The Relationship Between Workaholism and Marital Disaffection: Husbands' Perspective

Abstract

Previous research suggests that wives of workaholics experience greater marital estrangement and less positive feelings than do wives of nonworkaholics. This study examined husbands' perception of marital disaffection and the relationship to their wives' workaholic tendencies. A random sample of 272 male members of the American Counseling Association were mailed a survey that examined their spouses' workaholic behavior, marital disaffection, locus of control, and positive and negative affects. The results suggest that workaholism is positively related to martial disaffection ( p < .01). The most important workaholism domains for predicting martial disaffection were overcontrolling behavior ( r = .36) and impaired communication ( r = .38). The results underscore the need for greater clinical awareness of marital problems associated with workaholic tendency.