Notes a pattern in marital therapy wherein losses are not mourned or shared; instead one spouse uses the other for externalization of internal conflict. Explains how loss tends to be experienced as disenchantment with the spouse. Describes the conjoint format that can facilitate mourning and the sharing of losses. (Author)

Examines the family and work relationships of dual career couples and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of these relationships. Various ingredients including personality traits that contribute to the success of the two-career partnership are listed. (RC)

The medical practice setting preferences, in terms of demography, of 1978 U.S. medical school graduates are reported along with their career plans and other individual characteristics. Characteristics of graduates preferring inner city, small city and town/rural settings are highlighted. (JMD)

This historical study of divorce practice has only recently begun. Using Worcester County, Massachusetts as a test case, a preliminary hypothesis that explains the increasing frequency of divorce in terms of basic changes of American life, particularly the increased economic independence of women brought about by industrialization, is presented.…

More current marriages are now remarriages. The father is more likely to have custody of the children after divorce if the mother has remarried. Remarriage after divorce varies positively with income level for men, and varies negatively with both education and income for women. (Author)

The perceived relationship between marriage and achievement among 167 women graduates (ages 45-65) of the University of Michigan was analyzed. Women believed they had high potential for achievement because of perceived spousal commitment to shared family goals and domestic chores, whereas women with less or no support reported achievement was…

Examined how spousal behaviors related to global and daily marital satisfaction. Eighty-two couples completed daily checklists of spousal behaviors for seven days using an individualized or a standardized assessment method. Daily behavioral event measures were significantly related to global and daily measures of marital satisfaction,…

Uses a developmental perspective on social interaction to trace gender differences in adulthood to relationship patterns that emerge in childhood. Summarizes results of: (1) experimental studies and naturalistic studies of workplace interaction in mixed-sex task-oriented groups; (2) same-sex interaction; (3) adult friendship; and (4) heterosexual…

Administrators are examining spouse/partner assistance programs to determine possible benefits in terms of recruitment, market competition, retention rates, faculty health, and community participation. If part-time and temporary positions were not the dead-ends they are now, they might provide a transition for women and men engaged in…

Compared psychological well-being of men and women before and after marital separation with that of control group who remained married during same period. Prior to separation, men and women in disrupted group had lower psychological well-being scores than controls. Scores of separated women, but not men, declined even further after separation.…

Used Canadian mortality census data from 1959 through 1981 to examine relationship between marital status transitions of men and women and mortality from neoplasms and cardiovascular diseases. Found lower death rate among marrieds. Found men had greater mortality risk reduction from state of marriage than women. (Author/CM)

Examined the consequences of parent care reported by 150 husbands of women who were principal caregivers of their elderly disabled mothers, and compared the men's perceptions of the caregiving situation with those of their wives. Overall, the husbands and wives disagreed on the extent to which relationships in the nuclear family were affected by…

Examined effects of information and discussion among married couples (N=36) in a marriage enrichment program. Found information had little apparent effect on couples, but discussion in groups improved couples' marriage satisfaction and their sexual and intellectual intimacy throughout the study relative to couples not receiving group discussion.…

Interviews with 14 from a random sample of 20 full-time married male students at the University of Guelph examined how their lives and their families' lives had changed because of their participation in education. Findings indicate that this population entered the university in response to developmental transition and that students and their…

Conducted 161 interviews to analyze the way that older married persons living--or having a spouse living--in a long-term care institution perceive their marriages following relocation. Results suggested that relocation did not affect respondents' marriage perceptions. Continuity theory helped in understanding these marital views. (RJM)