Examined the choice of confidant among a sample of married persons aged 55 and over. Found less than 30 percent of the women and 40 percent of the men reported confiding in their spouses; those who confided in their spouses had markedly higher levels of marital satisfaction than others. (Author/ABL)

Randomly assigned 30 women with premenstrual syndrome to control group which involved monitoring menstrual cycle symptoms or to conjoint monitoring group which involved both wife and husband in charting cyclic symptoms. Following treatment, Marital Satisfaction Inventory (MSI) scores predicted group membership; conjoint group resulted in…

Explored the effects of spouses' wake and sleep patterns on marital adjustment in couples (n=150). Couples whose wake and sleep patterns were mismatched reported significantly less marital adjustment, more marital conflict, less time spent in serious conversation, less time spent in shared activities and less frequent sexual intercourse.…

Using data from the National Survey of Families and Households, examined gender-based segregation of family labor, focusing on effects of time availability, family power, and gender role ideology. Found American couples exhibited highly sex-segregated family work patterns. (Author/ABL)

Describes therapy process in which couples are "separated" from reciprocal patterns which have become restraining and are currently affecting the relationship. Discusses role of therapist in helping couples break these patterns and separate from influence of discourse which they determine to be not suitable to their own preferred descriptions.…

Examined effectiveness of Relationship Enhancement program in increasing functional and basic levels of differentiation of self among 20 married couple participants. Data from pretest, posttest, and follow-up measures revealed significant increases in functional and basic levels of differentiation of self and in relationship quality and…

Examines how stigmatized individuals receive socioemotional support via personal relationships with others, arguing that nonstigmatized people are less likely to develop personal relationships with or give affection and respect as socioemotional support to stigmatized people. Presents facilitators and barriers to stigmatized individuals'…

How accurately do spouses know their partner's feelings when the partner is not physically present, but in a specific setting (at work, or at home)? This question addresses a special kind of empathic inference that relies mainly on content knowledge and projection rather than perception. We answered this question using a computer assisted diary…

A study was conducted to address the problem of reliance on samples of married couples by exploiting a longitudinal data file from the Swedish population. Using data from spouses' single years, the correlation methodology was applied to their earnings.

Studies consistently show sex differences in married couples' use of demand and withdraw behavior. The social structure hypothesis proposes that these differences are the result of power differentials between spouses. This study examined the link between 3 aspects of marital power and demanding and withdrawal behavior. Contrary to social structure…

This study describes a comparison between retrospective questions and daily diaries inquiring about positive and negative support in spousal interactions. The design was a multitrait-multimethod matrix with trait factors of positive and negative support, and method factors of retrospective questions and daily asked questions. Five questions were…

The purpose of the present study was to examine dispositional resilience in the perceived stress-life satisfaction relation following conjugal loss. The sample included 55 widows, assessed on average, 1 month following the death of a spouse. Results supported dispositional resilience as a mediator (the initial relation between perceived stress and…

Social scientists remain unsure as to whether divorce acts to alleviate domestic violence or whether ex-spouses become the targets of the displaced violence. Using data from the National Incident-Based Reporting System and the Census, this study investigates the relationship between the divorce rate and the domestic crime rate. The study…

To better understand the origins of autonomic reactivity during marital interactions, this study examined the psychophysiological profiles of prototypically secure (vs. insecure) and deactivating (vs. hyperactivating) adults while they talked about areas of disagreement with their (pre)marital partners. Adults who idealized their caregivers…

Balancing the roles of parent and partner is challenging for most people and may be especially challenging when extra time and effort are required in the parenting role. The current research compared 25 couples whose children have autism spectrum disorders (ASD) with 20 couples whose children do not have developmental disorders. Comparisons were…