| Sumario: | Communication behavior is an integral part of relationship functioning and, therefore, a common target of relationship interventions. Between-couple variability in observed behaviors is commonly interpreted as reflecting their underlying skill in communication, but other factors, including perceived difficulty of the problem and the topic being discussed, may also covacy with communication behavior. The current study eaamined this possibility by testing whether these two aspects of discussion topics were associated with communication behavior. Ethnically diverse newlywed coaples (N = 402 couples) were observed in their homes aa they engaged in conflict resolution tasks. Resulting behavioral codes were examined in relation to perceived difficulty of the problem aad the topic of the discussion. Higher levels of husband-reported problem difficulty were associated with higher levels of husband and wife negativity, independent of relationship satisfaction. After controlling for problem difficulty and rehtionship satisfaction, the topic of the discussion was associated with husband and wife positivity, hn;band and wife negativity, and wife effectiveness, indicating that some topics elicited better or warse communicatton than others. The substantive focus of couples' conflicts may play an important role in how they communicate, suggesting that the topic of discussion merits close attention in studies of couples and in relationship interventions.
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