Reports findings of a social-psychological investigation of bereavement. Using questionnaires and home interviews, information was solicited from 558 bereaved persons, including spouses, parents, and adult children responding to the death of an elderly parent. A variety of physical and emotional reactions was demonstrated by all groups following…

Examined the circumstances surrounding marriage termination in relation to the aftermath of marital separation. Collected data from a nonprobability sample of 205 individuals. Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that 41 percent of the variance in acceptance of marital termination can be explained by marital history variables. (Author/RC)

Investigated the relationship between participation in Marriage Encounter and subsequent marital or family distress. An analysis of 13 case reports suggested that Marriage Encounter weekends can cause marital or family deterioration through increased marital conflict, avoidance of constructive problem solving, or marital enmeshment at the expense…

Compared the interactional patterns of distressed (N=22) and nondistressed (N=17) couples through base rate and sequential analyses of communication samples that were coded with the Marital Interactional Coding System. Nondistressed couples emitted higher rates of problem-solving, verbal and nonverbal positive, and neutral behaviors. (Author)

Examined two explanations for the strong relationships between indices of social class and characteristics of marital attitudes and behavior. Results indicated that, education aside, neither female nor male occupational groups differed with respect to 14 indices of marital attitudes and behavior. Education emerged as a major predictor. (Author/RC)

Developed scale for each sex to measure defensiveness about the marital relationship and to measure defensiveness about the sexual relationship of couples. Presents evidence to support that these content specific scales surpass a global defensiveness scale as a measure of defensiveness regarding couples' sexual or marital relationship. (Author)

Compared communicational interactions of maritally distressed and nondistressed couples engaged in conflict resolution tasks. Distressed couples made significantly more negative cognitive and problem-solving acts. Distressed couples evidenced more reciprocity of negative communication as compared with nondistressed couples. Relationships of these…

Discusses human reproductive alternatives such as artificial insemination by husband and by donor, surrogate pregnancy, and in vitro fertilization in relation to involuntarily childless couples. Concludes by raising a number of questions for practice, policy, and research in the area of family life. (Author)

Investigated the extent to which Swedish couples (N=128) share domestic tasks using a mail survey. Suggests Swedish couples shared household chores more evenly than American couples. Results indicated variables measuring social exchange theory, family life-cycle stage, and socialization had the greatest influence on role sharing behavior.…

Marital therapy couples (N=47) completed inventories measuring unrealistic beliefs about self and unrealistic beliefs about marital relationships. Results indicated unrealistic beliefs were negatively associated with: estimated chance for improvement in therapy, desire to improve the relationship, preference for marital versus individually…

Develops an interpersonal perception inventory which demonstrates that various ratings of facial caricature drawings when made by a husband and wife can be used as a predictor of marital adjustment. Analysis of data establishes validity for the Facial Interpersonal Perception Inventory as well as reliability and consistency. Implications are…

Examined relationships among methods for assessing marital adjustment: self-reports of marital satisfaction, spouse reports of pleasing and displeasing behaviors, and trained observers' coding of positive and negative communication. Frequency of pleasing behaviors was only measure correlating with global marital satisfaction. Inverse relationships…

Presents an overview of the published literature delineating variables associated with dual career couples, including the numerous benefits or incentives, common conflicts and stressors, and the personality dynamics shared by these couples. Dysfunctional coping strategies as well as adaptive strategies are also described. (Author)

Proposes a social-psychological model of the dissolution decision in marriage based on prior theoretical formulations. Sequential in character and emphasizing the duality of the marital relationship, the model modifies and refines previous theoretical efforts, and seeks to extend their explanatory power by incorporating various principles of…

Examines whether bereavement is causally related to the high risk of death among the widowed. Reviews the use of cross-sectional and longitudinal studies and shortcomings in the research. Discusses possible alternative explanations for high mortality risk. Suggests continued research in this area. (RC)