Drug-abusing patients and their intimate partners: Dyadic adjustment, relationship stability, and substance use

The dyadic adjustment and substance use of couples with a drug-abusing husband (rr = 94), couples with a drug-abusing wife (n = 36), couples in which both partners abused drugs (n = 87), and non-substancea-abusing conflicted couples (n = 70) were examined. For couples with 1 drug-abusing partner, a higher percentage of days abstinent during the year before treatment for drug abuse was associated with a higher level of relationship satisfaction. When both partners abused drugs, the relationship between percentage of days abstinent and relationship satisfaction became stronger and more-negative as the time partners spent together using drugs increased. A higher percentage of days abstinent was associated with relationship stability for couples with 1 drug-abusing partner during and 1 year after treatment; for couples in which both partners abused drugs, a higher percentage of days abstinent was associated with relationship instability.