Personality diagnosis and childhood care associated with adult marital quality

This paper reports on a continuation of previous research into the connection between childhood experience of relationships and adult relationships such as marriage. A group of 41 married, mixed psychiatric patients showed the strongest correlations between adult marital quality as measured by the Marital Adjustment Test and mother care, same sex parent care or lowest caring parent care, as measured by the Parental Bonding Instrument. There was little correlation between childhood care and adult marital quality in both subgroups; one group was composed of 24 patients with Axis I diagnosis alone and the other group was composed of 17 patients with personality disorder. Married patients with personality disorder, almost all of whom had an Axis I diagnosis as well, did report lower levels of both childhood care and adult marital quality compared with patients with Axis I diagnoses and no personality disorder. The possible significance of these findings is discussed.