Despite the large literature on the long-term effects of parental divorce, few studies have analyzed the effects of parental divorce on spouse selection behavior. However, the characteristics of one's spouse can have important effects on economic well-being and on marital success. We use discrete-time, event-history data from Finnish population…

This study examined self-reported marital conflict behaviors and their implications for divorce. Husbands and wives (N = 373 couples; 47% White American, 53% Black American) reported conflict behaviors in Years 1, 3, 7, and 16 of their marriages. Individual behaviors (e.g., destructive behaviors) and patterns of behaviors between partners (e.g.,…

Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy (IBCT) posits that emotional reactions to a partner's behavior can be as important to the relationship as the behavior itself. This study examined whether acceptance (a) is distinct from relationship sentiment, (b) mediates the link between a partner's behavioral frequency and own relationship satisfaction,…

Explored the effects of spouses' wake and sleep patterns on marital adjustment in couples (n=150). Couples whose wake and sleep patterns were mismatched reported significantly less marital adjustment, more marital conflict, less time spent in serious conversation, less time spent in shared activities and less frequent sexual intercourse.…

Analyzed relational control behaviors and interaction patterns of 51 couples representing marital life span. Identified three distinct phases of development: short-term couples relied heavily on "equivalence" acts; intermediate couples were more likely to "structure the conversation" but avoided competing for control; and long-term couples relied…

Compared conflictual marital interactions of 17 physically aggressive, 15 verbally aggressive, 18 withdrawing, and 15 low-conflict couples to describe behavior patterns characteristic of couples who report different marital conflict styles. Physically aggressive couples were characterized by reciprocity of hostile affect and by rigid, contingent…

Tested the hypothesis that distressed spouses are more reactive to immediate events than nondistressed couples. Couples recorded positive, negative and neutral events and satisfaction levels. Distressed couples reported lower rates of positive behavior and that marital satisfaction depended more on frequency of recent positive or negative events.…

Explores the relationship between divorce and suicide through a multiple regression analysis. Results indicate that the incidence of divorce is closely associated with the rate of suicide even after controls for the influence of the effects of age composition, race, the rate of interstate migration, and income. (Author/BEF)

Determined whether spouses in nondistressed marriages show greater equity and reciprocity of exchange and a greater degree of congruence than spouses experiencing marital distress by examining interactive patterns of self-disclosing behavior using the Self-Disclosure Coding System. Within-couple reciprocity patterns revealed highly similar…

In this study husbands were perceived as more psychologically healthy when they had children than when they had no children. Wives were liked less and viewed more negatively on general personality descriptors when they were described as voluntarily childless than when they were involuntarily childless. (Author)

Examines two factors of dyadic relationships on the basis of communicative behaviors: domineeringness, an individual measure based on one-up messages, and dominance, a joint measure based on the dyad's transactional patterns. These variables are associated with differential levels of dyadic satisfaction, degree of interspousal understanding, and…

This study was conducted to examine the moderating effects of attributions on the relationship between marital satisfaction and marital violence. It was predicted that distressed spouses who made more maladaptive attributions for partner behavior would be more likely to engage in marital violence than would distressed spouses who offered fewer…

The family has been identified as one of the primary potential support systems, with marriage as the key relationship within the family system. Multi-generational research has pointed out the central importance of the middle generation in maintaining the complex family system functioning. This study was designed to enhance understanding of…

Tested the hypothesis that low consensus of volunteer couples completing the Spouse Observation Checklist underestimates that achieved by clinic couples. That hypothesis was not supported. Couples (N=10) beginning marital therapy achieved agreement rates on joint SOC behaviors of 38.6 percent. Findings confirm the low reliability of spouse…

Examined susceptibility of marital observations to purposeful faking. Behavioral observations of couples' problem-solving behavior during a conflict-eliciting task were obtained under neutral instructions and under instruction to fake. Evidence for differential responsiveness of marital types to faking instructions was limited and evident only in…