The Impact of a Spouse's Depression on Family Functioning and Communication

BACKGROUND: Depression is known to affect family function and communication. However, the distress experienced by those who have spouse with depression has not been properly assessed to date. This study attempted to examine the effect of depression on family function and communication as reported by the spouses of the depressed patients. METHODS: The participants of this study were 445 couples who visited 28 family doctors from April 2009 to June 2011. The Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale III (FACES-III) was used to evaluate the family function, and the family communication scale in FACES-IV was used to evaluate communication among family members. A score of more than 21 points on the CES-D scale was used to indicate depression. The relationships between family type, family communication, and the depression of one's spouse were analyzed using the chi-square test and logistic regression. RESULTS: The odds ratios, indicating how the family is heading towards an extreme level, were statistically significant in all male and female respondents (male: odds ratio [OR] 3.08, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.73-5.48; female: OR 2.09, 95% CI 1.02-4.27). On the other hand, only female respondents with depressed spouses reported their family communication not to be good (male: OR 1.65, 95% CI 0.88-3.07; female: OR 2.48, 95% CI, 1.25-4.93). CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed people perceive their family function and communication not good when they have spouses with depression. There was no gender difference in the evaluation of their family function, but the perception on their family communication were different by gender.

The Relationship between a Spouse's Alcohol Use Disorder and Family Communication / 가정의학회지

BACKGROUND: Alcohol use disorder (AUD) affects not only an individual's health but also their family. This study was conducted to examine effects of a spouse's AUD on family functioning and family communication. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study using data from 890 participants (445 couples) in a Korean family cohort in primary care. Participants with Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test in Korea scores of 8 or greater were classified into an AUD group. Family functioning was classified into three groups (balanced, midrange, and extreme) using the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scale (FACES)-III questionnaire, and then reclassified into two groups (appropriate and extreme groups) for binominal analyses. Family communication was classified into three groups (high, moderate, and low) using the Family Communication Scale, FACES-IV, and also reclassified into two groups (good and poor). RESULTS: There was no significant difference in adaptability and cohesion between both male and female participants with a spouse with AUD and participants with a spouse without AUD. Using multivariate logistic regression to adjust for potential confounders, there was no significant difference in family type and communication between the two groups in males. However, there was a significant decrease in family communication (odds ratio, 2.14; 95% confidence interval, 1.29 to 3.58) in females with a spouse with AUD compared to females with a spouse without AUD, even after adjusting for the participant's own AUD. CONCLUSION: In females, family communication is significantly worse when spouses have AUD. This suggests that a husband's alcohol consumption has negative effects on his wife's family communication.