Discusses study investigating the development and establishment of the spousal subsystem in remarriage following divorce. Analyzed interviews of 10 remarried couples. As the tasks of the early period of remarriage were completed, each spousal subsystem gradually experienced a recoupling process, that is, perceived the occurrence of an emotional…

Examined prevalence of midlife transition and role of midlife crisis in divorce etiology among 28 divorce support group participants. Findings support reality of midlife transition for most participants and salience of midlife crisis as factor in divorce. Subjects were significantly more likely to perceive spouse's, rather than their own, midlife…

Describes common characteristics of 13 cases in which one marital partner initiated therapy because the other partner was undecided about continuing their marriage. Initiating clients wanted their marriages to continue even if they were unrewarding and saw themselves as helpless victims. Clients who could turn their attention from the ambivalent…

Addresses the specific needs of a clearly delineated population of individuals who are finding difficulty adjusting to the irrevocable, but often unwanted, loss of a partner through separation or divorce. Describes emotionally attached or ambivalent persons and their problems. Discusses group work with these individuals, including group…

Analyzed data from 2 percent sample of couples who filed for divorce/dissolution in California in six years from 1966 through 1971, to examine the relationship between wife's employment status and marital duration to separation. Results showed housewives were likely to be married longer before separation than were employed wives, except when they…

In the past two decades, several fertility variables have been shown to have an effect on marital stability: presence or absence of children, child spacing, birth timing, and total number of children. This paper studies the effect on marital stability of the planning of fertility. (Author)

The Recovery of Hope divorce prevention program addresses the problem of couples entering marriage enrichment events whose distress levels indicated a need for therapy rather than enrichment. An ex post facto evaluation of 34 wives and 27 husbands indicated program completion appeared to assist couples in either improving their relationship or in…

Analyzed the relationship between the participation of married women in the labor market and divorce rates in the continental states of the United States in 1980. Results showed the higher the proportion of married women working full time and the lower the proportion of married women working part time, the higher the divorce rate of the state.…

Interviewed 16 couples involved in marriages between never-married men and divorced women with at least one preadolescent child. Findings showed adjustment to remarriage involved the issue of dependence, independence, and interdependence. Findings are presented in 15 propositions which can be utilized as basic hypotheses for future research on…

Deals with the marital dynamics characteristics of the period immediately prior to a decision to divorce. The concept of a marital Point of No-Return (N/R) is introduced. Guidelines for working with the concept are presented. (Author)

Focuses on remarried families' (N=80) perceptions of family strengths, marital satisfaction, and adjustment to the remarried situation. Results indicated that although most would like to make some changes, scores on the measurements used were high. A supportive environment was the most important predictor of family strength and success. (JAC)

Tested the utility of an exchange model for predicting divorce or withdrawal of divorce petitions, using court records and interviews of men and women who were divorced or subsequently withdrew their divorce petitions. Discriminant function analyses indicated that an exchange model can predict divorce versus petition withdrawal. (JAC)

Presents a demographic analysis of the paths to remarriage--the extent and timing of remarriage, social factors associated with remarriage, and the impact of the event which preceded remarriage (divorce or widowhood). (Author)

Examined the developmental trend of conflict from the initial recognition that the marriage may dissolve to its legal termination in 107 divorced persons using a retrospective interview. Conflict increased significantly from initial recognition to discussion and decreased significantly once action to secure a legal dissolution was initiated.…

Describes rituals currently in use which facilitate the psycho-social transitions of a divorcing pair and their family. Suggests new practices which may enable a healthy, adaptive response to these life changes, while maintaining the integrity of the family. (Author/JAC)