This study examined the link between conflict resolution styles (conflict engagement, withdrawal, and compliance) and each spouse's marital satisfaction for 155 couples. Overall, husbands' marital satisfaction was more frequently affected by how their wives resolved conflicts than wives' marital satisfaction was affected by how their husbands…

Examined reciprocal relationship between marital interaction and marital happiness with three-wave panel study of national sample of married persons. Overall findings support hypothesis that there exists positive reciprocal relationship between marital interaction and marital happiness, particularly demonstrating important role of marital…

Used data from National Survey of Families and Households to examine cohabitation. Couples who cohabited before marriage reported lower quality marriages, lower commitment to institution of marriage, more individualistic views of marriage (wives only), and greater likelihood of divorce than couples who did not cohabit. Effects were generally…

Examined adoption actions and attitudes of 16 childless women, and husbands of 14 of the women, who applied for or underwent in vitro fertilization (IVF). Found that IVF and adoption were sought concurrently by most and that wives were more in favor of adoption than were husbands. (Author/NB)

Examined structural couple therapy approach to treatment of inhibited sexual desire (ISD). Results from clinical sample of 19 couples with ISD suggest that structural couple therapy approach to ISD is effective in reducing symptoms of sexual disorder and in increasing couple satisfaction. (Author/NB)

Presents emotional abuse as insidious problem. Offers research literature to support serious nature of effects of such abuse on victims. Explores subcategories of child, adolescent, and spouse abuse. Considers status of emotional abuse as legal issue and discusses difficulty of attempting prosecution of abusers. Reviews identification and…

Describes how working wives' contributions to their families' income vary by characteristics such as number of weeks they work annually, their husbands' earner status, and the presence and age of children in the family. (Author)

Studied 73 couples twice 4 years apart. Proposed typology of five groups of couples (validators, volatiles, avoiders, hostile, and hostile/detached) based on observational data of Time 1 resolution of conflict, specific affects, and affect sequences. Over four years, groups differed significantly in serious consideration of divorce and in…

Identified in population of older adults different types of couples and linked resulting typology to way handicaps are handled. Four types of couples were identified and types varied in their management of disabilities. Findings from elderly couples suggest that one must take functioning of couple into account to fully understand situation of…

Compared time that cohabiting and married women and men spend doing housework. Analysis of data from 1987 National Survey of Families and Households revealed that marital status affected women's household labor time but not men's; married women spent significantly more time on housework than did cohabiting women. (Author/NB)

Examined data from 153 married couples to determine their patterns of coping with stress and association between couples' coping and psychological symptoms in each spouse. Found pattern of dyadic coping marked by strong reliance on escape-avoidance coping by both husband and wife was associated with high levels of symptoms in both spouses.…

Explored covert mental representations and interactional context of dependence in suicidal women (n=19) and their nonsuicidal male partners. Suicidal women and their partners were similar in terms of covert dependence and different with regard to overt behavior. Male partners tended to foster dependence in suicidal women. Most suicidal women did…

Seventy-one married couples attending marriage education workshops were surveyed regarding price, product, place, people, and promotional marketing factors influencing their overall satisfaction as workshop participants. Findings suggest both similar and unique marketing factors influenced husbands' and wives' satisfaction. Recommendations for…

Compares two statistical approaches for the analysis of data obtained from married couples. Summarizes a current multilevel (or hierarchical) model that has demonstrated usefulness in marital research and respecifies this model into a more familiar structural equation modeling formulation. (SLD)

This study used marital and individual-level variables to predict spouses perceived parenting alliance. One hundred married couples completed measures of parenting alliance, marital consensus, marital power, and depression. Analyses revealed that marital consensus was a significant predictor of parenting alliance for both parents, and that…