Couple Communication and Female Problem Drinking: A Behavioral Observation Study Adrian B. Kelly and W. Kim Halford Griffith University Ross M. Young University of Queensland Couples with alcohol and relationship problems often report poor communication, yet little is known about the communication of maritally distressed couples in which the woman abuses alcohol (MDWA couples). Compared with maritally distressed couples without alcohol problems (MDNA) and couples with neither problem (NDNA), MDWA couples showed a distinctive pattern of negative communication. Similar to MDNA men, MDWA men spoke negatively to their partners but listened positively to their partners much like NDNA men. MDWA women listened negatively, much as MDNA women did, but spoke positively, like NDNA women did. The interactions of MDWA couples can be characterized as a male-demand–female-withdraw pattern, which is a gender reversal of the female-demand–male- withdraw pattern often observed in MDNA couples. Good communication that allows effective management of con- flict is central to sustaining a mutually satisfying couple relation- ship (Weiss & Heyman, 1997). It is well established that couples in which the man abuses alcohol are characterized by low rela- tionship satisfaction, poor communication, and destructive conflict (Halford, Bouma, Kelly, & Young, 1999); however, the commu- nication of couples in which the woman abuses alcohol has re- ceived little research attention. The aim of the current study was to assess the communication of couples in which the woman abuses alcohol. There is a high rate of concurrence of alcohol abuse in women, self-reported couple communication problems, and relationship distress (e.g., Blankfield & Maritz, 1990; Olenick & Chalmers, 1991). However, self-report is not always a reliable index of couple communication (Halford, Sanders & Behrens, 2000), and there is little observational research on communication in maritally distressed couples in which the woman abuses alcohol (MDWA) couples. Noel, McCrady, Stout, and Fisher-Nelson (1991) ana- lyzed the observed communication of MDWA couples and mari- tally distressed couples in which the man abuses alcohol (MDMA couples). They found that MDWA couples were less negative and more positive than MDMA couples. However, the MDWA cou- ples were less maritally distressed than MDMA couples, and there was only a small number of MDWA couples (n = 12). Because the gender of the alcohol abuser was confounded with marital distress, and there was low statistical power, important characteristics of MDWA couples may have been missed. Given the association of alcohol problems and relationship distress in women and frequent negative communication in MDMA couples (Halford et al., 1999), we predicted that MDWA couples would show levels of negative communication similar to maritally distressed couples with no alcohol problems (MDNA couples) and would be more negative than couples with neither problem (NDNA couples; Hypothesis 1). However, we also thought MDWA couples may differ in demand and withdraw behaviors from MDNA couples. A pattern of one partner demand- ing change and the other partner withdrawing during discussion of problem issues is predictive of relationship distress (Gottman, 1994). On average, women tend to demand change more than men, and men tend to withdraw more than women in MDNA couples (Gottman, 1994). However, when men seek change from their female partners, men increase their demands and criticisms, and their female partners withdraw (Heavey, Layne, & Christensen, 1993). On the basis of the assumption that men in MDWA couples may be seeking change from their problem-drinking partners, we predicted that MDWA couples would show frequent male de- mands in the form of criticism and female withdrawal relative to both MDNA and NDNA couples (Hypothesis 2). Method Participants Twenty-four MDNA couples, 24 NDNA couples, and 19 MDWA cou- ples were recruited through media outreach. The MDNA and NDNA couples were recruited for a study of couple communication and were paid $40 per couple for their participation. The MDWA couples were recruited for a study evaluating the effects of brief therapy for alcohol problems in women who also have relationship difficulties. The results of the interven- tion were reported by Kelly, Halford, and Young (2000). Relationship Adrian B. Kelly, School of Applied Psychology, Gold Coast Campus, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia; W. Kim Halford, School of Applied Psychology, Mt. Gravatt Campus, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; Ross M. Young, Department of Psychi- atry, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia. This study was supported by a 2000 Griffith University research grant and by an Australian National Drug Strategy research fellowship to Adrian B. Kelly. We thank Sue Osgarby, Ruth Bouma, and Carmel Dyer for assistance in data collection and analysis. An extended version of this article is available on request. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Adrian B. Kelly, School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, PMB 50, Gold Coast Mail Centre, Queensland 4217, Australia. E-mail: a.kelly@mailbox.gu.edu.au Psychology of Addictive Behaviors Copyright 2002 by the Educational Publishing Foundation 2002, Vol. 16, No. 3, 269 –271 0893-164X/02/$5.00 DOI: 10.1037//0893-164X.16.3.269 269