Marital relationship among mental disorder patients

Objective To explore marital relationship among mental disorder patients from the aspects of self-reported status and spousal interaction.Methods A face-to-face questionnaire survey was conducted in 108 mental disorder patients and 99 spouses of the patients recruited at 3 psychiatric hospitals in 3 provinces with Marital Adjustment Test(MAT),Marital Satisfaction Test(ENRICH),and Marital Health Test(MHT) between October 2014 and February 2015.Results Compared with those of national normal samples,the mental disorder patients had significantly lower scores for marital adjustment(70.29±23.52 vs.83.67±18.44),self marital satisfaction(32.49±8.47 vs.36.35±6.76),satisfaction of husband to wife(137.10±14.92 vs.145.47±15.19),satisfaction of wife to husband(137.54±17.02 vs.145.03±15.01),degree of rapprochement(130.69±12.43 vs.136.42±13.27),and role interaction(127.07±12.15 vs.133.00±13.44)(P<0.001 for all).The scores of female mental disorder patients for marital adjustment and marital satisfaction were significantly lower than those of their spouses(64.37±4.17 vs.69.26±4.04,30.74±1.68 vs.34.60±1.21)(P<0.05 for all);the marital satisfaction score of the spouses of the patients with compulsive disorders was significantly higher than that of the spouses of the patients with anxiety disorders(38.38±6.28 vs.30.70±7.42)(P<0.05);compared to the patients with depression,anxiety,or schizophrenia,the patients with compulsive disorders had a significantly higher score for marital satisfaction of husband to wife(146.31±8.46 vs.136.75±15.70,136.89±14.10,125.03±14.60)(P<0.05 for all);compared to the patients with the compulsive disorders,those with anxiety disorders had significantly higher scores for the understanding of a wife to her husband(144.77±19.73 vs.125.64±10.00)and the understanding of a husband to his wife(142.87±18.21 vs.124.58±10.64)(P<0.05 for all).Conclusion The marital relationship of mental disorder patients is poorer than the normal level.