This investigation is aimed at the detailed examination of intrapersonal (behavioral, cognitive, and physiological) and interpersonal (relationship oriented) variables that are associated with constructive versus destructive modes of coping with marital conflict. Samples of couple interaction will be explored across situations ranging from structured laboratory interactions to unstructured naturalistic home interactions in couples who have a history of being either physically abusive, verbally abusive, nonabusive but distressed, or nonabusive and nondistressed. Laboratory assessment procedures include direct behavioral observations, physiological indices of arousal, spouses' ratings of themselves and one another and self-report data. Analyses within and across these different modes of data collection and sequential analytic procedures will be used to determine (a) the types of interaction sequences that differentiate the four groups of couples, (b) the physiological reactions associated with marital conflict that may have long-range health implications, (c) the impact of anger arousal on spouses' abilities to accurately interpret cues from one another, and (d) the relationship between arousal experienced during an actual interaction and during a videotaped playback of that interaction. Home assessment involves an enactment of a typical conflict plus two weeks of naturalistic home observations and daily telephone interviews on spousal and parent-child tensions. Analyses of these data will indicate the degree of generalizability from laboratory to home data and the impact of marital conflict on parent-child relations. Finally, a one-year follow-up will be conducted to identify variables that predict the escalation of marital aggression over time. The long-range purpose of this study is to improve the assessment and treatment of couples who have problems with anger by providing information on (a) the convergent and discriminant validity among various measurements of marital conflict and (b) the covert and overt processes associated with verbal and physical abuse.
