationship, and that the quality of relationship plays a mediating role between depression and marital quality, especially for the women.

Depressão pós-parto e satisfação conjugal: impacto longitudinal em uma amostra brasileira / Postpartum depression and marital satisfaction: a longitudinal study in a Brazilian sample / Depresión posparto y satisfacción con la relación de pareja: impacto longitudinal en una muestra brasileña

Objetivo: O objetivo deste trabalho foi verificar a relação entre a satisfação conjugal e a depressão pós-parto e o impacto destas variáveis nos níveis de satisfação conjugal e depressão futuros, em uma amostra brasileira. Estudos revelam que o conflito conjugal é um antecedente importante no desenvolvimento da depressão e que a depressão pós-parto influencia significativamente a satisfação conjugal. Métodos: Este estudo longitudinal com 99 mulheres brasileiras utilizou análises de regressão múltipla para verificar a associação entre a satisfação conjugal e a depressão. A sintomatologia depressiva foi avaliada pelo instrumento Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20). A satisfação conjugal foi verificada a partir de itens sobre a percepção de satisfação conjugal das participantes. Os dados foram coletados 4 meses e 2 anos após o parto. Os dados longitudinais possibilitaram a análise cronológica da interação entre as duas variáveis. Resultados e Conclusões: Os resultados indicam que o modelo teórico que estabelece a relação entre conflito conjugal e depressão é também apropriado para casais brasileiros, sugerindo a utilização potencial da terapia de casal no tratamento da depressão pós-parto no Brasil.

Objective: This study examined the relationship between marital satisfaction and postpartum depression as well as the impact of postpartum depression and marital satisfaction on later relational characteristics among Brazilian couples. Studies have shown that marital satisfaction is an important antecedent to depression and that postpartum depression has an influence on marital satisfaction. Methods: A longitudinal study using multiple regression to test the association between marital satisfaction and depression was conducted among Brazilian women. Depressive symptomatology was assessed using the Self-Reporting Questionnaire 20 and marital satisfaction using an instrument developed by the researchers to test the individuals' perception of their marital quality. Data were collected at 4 months and 2 years after childbirth. The longitudinal data allowed researchers to chronologically analyze the interaction of key variables. Results and Conclusions: Results showed that the model established between marital satisfaction and depression is appropriate for Brazilian couples as well as for postpartum women. This study highlights the potential impact of marital treatment on postpartum depression in Brazil.

Objetivo: El objetivo de este trabajo fué verificar la relación existente entre la satisfacción con la relación de pareja y la depresión pos-parto y el impacto de esas variables en los niveles de satisfacción con la relación de pareja y depresión futuros, en una muestra brasileña. Estudios revelan que el conflicto de pareja és un antecedente importante en el desarollo de depresión y que la depresión pos-parto provoca influencia significativa en la relación de pareja. Métodos: Este estudio longitudinal con 99 mujeres brasileñas hizo uso de análisis de regresión multiple para estudiar la asociación entre la satisfacción en la relación de pareja y la depresión. Los sintomas depresivos fueron evaluados por el instrumento Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20). La satisfacción con la relación de pareja fué verificada utilizando datos sobre la percepción de satisfacción de las participantes. Los datos fueron obtenidos 4 meses y 2 años después del parto. Resultados y Conclusiones: Los resultados indican que el modelo teórico que establece la relación entre conflicto de pareja y depresión és tambien apropriado para parejas brasileña s y sugiere la posibilidad de utilización de la terapia de pareja en el tratamiento de la depresión pos-parto en Brasil.

Portuguese translation and validation of the Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale.

The absence of a translated and validated instrument for measuring marital satisfaction in Brazil, the largest country in South America and fifth most populous country in the world, is a significant barrier for research and mental health service delivery. The purpose of this study was to translate and validate a marital satisfaction scale into Portuguese that would have both empirical credibility and cultural relevance in Brazil. A six-step serial approach was used to simultaneously translate and culturally validate the Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale (RDAS). The translated instrument (RDAS-P) demonstrated good psychometric properties during field testing.

Finding the heart of medical family therapy: a content analysis of medical family therapy casebook articles.

In an effort to identify the essential ingredients of medical family therapy, a content analysis of 15 peer-reviewed case studies in medical family therapy was conducted. The case studies were published from 1996 to 2007 in Families, Systems, & Health. Through a qualitative content analysis, three main themes emerged that describe the essence of the practice of medical family therapy: (1) The patient's multisystemic experience of disease, (2) treatment is about caring, not just caregiving, and (3) elevating the patient as collaborator in the care team.

Marital satisfaction and depression: a replication of the Marital Discord Model in a Latino sample.

The Marital Discord Model of Depression maintains that marital discord is an important antecedent in the development of depression. Although empirical evidence supports this premise, none of this research has been done with Latinos. The purpose of this study was to test the longitudinal relationship between marital satisfaction and depression among 99 Brazilian women. Using structural equation modeling, results indicated that marital satisfaction was a strong predictor of depression 2 years later. Marital satisfaction was also related to cooccurring depression. These results provide evidence that the Marital Discord Model of Depression is an appropriate theoretical model for the conceptualization of marital discord and depression with Latina women and suggest the potential utility of using couples therapy for treating depression among this population.