Marital relationships and somatic and psychological symptoms in pregnancy.

The relevance of marital relationships to somatic and psychological symptoms in late pregnancy was examined. Fifty-four primiparae at the 7th month of pregnancy completed the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) and the Ryle Marital Patterns Test (RMPT), which was also completed by their husbands. Multiple regression analyses identified the husbands' ratings of nurturance behaviour as the best predictors of somatic and social dysfunction symptoms in late pregnancy.