Anger Dysregulation, Depressive Symptoms, and Health in Married Women and Men

BACKGROUND: Anger problems (anger dysregulation) and depressive symptoms have been linked to risk for all causes of mortality, but less is known about the association between anger dysregulation and depressive symptoms within the context of gender differences and health outcomes. OBJECTIVES: The association between anger dysregulation, depressive symptoms, and self-reports of health in married adults was evaluated using an emotion-regulation model. METHODS: Fifty-two married couples completed a series of procedures that included an interview assessing their ability to regulate anger, a questionnaire reporting depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory) and self-reports indicating health. RESULTS: Results provided support for hypothesized links between the variables, but they varied by gender: (a) greater anger dysregulation in the wives, but not the husbands, was predictive of depressive symptoms; (b) anger dysregulation was predictive of the husbands' self-reports of health but was not predictive of the wives' self-reports of health; (c) depressive symptoms were not significantly associated with self-reports of health for either married women or men. DISCUSSION: These results suggest that anger dysregulation may play different roles in the depressive symptoms and self-reports of health for married women and men.