Reviews enrichment research of the 1990s. Examines marriage preparation and premarital counseling; specific programs, such as Training in Marriage Enrichment; specific populations, such as children; and continuing research needs, particularly in the areas of measurement, participants, and program characteristics. Claims that marriage and family…

Guidelines for counselors in the use of forgiveness in counseling are proposed. Theological and counseling understandings of forgiveness are presented; counseling-related literature concerning healing, reconciliation, and the importance of forgiveness is reviewed. A counseling approach called "intentional forgiving" is described and its…

Marital interaction processes that are predictive of divorce or marital stability and processes that discriminate between happily and unhappily married stable couples are explored (N=130). Seven types of process models are examined, and results are discussed. Divorce and stability were predicted with 83% accuracy, and satisfaction with 80%…

Presents a case study in which students build a Markov chain reaction of marriage and divorce and perform statistical analyses to identify the chance of divorce and divorcing in a given year. (YDS)

Presents the results of a survey that examined the internship requirements by accredited doctoral Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) programs. Results suggest that although most programs perceive the internship requirement as beneficial, many participants expressed concern regarding the effects of the internship requirement on other aspects of…

Examines factors influencing the outcome of cohabitation first partnerships with men and women born in Britain in 1958. Results show that conception was a key factor in promoting marriage for both men and women. Findings also suggest that the role of cohabitation varies according to socioeconomic background. (Author/MKA)

Finds that cognitive jealousy is a more potent predictor of relational satisfaction than emotional jealousy, individuals using integrative communication and/or expression of negative affect to communicate jealousy are most likely to be satisfied with their relationships, and jealousy expression accounts for significantly more variance in…

Describes an undergraduate clinical internship in a Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) doctoral program designed to help introduce undergraduates to the profession of family therapy. Coordinators feel that the most enjoyable part for the students and the most influential towards recruiting future MFT graduate students is the field study placement…

Reviews three theoretical explanations (social role theory, crisis theory, social selection theory) for the reasons for psychological distress of divorced individuals. Evaluates the efficacy of these theories in a pooled analysis of married persons followed over 12 years. Results provide evidence that higher stress levels of the divorced primarily…

Focuses on the experiences of dual-career couples that maintain two homes to attain career satisfaction. Findings include support for the potential strength and satisfaction of commuting relationships. Trust, commitment, regular communication, and quality shared time were endorsed as factors contributing to successful distance marriages.…

This study examines trends in marital dissolution in Indonesia considering the impact of educational expansion; delayed marriage; urbanization; increasing employment before marriage; legislative change; and increased free choice in marriage on the decline in marital disruption. It suggests that traditional patterns sustaining high levels of…

Developed a marital typology based on a nonrandom, national sample of 415 African American couples who took the Enriching Relationship Issues, Communication and Happiness (ENRICH) marital assessment inventory. Five marriage types were labeled as vitalized; harmonious; traditional; conflicted; and devitalized. Results were similar to findings in…

Explored common factors across theories of marriage and family therapy (MFT). Clinicians and researchers were asked to achieve consensus regarding common factors. Respondents were asked to report on commonalities across various MFT theories, as well as what they personally considered to be core the ingredients of change. Implications for training…

Examined associations among positive and conflictual marital behavior and multiple reports of child behavior problems in a community sample of 78 families with 3-year-old children. Found that less positive marital engagement and greater conflict were associated with observers' reports--but not with parents' or teachers' reports--of more behavior…

How do family arrangements affect subjective well-being? We investigate this issue using data pooled from the IsssA and HILDA, both large, representative national samples of Australia (pooled n = 38 447). Our regression analysis of cross-sectional and panel data examines how large are the differences in life satisfaction according to marital…