LONGITUDINAL ASSESSMENT DURING PREGNANCY OF WOMEN'S RATINGS OF THE DESIRABILITY OF BEHAVIORS AFFECTING THE MARITAL RELATIONSHIP.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was the assessment during pregnancy of women's ratings of the desirability of selected behaviors affecting the marital relationship. One sample of women was studied longitudinally to determine values in each trimester and changes across time. Data were obtained on 70 women in the first trimester, 57 of these in the second and 51 in the third trimester. A second sample of 30 women in the third trimester was used to ascertain any effect on the primary sample of the multiple ratings. In addition to rating the desirability of the behaviors, each woman also indicated her satisfaction with her husband's performance of the behavior. The desirability of and satisfaction with the performance were the two multiplicative components of the Gestational Behavior Index (Ge.B.I.). Also completed were a demographic data form; the Interpersonal Conflict Scale (IPC) to ascertain construct validity; and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (MC-SDS) to determine social desirability response bias. The women rated the behaviors in a range from less than 1 to over 300. These ratings did not change across trimesters for the acceptant subscale but did change for the attentive, approbative, attendant, affection and total. There were no differences between ratings of first time mothers and women already mothers. Internal consistency was assessed using Pearsonian correlations and coefficients alpha and theta. Theta coefficients for subscales were .53 to .70; alpha coefficients were even lower, indicating that the behaviors were not parallel. The reliability and stability coefficients advocated by Heise (1969) were calculated to estimate stability. Desirability was less stable between the first and second than between the second and third trimester. In terms of validity, the hypothesized inverse relationship between the IPC and the Ge.B.I. was obtained, with correlations ranging from -.37 to -.76 (p < .05). Social desirability response bias was not a factor in subjects' responses. Most correlations between the Ge.B.I. subscale and total, the IPC subscale and total and the MC-SDS were nonsignificant. When significant correlations did occur, the magnitude was quite small, from .27 to .47 for the Ge.B.I. and -.35 for the IPC (p < .05).