This study examined factors contributing to parental satisfaction during the transition to parenthood, and considered gender differences in the type of social support received and role satisfaction. Ninety-five subjects (55 mothers and 40 fathers) were selected to include both primiparous and multiparous parents, employed and nonemployed mothers,…

Parental conflict as it occurs in the context of divorce was studied in an effort to determine the role that conflict plays in a variety of psychosocial problems in children. Data were drawn from a 5-year longitudinal study of about 1,000 families who filed for divorce in 1984. The first phase of the study involved a series of interviews with the…

In order to describe in detail adolescents' preferences for the division of labor between husband and wife, including the flexibility inherent in the various alternatives, to assess changes in these preferences over recent years, and to explore potential correlates, data from the Monitoring the Future Survey, a large annual survey of high school…

Relocation of dual career families often translates into career advancement for the spouse whose job prospects initiate the move and career disruption for the spouse who follows. To describe the relocation concerns of men and women in dual career marriages, 32 professional couples were interviewed. Half the sample were black and half were white,…

Though academic research has shown retirement to be viewed by retirees as a satisfying time in life, popular opinion holds that retirement is a difficult adjustment for a couple. This study was undertaken to find out more about one source of popular opinion, the popular press. All popular books and magazine articles on the topic of marriage and…

The last decade has provided considerable research on the causes and effects of physical aggression in the family, but much less has been accomplished on the causes and effects of verbal/symbolic aggression. This verbal/symbolic aggression is defined as a communication, either verbal or nonverbal, intended to cause psychological pain to another…

Roles in the Jewish-American family system tend to be flexible, without a clearly defined division of labor or hierarchy of authority. Husband-father and wife-mother roles tend to be somewhat interchangeable and androgynous. Because role expectations constantly change to fit changing circumstances, ambiguity in each member's perception of…

It is the dimension of power or control, either in the workplace or in the family, that determines the degree to which social relations are alienating. The consequences of social inequality for the quality of personal life were examined in 314 married couples, of whom 70 were dual-earning non-parents, 123 were dual-earning parents, and 41 were…

Communication, particularly in the form of self-disclosure or emotional expressiveness is important to happy, healthy relationships. Differences in emotional expressiveness between sexes, between socioeconomic groups, and within each of these groups were examined in 48 males and 44 females from high and low socioeconomic (SES) groups. Subjects…

Although research on the role of social support in psychological well-being has increased, little attention has been given to behavioral methods for measuring these supportive mechanisms. To study the support exchanged in marital dyads, a behavioral observation system was designed and used to detect changes in the marital relationship of one…

This study assessed the effectiveness of a brief group treatment program aimed at ameliorating some of the psychological reactions commonly seen in wives of alcoholics. The goals of the 8 week treatment program were: (1) to help wives identify their counterproductive attempts to cope with the alcoholism; (2) to develop constructive coping…

This study was undertaken to assess the impact of children's behaviors on employed parents' adjustment and to test a specific model of how spouse support may facilitate coping with the stress of a difficult child. It was hypothesized that child behavioral difficulty and spouse support would affect maternal depression through the mediation of…

The perceptions of burden in providing care to the disabled elderly by a family member may be affected by the caregiver's personal and social resources and by the differences in involvement and familial roles between the caregiver and the care receiver. To test this relationship, 41 spouse and adult daughter caregivers involved in a home-based…

The degree to which wives' work decisions reflect the fulfillment of efficiency principles versus a response to social norms and personal needs was analyzed. The National Longitudinal Survey of Women, who were 30 to 44 years of age, provided the data base. To determine if women's work decisions were consistent with maximizing their economic return…

The efforts of the Great Lakes Colleges Association (GLCA) to affiliate with independent scholars and artists are described. A protocol to guide the development of beneficial relationships between colleges and independents is also presented. The first step was to survey the population of independent scholars and artists within the GLCA area.…