Marital event appraisals and frequencies: A comparison of distressed and nondistressed husbands

Frequencies of marital events have been shown to vary according to whether a marriage is classified as distressed or nondistressed, but it is not known if these two groups of subjects appraise or view marital events in the same ways. This study examined husbands' appraisals of five marital events which were recorded daily for 90 consecutive days. Subjects appraised events according to four qualities: desirability, changingness, meaningfulness, and control. Event frequencies of desirable and undesirable events replicated previous work, but contrary to our expectations, there were no differences in how husbands from distressed and nondistressed marriages viewed events.