Let’s Talk, Honey: An Analysis of Associations Between Communication Patterns and Dyadic Adjustment in Married Couples

Abstract

Good communication is an integral part of successful intimate relationships. The present study examined the factor structure of the Communication Pattern Questionnaire-Short Form (CPQ-SF) and the dyadic associations between communication patterns and dyadic adjustment in a sample of 162 married couples from Turkey (mean age = 39.09 years). Psychometric analyses support that the Turkish version of the Communication Patterns Questionnaire with 7 items (the CPQ-TR-7) is a reliable measure to assess partners’ communication patterns in the form of positive interactions, self-demand, and self-withdraw. Actor-Partner Interdependence Model analysis revealed that husbands’ and wives’ positive interactions were positively associated with their own as well as their partners’ dyadic adjustment, the more husbands’ and wives’ withdraw, the lower their own dyadic adjustment, and the more wives demand, the lower their own dyadic adjustment.