Marital satisfaction of wives of untreated sleep apneic men.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess marital satisfaction of the wives of untreated sleep apnea patients.

Design And Methods: A prospective study was carried out that compared the marital satisfaction of wives of men with sleep apnea to the marital satisfaction of wives of men presenting to a primary care physician's office. The study examined three patient groups: 26 wives of men with severe sleep apnea, 19 wives of men with mild sleep apnea, and 19 controls from a primary care physician's office. Those with other significant medical disorders were excluded. Marital satisfaction using the Dyadic Adjustment Scale and a sleep behaviors questionnaire was compared between the patient groups.

Results: Wives of severe and mild apneic men were similar to controls on marital satisfaction but differed significantly in satisfaction with husbands' sleep behaviors.

Conclusions: Although the presence of sleep apnea in married men has little effect on their wives' overall marital satisfaction, it did affect whether they slept together or apart. For these patients, the choice to sleep apart may have benefited rather than impaired marital satisfaction.