Compares attributional models presented in depression and marital literatures by examining simultaneously their prediction of depressive symptoms and marital distress with 150 married couples. Findings show that a model including paths from depressogenic and distress-maintaining marital attributions to both depressive symptoms and marital distress…

Two state courts have reached opposite conclusions on whether universities must provide health benefits to domestic partners of gay employees. A New Jersey appeals court unanimously ruled that partners of Rutgers University employees do not qualify for family benefits. Also in a unanimous decision in Alaska, the state Supreme Court ruled that the…

Among 2,107 Black Americans, lighter skin color was associated with greater education, income, occupational prestige; higher socioeconomic status (SES) of spouse; lower Black consciousness. Association between skin color and life chances in this sample was as strong as the effect of race (Black versus White), and it has persisted from 1950s to…

Sought global assessments of marital equitability from 62 older adults, and compared men's and women's global equity feelings concerning their relationships with spouses, aged parents, and adult children. Forty younger adults rated equity of their marriages and relationships with parents and grandparents. Majority of both generations' involvements…

Investigates interspousal violence using a model of interpersonal violence derived from the aggression literature. Finds that destructive forms of communication such as verbal aggressiveness lead to physical violence, whereas constructive forms such as argumentativeness reduce the chance of escalation to physical aggression. (SR)

Examined effectiveness of group program for spouses (n=42) of frail aging veterans that included support, education, problem solving, and stress reduction. Compared with caregivers (n=47) receiving no intervention, those in group program showed significant increases in use of coping strategies, knowledge of community resources, perceived…

Examined marital dyad as family social system in which individual experiences stressors and coping. Investigated Antonovsky's salutogenic model and its core concept, sense of coherence (SOC). Data from 286 married Israeli retirees suggest, when one spouse has high SOC and other has low SOC, salutogenic versions of family SOC seems to be better…

Interviewed 104 couples concerning their work and family roles in winter and in the following summer and winter. Husbands and wives decreased their involvement in work, and husbands increased their involvement in housework, during the summer. Husbands' psychological responses to work and family roles remained stable over time. (LB)

Survey responses of 2,427 married members of the Virginia Army National Guard and 1,540 members' spouses suggest that spouses are strongly committed to career continuance with the Guard and have greater preference for continuance than do Guard members themselves. Implications for family policies in the military reserves are discussed. (SLD)

Winbush suggests that family caregiving today occurs in a context of changed family composition and devalued attitudes toward families. Cantor highlights trends in family structure that may affect the ability of families to care for impaired members. (SK)

Examined use of time among female caregivers of dementia patients who used home care (n=20) and day care (n=20) respite services. Assessment of caregiver activity during respite and nonrespite days revealed significant program differences in amount of caregiving time and overall differences in amount of noncaregiving time. Use of respite time was…

Examined influence of both caregiving social support to impaired older relative and bereavement social support to a surviving caregiver on that caregiver's bereavement adjustment. Analyses of prospective panel data from 73 spouse and adult-child caregivers showed caregiving support characteristics to be more important for bereavement adjustment…

Investigated interpersonal vulnerability variables (marital history and quality of relationship prior to onset of Alzheimer's disease), caregiver resources, and appraisals of stressors as predictors of positive and negative outcomes among 72 wife caregivers. All variables were significant predictors of depression and quality of life even after…

Used stress and coping model to study predictors of individual differences in caregiver depression and satisfaction among 72 wife caregivers of husbands with Alzheimer's disease. Specifically examined relationship-focused caregiver coping strategies. Findings support need for expansion of conceptualization of caregiver coping to include…

Based on interviews with widows and wives, examined effects of marital status on older women's help to kin and friends. Although married women provided more help to kin than did widows, most differences could be explained in terms of greater material resources marriage provided. Widows spent more time and gave more practical help to friends than…