Rated 15 sources of satisfaction and 15 sources of conflict for nine relationships of adults (N=52). Results showed three clear satisfaction factors (instrumental reward, emotional support, shared interests) and two conflict factors (emotional conflict, criticism). Shared interests seemed to be a universal satisfaction source. (WAS)

Assessed psychological well-being and marital adjustment of mothers, voluntarily childless wives, and infertile women. Infertile women reported lower levels of personal well being. Voluntarily and involuntarily childless women were more pleased with the amount of freedom and flexibility they had in their lives, and infertile women reported more…

Responses to a bereavement questionnaire completed by married couples (n=74) who had lost a child through death were analyzed. When parents' perceptions of the cause of their child's death were examined, it was found that, for females, but not males, the attribution of the death to genetic factors in the spouse was negatively correlated with…

Examined the relationship of commitment in marriage and change in commitment over marriage to the expression of love and marriage problems among long-term Norwegian married couples. Results indicated that those who were committed to their spouses as persons had significantly fewer marriage problems. Those whose commitment increased expressed more…

Analyzed descriptive data on prevalence, temporal stability, and prognostic utility of family disharmony over childrearing years. Findings from 133 children raised in 2-parent families until age 18 showed that prevalence of disharmonious marital, mother-child, and father-child relations increased as child aged, with sudden increase in prevalence…

Examined changes over time in marital relations of Israeli combat veterans who sustained combat stress reaction (CSR) during 1982 Lebanon War. Interviewed wives of CSR veterans and non-CSR veterans. CRS couples were characterized at four points in time by more conflict, less intimacy, less consensus, less cohesion, and less expressiveness that…

Interviewed 63 nonworking and 42 working mothers with a first baby to examine the relationship between previous work involvement and the experience of first-time motherhood. Results showed high-work-involvement women tended to report greater irritability and higher costs of motherhood. For working mothers, work involvement was generally unrelated…

Presents a follow-up of 27 single-parent families, focusing on children's behavior and parents' satisfaction with their children. Results showed parental satisfaction had increased for mothers, while fathers' satisfaction remained high. Children's behavior had improved in mother-headed families, especially low-income mother-headed families, often…

Wives (N=298) completed two marital happiness questionnaires and other measures. Found no significant differences in marital happiness dimensions between mixed and homogeneous marriages. Women of Asian or African origin reported less marital happiness than did women of Western descent. Differences became nonsignificant when socioeconomic levels…

Compared problem-solving behaviors of four samples of couples, sorted by marital happiness/distress and culture (German and Australian). Results showed cultural differences in frequency and functional significance of negative verbal communication, along with cross-culturally consistent marital behaviors associated with marital distress. (Author/TE)