Trust: An innovative tool for investigating marital conflict in response to a novel stressor

The goal of this study was to investigate an innovative approach to elicit marital conflict behaviors in response to a novel stressor. Past research has relied exclusively on assessments of marital conflict that measure reoccurring or past conflict. Couples engaged in 2 interactions: (a) a standardized conflict discussion and (b) the Timed Reconstruction of Unseen Structures Together (TRUST) task, in which couples worked together to solve an unfamiliar problem. Results indicated that the TRUST task was effective at eliciting both positive and negative conflict behaviors and explained unique variance in self-reports of marital conflict and resolution after controlling for behavior during the standardized conflict discussion. Couples on average displayed more positive and fewer negative conflict behaviors during the TRUST task relative to the conflict discussion task and also rated the novel task as more difficult and stressful. In bivariate analyses, negative behaviors during the TRUST task were related to self-reports of marital conflict and resolution in expected directions for both men and women. In contrast, men who displayed more positive behaviors during the TRUST task self-reported more frequent and intense marital conflict; positive behaviors during the TRUST task were unrelated to women's self-reports of marital conflict or resolution. Implications and directions for future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record