Verbal and nonverbal communication in marital conflicts in Turkey: A qualitative study

Marital conflict is a common occurrence in nearly all marriages and significantly impacts marital quality. Although conflict itself is not inherently negative, its effects are contingent upon how it is managed and communicated. While extensive research abroad has explored marital conflicts and communication through behavioral observations, there is a notable absence of qualitative studies focusing on communication during marital conflicts in Turkey. This study aims to address this gap by providing an in-depth analysis of both verbal and nonverbal communication in marital conflicts. Employing a phenomenological approach, a qualitative research method, this study examined verbal and nonverbal communication patterns among 12 couples (24 adults) married for at least one year. Data collection involved the Marital Life Scale, Conflict Resolution Styles Scale, Demographic Information Form, Semi-structured Interview Form, and Unstructured Laboratory Study for observational purposes. Data from semi-structured interviews and conflict recordings were analyzed using content analysis. This analysis involved coding significant parts of participants' dialogues to identify themes, as well as coding nonverbal content and forming themes by integrating verbal and nonverbal data. To enhance validity, expert opinions were sought, and single-coder reliability was assessed two weeks apart. The findings revealed that tension was the most prevalent expression style across marriages. In distressed marriages, additional negative expression styles such as contempt, anger, authoritarianism, criticism, boredom, defensiveness, and indifference were observed. Conversely, couples in non-distressed marriages exhibited positive expressions, including happiness, interest, approval, participation, and softening. Overall, positive expressions were more frequent among non-distressed couples, whereas negative expressions predominated in distressed couples. KEYWORDS: Marital conflict, Nonverbal communication, Verbal communication, Qualitative research