Steven R. H. Beach

Marital Satisfaction and Depression: Different Causal Relationships for Men and Women?:

A sample of 150 recently married couples provided data egarding marital satisfaction and depressive symptoms Approximatey 18 months later, 116 of these couples provided complete information on marital satisfaction and depression once again The data were examined using three sets of causal models, which yielded converging results For men, causal paths emerged from depression to marital satisfaction, whereas for women causal paths were from satisfaction to depression The results are discussed in relation to the marital discord model of depression

Methylation Matters: Interaction Between Methylation Density and Serotonin Transporter Genotype Predicts Unresolved Loss or Trauma

BACKGROUND Do genetic or epigenetic factors play a role in making some individuals more vulnerable than others to loss of attachment figures or other traumatic experiences? METHODS DNA was obtained from growth phase entrained Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) transformed lymphoblast cell lines from 143 adopted participants. Genotype of the serotonin transporter linked polymorphic region (5HTTLPR) was determined, and methylation ratios for each of the C-phosphate-G (CpG) residues were assessed using quantitative mass spectroscopy. Unresolved loss or trauma was established using the Berkeley Adult Attachment Interview. RESULTS Higher levels of methylation of the 5HTT promoter associated CpG island were associated with increased risk of unresolved responses to loss or other trauma in carriers of the usually protective 5HTTLPR//variant. The ss variant of 5HTTLPR predicted more unresolved loss or trauma, but only in case of lower levels of methylation. Higher levels of methylation of the ss variant were associated with less unresolved loss or other trauma. CONCLUSIONS Associations between 5HTTLPR polymorphisms and psychological problems are significantly altered by environmentally induced methylation patterns. Methylation may serve as the interface between adverse environment and the developing organism.

Validity of self-reports of marital violence

The most commonly used and practiced method for assessing spouse abuse is the individuals self-report of engaging in or being a victim of physical aggression. However, the socially undesirable nature of relationship violence raises questions regarding the likelihood that it is accurately reported. The current investigation found that a socially desirable response set is related to willingness to report ones own aggression. However, it is not related to willingness to report a spouses aggressive behavior. Social desirability was not related to reports of frequency or severity of ones own aggression for individuals admitting the use of any form of aggressive behavior.

Methylation at SLC6A4 is linked to family history of child abuse: An examination of the Iowa Adoptee sample

In this letter we describe novel, preliminary work, examining a possible mechanism of the Gene-environment interactions thought to moderate the response of individuals to stressful life events. The molecular mechanisms through which this moderation may be accomplished are currently unknown but some have suggested DNA methylation (Lui and others, 1997; McGowan and others 2009). In order to test this hypothesis, we analyzed the relationship of child abuse to methylation of cytosine residues in the promoter region of the serotonin transporter gene in DNA from 96 male and 96 female subjects from the Iowa Adoptee Studies using a principal components analysis. The results from this preliminary work suggest a lasting effect of child abuse on overall methylation levels in both males and females.

Coordinated Changes in AHRR Methylation in Lymphoblasts and Pulmonary Macrophages from Smokers

Smoking is associated with a wide variety of adverse health outcomes including cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, depression, and heart disease. Unfortunately, the molecular mechanisms through which these effects are conveyed are not clearly understood. To examine the potential role of epigenetic factors in these processes, we examined the relationship of smoking to genome wide methylation and gene expression using biomaterial from two independent samples, lymphoblast DNA and RNA (n = 119) and lung alveolar macrophage DNA (n = 19). We found that in both samples current smoking status was associated with significant changes in DNA methylation, in particular at the aryl hydrocarbon receptor repressor (AHRR), a known tumor suppressor. Both baseline DNA methylation and smoker associated DNA methylation signatures at AHRR were highly correlated (r = 0.94 and 0.45, respectively). DNA methylation at the most differentially methylated AHRR CpG residue in both samples, cg0557592, was significantly associated with AHRR gene expression. Pathway analysis of lymphoblast data (genes with most significant methylation changes) demonstrated enrichment in protein kinase C pathways and in TGF beta signaling pathways. For alveolar macrophages, pathway analysis demonstrated alterations in inflammation‐related processes. We conclude that smoking is associated with functionally significant genome wide changes in DNA methylation in both lymphoblasts and pulmonary macrophages and that further integrated investigations of these epigenetic effects of smoking on carcinogenesis and other related co‐morbidities are indicated.

