Reviews feminist literature on several aspects of methodology and considers the implications for methods. Describes feminist agenda, epistemological concerns, and ethical issues. Concludes that both qualitative and quantitative methods must be adapted and elaborated to serve feminist family studies. (Author/NB)

Reviews literature from 1980s on consequences of divorce, focusing primarily on adults, and on areas of controversy and new emphases in studies of divorce. Includes critique of methodology and suggested directions for future research. (Author/NB)

Reviews work from 1980s on causes of divorce, focusing on findings under the headings of macrostructure, demographics and the life course, and family process. Also reviews trends in methods, samples, and theory. Notes growing body of conclusive empirical findings in areas of demographics and life course factors; need for more work in areas of…

Discusses family influence on health care by addressing questions about appropriate selection of informants and data sources when investigating family and health concerns, questions about sample selection and the ability to generalize findings to the population as a whole, and questions concerning the subject's ability to differentiate between…

Using historical and content analysis, the role of qualitative family research is examined. Results indicated it generally is ignored by contemporary social scientists. The argument is made that qualitative as well as quantitative research is indispensable to the progress of family social science. (Author/BL)

Builds theory and research propositions by presenting moral stage and family development frameworks as tools for exploring the individual-psychological facet of family dynamics; exploring the interface of the frameworks; and reviewing and proposing research utilizing concepts from both models. (Author/BEF)

Conducted meta-analytic review of findings from 34 past studies examining marital satisfaction and analyzed moderating effect of certain study characteristics. Found statistically significant differences for three of five comparisons made but concluded that differences had little practical meaning. Included critique of marital satisfaction…

Reviews research on marital communication conducted during the 1980s. Notes increasing emphasis on attempting to identify factors that mediate relation between marital communication and satisfaction. Sees development of sophisticated technological and statistical procedures in 1980s enabling researchers to use multiple methods and obtain different…

Critically examines self-report measures used by marital researchers, focusing on selected indicators of marital satisfaction, adjustment, and quality. Reviews indicators of marital intimacy and complaints. Explores measures of concepts linked more directly to marital stability, including measures of commitment, relationship alternatives, and…

Four major domains of research are underscored: family response to nonnormative events (e.g., wars, disasters, illness); response to normative transitions over the life span (e.g., parenthood, retirement); the importance of psychological resources and perceptions; and the importance of social support and coping with stress. (Author)

Two basic ethical questions--informed-consent and the risk-benefit equation--are examined as they apply to the data collection, analysis, and publication strategies of qualitative family research. Suggests the distinctive features of family life warrant a special discussion of the ethical dilemmas inherent in the qualitative study of families.…

Whereas research in the 60s tended to view domestic violence as rare and confined to mentally disturbed and/or poor people, research in the 70s revealed family violence as an extensive phenomenon which could not be explained solely as a consequence of psychological factors or income. (Author)

Explores the meaning and significance of cultural and ethnic influences on child maltreatment. Takes a cross-cultural and sociobiological perspective to address three issues: differences in child maltreatment not accounted for by social class, the role of social change, and the role of ethnic factors in research and intervention efforts. (JAC)

Discusses research design errors including: (1) poor control over extraneous natural covariates of family type, particularly socioeconomic status; (2) unrepresentative samples; and (3) invalid dependent measures. Reports on conceptual blind spots, which include equation of conventional with healthy behavior and failure to anticipate either…

The multidimensionality of the power concept has been more systematically explicated, but research efforts continue to be primarily concerned with decision-making outcome. Perhaps the documented patterns of slightly husband-dominant, though increasingly shared or equalitarian, decision making reflect a change in normative expectations rather than…