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…

Examined patterns of heterosexual cohabitation among a national sample of never-married young adult women. Found that heterosexual cohabitation was common; the prevalence of cohabitation varied with social, psychological, and demographic variables; and several factors differentiated cohabitors from noncohabitors. Cohabitation appeared to be a new…

Study includes variety of subjectively positive as well as negative outcomes of becoming a parent for the first time. Using large urban sample, crisis was found to be slight or moderate. Several variables were found to be significantly related to the ease of dealing with first year of parenthood. (Author)

The opinion among Swedes is that there is a higher commitment and a higher responsibility among those having been married for a long time than among those having been married for a short time. These data point toward existence of a renewed or perhaps a new courtship and marriage pattern. (Author)

Examined in this review are personal ethics, changes in actual sexual behavior, social and personal factors influencing behavior, impact of sexual relations, and research theory and design. (CJ)

Compared interactions of 11 dissatisfied and 11 satisfied couples on basis of trained observers' ratings of spouses' behavior through time on 3 scales: withdrawn/involved, hostile/friendly, and displeasure/pleasure. Dissatisfied coupled evidenced significantly lower mean ratings of hostility and displeasure, but no differences in withdrawal.…

Using data from a longitudinal study of a marriage cohort, relationships between various measures of income (antecedent, current and expected future income, as well as measures of income change) are examined. The income variable which most consistently accounts for variation in fertility is wife's income. (Author)

Investigated previous courtship experiences and affect of a respondent's first marriage ending in annulment or divorce on subsequent courtship behavior of 248 individuals. Found that duration of previous courtship affected subsequent courtship. Number of control variables, including gender, education, and income, contributed to analysis of…

Observed 42 couples during emotional interactions: each spouse discussed an upsetting incident unrelated to the marriage. Results showed the proportion of approval or caring behavior expressed was directly related to marital adjustment. Overall, negative behavior appeared to inhibit the probability of subsequent expressions of complaints by…

This paper examines the relationship of some social factors with extramarital sexual permissiveness. Findings indicate that the best variable to explain extramarital sexual permissiveness is premarital sexual permissiveness. (Author)

Analysis indicates qualities of the interpersonal relationship of the adolescent dyad are consistently associated with exposure to pregnancy risk. Certain qualities have a counterbalancing influence on pregnancy risk in that they are positively related to the frequency of sexual intercourse while being positively related to regularity of effective…

Data on marital careers of 176 lower-class individuals from Trinidad are analyzed in terms of the frequency and sequencing of three types of marital unions--friending, living, and marriage. Sequencing of marital unions shows movement toward more stable relationships within partnerships and throughout the individual's marital career. (Author)

Examined whether couples could accurately report on asymmetrical interaction patterns and whether particular patterns were associated with relationship distress. Undergraduate couples (N=55) completed a questionnaire describing interaction patterns. Agreement on pattern occurrence between couples was low but significantly greater than chance.…

This paper reports the satisfaction between several independent variables and marital satisfaction. Adequacy of role performance of both self and spouse and spouse's conformity to expectations emerged as the strongest predictors of satisfaction derived from playing family roles. (Author)

Focuses on the early years of marriage, including the sexual relationship. Interviews, with 80 persons married five years or less, showed considerable variation in first-year frequencies with few normative guidelines. Despite the relatively low frequencies reported, respondents consider sex important or very important in marriage. (Author/JAC)