The insidious effects of suspicion on marital interactions and well-being.

Abstract

Trust is an important component of successful interpersonal relationships, and yet we still do not fully understand how a lack of trust leads to problems in relationships. Literature on suspicion and on close relationships does not discuss the phenomenon of suspicion in marriage. The relevant literature in those areas is reviewed, and hypotheses derived. This study examines the effects of suspicion on interactions between members of a married couple. It was predicted that suspicion would have deleterious effects on a couple's interaction, and on their marital and individual well-being. Hypotheses were examined in an laboratory experiment and in the Early Years of Marriage study, a seven-year longitudinal survey of married couples. In the experiment, one spouse was induced to be suspicious of the other. Couples then participated in an audiotaped interaction. Induced suspicion was found to adversely affect communication. Individual differences (measured by the Interpersonal Trust scale (Holmes & Rempel, 1989), and the General Communicative Suspiciousness scale (Levine & McCornack, 1991)) moderated the impact of induced suspicion. Interrelationships among various scales were investigated, and the GCS scales was found to be related to the ITS scale, but not to induced suspicion. In the survey, ambiguity and marital instability in the third year of marriage predicted suspicions about one's partner's dishonesty in the seventh year, especially for black women. These suspicions in turn were associated with depression for white males and anxiety for black males. Females exhibited lower marital well-being in the presence of their partners' suspicion. The implications of these race and gender differences are discussed with an eye towards future research. Limitations of the experimental paradigm are considered with suggestions for modifications in subsequent work on this topic.