NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Married men who are overly and stereotypically "masculine"--too driven, emotionally closed off, and focused on work rather than family--tend to have wives who are relatively unhappy and dissatisfied with the marriage, new study findings show.

Men who possess traits that are considered to be stereotypically male--consumed by success and power, uncomfortable showing affection toward other men, attuned to work over family--are in a state of gender role conflict, according to study author Matthew J. Breiding of the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.

While possessing some of these traits is normal, when men have too many, or express them in an over-the-top way, their relationships with others--including their wives--will be affected, Breiding explained in an interview with Reuters Health.

Adopting a gender role to a rather extreme degree is what "gets a man into trouble," Breiding said.

Previous studies have shown that men who have gender role conflict also tend to show certain behaviors that can be difficult for others, such as hostility, dominance and anger. In addition, these men may hesitate to open up emotionally to their wives--all of which can affect the health and happiness of a marriage, according to Breiding.

In the new study, Breiding and Dr. David A. Smith asked 59 married couples to complete a scale designed to measure the husband's level of gender role conflict. The husband filled out one scale for himself, while his wife completed one on him. Spouses then indicated how content they were in their marriages and whether they felt depressed or unhappy.

The investigators found that the higher the state of gender role conflict in the husband--according to him or his wife--the less happy the wife was in the marriage. Such couples also tended to have more disagreement over marital issues, and the wives were more likely to be depressed.

Husbands were also negatively affected by gender role conflict, but not to the degree that their wives were, the authors note.

Breiding and Smith presented their findings this month during the 110th annual meeting of the American Psychological Association in Chicago, Illinois.

In the interview, Breiding explained that men likely develop their gender role conflict from influences such as role models and messages from media and others that stress the importance of success in work, rather than in relationships.

He noted that a woman may also influence how her husband perceives his gender role and, therefore, may in part be responsible for the husband's potentially destructive self-image. "Certainly, I think the wives can have a reciprocal influence," he said.

Breiding added that his results can also be interpreted in a positive light, since there are apparently many men out there who are not in a state of gender role conflict and have happy, mutually satisfying marriages.

More and more men are "receiving different messages of what it means to be a man," Breiding explained. "That can have a transformative effect on how they interact with their wives and other male friends."

Reference Source 89

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