Hostile Husbands Make Wives Depressed

By Staff

Tuesday, February 23, 2010, 15:34

Hostile and anti-social behaviour of husbands sparks off symptoms of depression among the wives.

Christine Proulx, an assistant professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies in the College of Human Environmental Sciences, insisted that husbands could be a reason behind increase in depression in married women.

According to a study, the husbands' marital hostility was significantly related to the increase in wives' symptoms of depression. The more hostile and anti-social behavior exhibited by husbands, the more depressed their wives were after three years.

These findings suggest that husbands' anti-social behaviors and treatment towards their wives significantly impacts their psychological well-being. It also leads to depression disorders. The hostile behavior has a long lasting effect on the couple that continues throughout their marriages.

The anti-social behaviors are defined as those that are self-centered, defiant or show a lack of constraint, while hostile behaviors are those that are angry, critical or rejecting.

In such a case, no significant relationship exists between the couples. The extra effection that bonds the husbands and wives are missing. In societies that are conservative, the wives get depressed, as they do not havethe right to speak up.

However, in a more open environment, the gap between the two often leads to a break up.