Data from the 1988 National Survey of Families and Households indicate that men's housework and child-rearing efforts are powerful determinants of wives' and husbands' perceptions of the fairness of the division of household chores. Wives' employment hours have no effect on husbands' fairness perceptions but are significantly related to wives'…

Examined the support systems of public school principals, comparing male and female and married and unmarried principals. Specific characteristics of spouses who provide support were explored. Data from surveys of 170 principals reveal males and married principals have a more concentrated support base, unmarried and female principals less so. It…

Examined negative affect among 349 adults. Indices of salient social support and salient interpersonal stress irrespective of source were related to level of negative affective symptoms. Marital relationship was most frequently named source of support, but coworkers were named equally often as source of interpersonal stress. Marital satisfaction…

Describes a survey of 44 male spouses of community college presidents, comparing findings with responses to similar questions from a survey of female spouses. Profiles the male spouses in terms of their personal characteristics, role at the college and in the community, rewards, frustrations, and advice to governing boards and female presidents.…

Psychometric properties of the Marital Coping Inventory (MCI) were evaluated by administering it and other measures to 120 newlywed couples, by observing spouses discussing marital problems, and by readministering the inventory to 104 spouses after 6 months. Results clarify coping in marriage. Implications for use of the instrument are discussed.…

Observed parents' coparenting of 15-month-old sons to test 2 hypotheses: (1) greater differences in parents' demographic factors, personality, styles of relatedness, and child-rearing attitudes would forecast more unsupportive coparenting; and (2) the adverse effects of spousal differences would be amplified by family stress. Results supported…

Asked 15 couples who had been married at least 30 years to give their perceptions of qualities that had sustained their relationship in times of closeness and relational strain. Key characteristics identified were intimacy balanced with autonomy, commitment, communication, religious orientation, and congruent perceptions of the relationship.…

The challenge to the higher education institution of hiring faculty with working spouses is discussed, looking at societal attitudes, development of strategies to assist dual-career couples, the needs of the joint academic couple, and allocation of resources to address the issues. (MSE)

To determine the relationship between Afrocentric consciousness and perceptions of heterosexual relations, 177 Black adults in northern Florida, including college students, unskilled workers, professionals, and the elderly, were queried. The more Afrocentric subjects held opinions on mate selection and family life rooted in mutuality and…

Compared the marital relationship in families with remarried mothers and families whose mothers had never divorced on dimensions of spouses' depression, marital satisfaction, sharing of housekeeping and child-rearing roles, and positive and negative affect spouses directed to one another. (BC)

Examined relationship between husbands' (n=72) violence and desired and perceived control. Identified two subgroups of men at high risk for engaging in domestic violence: men low on self-esteem, low on desirability of control, and low on perceived personal control; and men high on self-esteem, high on desirability of control, but low on perceived…

Spousal feelings of resistance and resentment often complicate the relocation process. Individual counseling for the "trailing spouse" can help alleviate unrealistic expectations, too hasty job acceptance, passivity, and communication problems. (SK)

International spouse relocation poses significant challenges for counselors. Critical elements of support programs are (1) sensitivity to relocation's effects on the family; (2) job search assistance for spouses; and (3) effective repatriation programs. (SK)

Notes when long-standing marriage suddenly becomes conflictual, one precipitant can be the recent death of parent on one of partners. Claims main goal of therapy is to facilitate bereaved partner's mourning and choosing an effective therapeutic method depends on couple's capacity for mutual empathy and support and their need for insight.…

A comprehensive psychosocial investigation of 202 Mexican women who had never been out of Mexico and who were married to immigrant workers in the United States revealed that the women experienced stress associated with the welfare of the absent husband, acquisition of new responsibilities and obligations, and family disintegration. (KS)