All couples demonstrated parity in pleasurable behavior exchange rates. High-adjustment couples reported increased marital happiness following self-monitoring of pleasurable events. Low-adjustment spouses underestimated pleasurable behavior rates by approximately 50%. (Author)

Rapprochement among competing methods and views of marital and family therapy constitutes a major creative challenge for the field in the 1980s. Although integrative efforts have begun, psychodynamic understanding of intimate relationships is necessary for continuation of integrative process growth. (Author/NRB)

National information about 1978 graduating medical students is reported that confirms a substantial relationship between their preferred practice settings and their hometowns and those of their spouses. (JMD)

Examines whether spouse caregivers of people either with noncognitive disorders (Parkinson's disease) or cognitive disorders (Alzheimer's disease) differed in their use and perception of social support resources. Results indicate that caregivers of spouses diagnosed with cognitive disorders were older, had fewer children, and had fewer financial…

Examines how couples organize transfers of assistance to aging parents and whether the flow of assistance is structured by family lineage. Findings indicate evidence of a tradeoff between types of assistance and a unilineal pattern of assistance. Couples were more responsive to the needs of the wife's parent(s). African American and Hispanic…

Examined relation between divorce history and psychological distress for newlywed couples (N=459). Results indicated husbands' distress was related to low marital satisfaction and dissatisfaction with social support; wives' distress was related to history of multiple divorces, few years of education, low occupational prestige, low marital…

Orientation at the graduate level can serve many functions such as reducing anxiety, familiarizing students with new academic challenges, and orienting students' spouses. It can also improve student retention, satisfaction, and success. Guidelines for developing programs responsive to graduate students' diverse needs are offered. (Author/MSE)

Examined 314 dual-earner couples in West Germany to assess how each spouse's role strain and wife's work hours were related to life outlook, marital interaction, and family conflict. Found husband's perceptions of his life unrelated to wife's level of strain, while wife's perceptions of marital interaction and family conflict were associated with…

Examined differences within 34 pairs of parents bereaved by Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), 3-40 months after their loss. Findings revealed that bereaved parents sought support from within family most frequently and from outside resources the least. Bereaved mothers used these coping patterns significantly more often than did fathers. Found…

In order to examine the theory that children often mold parental actions, analyzed whether parents are consistent with each other or with themselves in parenting attitudes and practices. Parents largely acted alike, although fathers more often acted in ways independent of how their wives were perceived to act. (RJM)

Describes intervention program in which caregiving wives/daughters are taught several specific skills (learning to relax in very stressful situations and learning to be appropriately assertive with frail elders and other family members) to enable them to manage their frustrations more effectively. Presents class content and structure, along with…

Investigated premenstrual mood changes in women and whether these mood changes have effects on interpersonal relationships. Analysis of responses from sample of 100 women from nonclinical college undergraduate and graduate psychology population found that 78.4 percent did experience mood changes prior to menstruation and 45 percent of these women…

The utility of "coping congruency" and "average level of couple coping" in explaining adjustment to multiple sclerosis was examined. Interview and questionnaire data was collected for 45 dyads with a 12-month follow-up. Predictors include Time 1 illness, caregiving, and coping variables. Findings support both concepts for…

Research indicating that couples' social support skills predict marital outcomes two years later, above and beyond conflict-management skills, is reported. Successful prevention and treatment programs may need to incorporate support-skills training as well as conflict-management training. Specific techniques are recommended for teaching…

Reports on the appropriateness of the stress-coping and life transitions models for late life experiences by examining psychosocial correlates of spouse caregiving. Results, based on 1000 subjects, aged 65 and over, indicate that caregiving was a usual precursor to widowhood and may have prepared older people for widowhood. (RJM)