Treating depression in the context of marital discord: Outcome and predictors of response of marital therapy versus cognitive therapy*

Forty five couples in which both partners were complaining of marital discord and in which the wife met DSM-III diagnostic criteria for either major depression and/or dysthymia participated in 15–20 treatment sessions. Couples were randomly assigned to marital therapy (BMT, n=15), individual cognitive therapy for the depressed wife (CBT, n=15), or wait-list control group (WL, n=15). Women in both cognitive therapy and marital therapy experienced significantly greater reductions in depressive symptomatology than did women in the wait-list control group. In addition women in marital therapy had significantly greater increases in marital adjustment than either women in cognitive therapy or women in the wait-list condition. Of special importance in this report, and complimenting our earlier work, were process analyses which indicated that reductions in level of depression among wives in the marital therapy condition were mediated by increases in marital adjustment. Further, exploratory analyses suggested that pre-therapy levels of marital variables and dysfunctional cognitions could predict differential response to marital therapy and cognitive therapy.

Forgiveness in Marriage: Implications for Psychological Aggression and Constructive Communication

Two studies examined whether forgiveness in married couples predicted partner reports of psychological aggression and constructive communication. Study 1 found that forgiveness of hypothetical acts of psychological aggression predicted partner reports of psychological aggression. Study 2 examined actual transgressions and found two underlying dimensions of forgiveness (positive and negative). The negative dimension predicted partner reports of psychological aggression, and, for husbands, the positive dimension predicted partner reports of constructive communication. All findings were independent of both spouses’ marital satisfaction. The implications for understanding marital interaction and future research on forgiveness are discussed.

MARITAL THERAPY IN THE TREATMENT OF DEPRESSION: TOWARD A THIRD GENERATION OF THERAPY AND RESEARCH

Two generations of outcome research demonstrate the potential efficacy of marital therapy in the treatment of depression. After reviewing treatment outcome studies on marital therapy for depression, we examine basic research linking aspects of the marital relationship to depressive symptoms. In doing so, we highlight a number of theoretical perspectives and research findings that can inform work with couples in which one spouse is depressed. Finally, we identify potential innovations that may lead to a third generation of marital interventions for depression and several avenues of inquiry for a third generation of outcome research on marital therapy for depression.

Methylation at 5HTT Mediates the Impact of Child Sex Abuse on Women's Antisocial Behavior: An Examination of the Iowa Adoptee Sample

Objective: To examine epigenetic processes linking childhood sex abuse to symptoms of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) in adulthood and to investigate the possibility that the link between childhood sex abuse and deoxyribonucleic acid methylation at the 5HTT promoter might represent a pathway of long-term impact on symptoms of ASPD. Method: Deoxyribonucleic acid was prepared from lymphoblast cell lines derived from 155 female participants in the latest wave of the Iowa Adoptee Study. Methylation at 71 CpG residues was determined by quantitative mass spectroscopy, and the resulting values were averaged to produce an average CpG ratio for each participant. Simple associations and path analyses within an Mplus framework were examined to characterize the relationships among childhood sex abuse, overall level of methylation among women, and subsequent antisocial behavior in adulthood. Direct effects of biological parent psychopathology and 5HTT genotype were controlled. Results: Replicating prior work, we found that a significant effect of childhood sex abuse on methylation of the 5HTT promoter region emerged for women. In addition, a significant effect of methylation at 5HTT on symptoms of ASPD emerged. Conclusions: Child sex abuse may create long-lasting changes in methylation of the promoter region of 5HTT in women. Furthermore, hypermethylation may be one mechanism linking childhood sex abuse to changes in risk for adult antisocial behavior in women. Better understanding of the methylome may prove critical in understanding the role of childhood environments on long-term psychiatric sequelae. 5HTT = serotonin transporter gene; CpG = a site at which cytosine (C) lies next to guanine (G) in the deoxyribonucleic acid sequence; ASPD = antisocial personality disorder.

Confluence of Self-Esteem Regulation Mechanisms: On Integrating the Self-Zoo:

The current literature describes a number of mechanisms by which self-esteem is affected and regulated. Using exemplars from three different families of such mechanisms—cognitive consistency, social comparison, and value expression—the three studies reported here (in addition to others in the literature) indicate that these qualitatively different mechanisms are not independent of one another. The evidence is interpreted as showing the unitary nature of self-esteem regulation and that individuals tend to be satisficers rather than maximizers regarding self-esteem.