Examined living arrangements in early adulthood using event history data from people aged 23 in 1985. Results showed great heterogeneity in pathways out of parental home. Young adults fanned out in all directions, with many experiencing marriage, cohabitation, group quarters, living with housemates, and living alone. (Author/NB)

Contends that familiar and comfortable family therapy theories were not designed to deal with violence and may help maintain collective avoidance of the issue of violence among family therapists. Explores limitations of therapeutic neutrality and dangers inherent in some interventions. Concludes that effective amelioration of family violence…

Used data from National Survey of Families and Households to examine cohabitation. Couples who cohabited before marriage reported lower quality marriages, lower commitment to institution of marriage, more individualistic views of marriage (wives only), and greater likelihood of divorce than couples who did not cohabit. Effects were generally…

Examined meaning of informal unions among mainland Puerto Rican women. Compared characteristics of women in informal unions to those of single and married women; assessed whether Puerto Rican women defined their informal unions as nonmarital cohabitation or form of marriage; and examined predictors of women's definitions of informal unions. Found…

Used vital statistics data and census data to examine impact of women's marriage opportunities on family formation and dissolution. Linked measures of quantity/quality of potential spouses specific for woman's age, race, education, and area of residence to marriage, divorce, and nonmarital fertility rates. Greater marriage opportunities appear to…

Drew on national sample of married persons interviewed three times over eight years. Found marital quality to be stable phenomenon. Marital happiness and interaction were both found to decline over time whereas divorce proneness, problems, and disagreements did not exhibit significant developmental change. Found no sex or duration differences in…

Considers contributions of Farley's Type T theory of personality and motivation to family psychology. Outlines some implications of Type T for range of marital treatment issues. Notes that Type T can be used as a predictor of change in therapy and as an assessment of whether people are really going to change. (NB)

Using data from the National Survey of Families and Households, examined characteristics of cohabiting couples, including role of the least educated in leading this trend and presence of children with 40 percent of the couples. Concludes that cohabitation is very much a family status but one in which levels of certainty about the relationship are…

Found that plans of representative sample of young adults in Netherlands concerning choice between cohabitation and marriage were predicted by rational evaluation of difference between marriage and cohabitation and by perceived opinions of significant others. Effects of family background and social status variables on union formation intentions…

Used data from National Survey of Families and Households to examine how past relationships influence evaluative and interactive dimensions of current relationships. Found that, after controlling for other factors, prior cohabiting relationships negatively influenced current married and cohabiting relationships. For marriage, it was cohabitation…

Studied 73 couples twice 4 years apart. Proposed typology of five groups of couples (validators, volatiles, avoiders, hostile, and hostile/detached) based on observational data of Time 1 resolution of conflict, specific affects, and affect sequences. Over four years, groups differed significantly in serious consideration of divorce and in…

Asserts that considering ethical values of benevolence/nonmalevolence and respect for client autonomy raises questions about their limitations. Discusses extent to which marital and family therapists can or should adhere to these values; offers suggestions for possible changes. Argues that informed consent, respect for clients, and benevolence are…

Attempted to predict therapy dropouts using data gathered at marital therapy intake with 474 couples seeking marital therapy who attended at least 1 session. Significant predictors of dropping out included having less than two children, having a male intake clinician, and presenting problem relating only to one spouse. (Author/ABL)

Compared time that cohabiting and married women and men spend doing housework. Analysis of data from 1987 National Survey of Families and Households revealed that marital status affected women's household labor time but not men's; married women spent significantly more time on housework than did cohabiting women. (Author/NB)

Reviews new books and popular literature on gender issues from theory perspective. Discusses concerns for marriage and family counseling and therapy. Contends that content of several new books on unremitting pressures against female equality is important for family counselors and therapists to consider. (Author/NB)