Using typologies outlined by Gottman and Fitzpatrick as well as institutional and companionate models of marriage, the authors conducted a latent class analysis of marital conflict trajectories using 20 years of data from the Marital Instability Over the Life Course study. Respondents were in one of three groups: high, medium (around the mean), or…

This study examined associations among marital quality, coparenting, and parenting self-efficacy in parents of young children. Of special interest were possible spillover and stress-buffering effects of the marital and coparenting relationships. The authors sampled 175 married and cohabiting couples. Participants were recruited via an online…

Investigated antecedents of marital infidelity for individuals (N=59) involved with coworkers or others. Data suggested that persons involved with coworkers had more satisfying marriages and scored higher on the Compatibility Index than those involved with others. The number of liaisons was not correlated with age or age at marriage. (JAC)

Evaluated the effect of previous marital history, particularly the husband's marriage order, on the stability of first and second marriages of White and Black women. The most important predictor of the instability of first marriages of women are the previous divorces of husbands. (Author)

Explores the usefulness of "marital alternatives" as a dimension in explaining marital stability, using longitudinal data from a panel of married, White, urban couples from 16 urban areas. Results indicated the dimension of marital alternatives appeared to be a better predictor of marital disruption than marital satisfaction. (Author/RC)

Examined the interaction between marital distress and spouses' attributions and expectancies regarding the marital relationship in predicting depressive symptoms in a mixed sample of 59 clinic and nonclinic couples. Best predictor of depression for both sexes was measure of disaffection, reflecting emotional distance and alienation in the…

Tested the relevance of the personal space concept when applied to marital relationships. Married couples (N=24) completed five questionnaires. Results showed that the personal space concept did apply, i.e., distance between couples increased as marital quality decreased. A stop-distance measure discriminated between distressed and non-distressed…

Recent qualitative investigations of abusive men have indicated that power and control of the wife are central themes in incidents of marital violence. Furthermore, anecdotal and empirical evidence suggest that abusive husbands hold more traditional sex-role stereotypes, are more possessive and jealous, and are more controlling than nonabusive…

The role of cognitions in marital relationships has received increasing attention. Specific beliefs about marital relationships have shown consistent correlations with overall marital satisfaction. As a measure of dysfunctional beliefs about intimate relationships, the Relationship Belief Inventory provides five dysfunctional beliefs scores. This…

Examined cognitive personality and sociodemographic factors associated with thoughts of separation. When spouses' marital satisfaction was controlled, four groups were identified as "unhappy stable,""unhappy unstable,""happy stable," and "happy unstable." The first three groups were examined further, and the…

Describes the development of a scale specifically designed to measure marital instability among intact couples. Data from a telephone survey of 2,034 married men and women showed the Marital Instability Index to be a reliable and valid indicator. An abbreviated form of the index is presented. (Author/JAC)

Surveyed 575 newly married couples in 1972 and 425 divorced couples in 1975 to examine risk factors leading to divorce in Estonia, USSR. Found risk factors included an unstable parental home, unsuitable age at marriage, and duration of courtship. Incompatibility of value orientation and role expectation were other factors. (JAC)

Studied predictor variables related to the outcome of spouse-aided therapy in 28 married patients with persisting psychiatric disorders. Results showed significant, sustained improvement in couples' ratings of personal and target problems after therapy. Poor response was linked to extrapunitiveness, denial, and adherence to an illness model of…

Marital adjustment, verbal aggression, and physical aggression have long been associated in the marital literature, but the nature of their associations remains unclear. In this study, the authors examined these 3 constructs as risk factors for physical aggression during the first 2 years of marriage in 634 couples recruited as they applied for…

Recent research investigating the consequences of match-mismatch in cognitive style status for interpersonal attraction in teacher-student, patient-therapist, and other dyads suggests that matched persons are more likely to develop positive feelings toward each other. To assess the impact of cognitive style on the outcomes experienced by married…