Investigated three types of extramarital relations in married and cohabiting subjects (N=378): (1) emotional (in love) but not sexual (intercourse); (2) sexual but not emotional; and (3) emotional and sexual. Results showed that 43 percent of the subjects indicated having at least one of the defined extradyadic relations. (LLL)

Surveyed 126 married couples to study factors related to marital satisfaction. Results showed personality compatibility was a major factor in satisfaction. Individuals whose spouses were more accurate in perceiving their satisfaction and those in relationships with a previous marriage were also more satisfied. (JAC)

Examined the relationship between interpersonal competence and marital adjustment in 179 married couples who completed questionnaires on both concepts. Findings supported the basic hypothesis that social anxiety is negatively related to marital adjustment, but social anxiety was primarily related to marital adjustment of self and not spouse. (JAC)

This study sought to organize and measure the extent to which eight role-management strategies are used by spouses in career-earner and dual-career families and to determine if there are significant differences in the extent of strategy use between spouses in the same family type as well as across family types. (JOW)

Helping a group close on a productive note is very important. Each client must understand precisely what he or she can expect of the group. Most groups develop agreements on starting times, closing times, approximate number of sessions, and ways homework assignments are developed. (Author)

Explored relationships between marriage partners' self-concept and their evaluation of their own and their spouses' marital role performance. Marriage partners' self-concept and perceived response of spouses were related to evaluation of their own and their spouses' role performance. There was no relationship between spouses' response and…

Drew from 47 parents' reports over a 15-day period to compare characteristics of marital conflict when children (8-16 years) were present versus absent. Found that mothers described 669 incidents of conflict and fathers described 551 incidents. About two-thirds of marital conflicts occurred in children's absence. Child-present conflicts were more…

Examined through couple interviews (N=146) consistency across content areas of husbands' and wives' decision-making processes and outcomes. Found decision-making processes varied by both spouse and issue being discussed. Found less support for previous finding that getting one's own way significantly influences couple decision dynamics and…

Attributions of 40 wives accounted for variance in their marital satisfaction after effects of depression had been taken into account. Second study compared attributions of 20 clinically depressed and maritally distressed wives, 20 nondepressed but distressed wives, and 20 nondepressed, nondistressed wives. Findings suggest that association…

Reexamines the Mental Research Institute associates' intervention of reframing in marital therapy. Describes use of Ericksonian strategies of ratification and utilization, with emphasis on nonverbal language, conjoint reframing, unconscious wisdom, and recursive therapy. Presents ratification and utilization interventions. (Author/ABL)

Hypothesized that family relationships in remarriage are importantly influenced by involvement in remarriage kin network, that network makes for boundary ambiguity and marginalizing of membership in remarried families, and that these affect system of relationships in remarried families. Analyzed interview data for husbands and wives in 232…

Examined factors correlated with amount of husband's participation in domestic work, using data from sample of married couples (N=3,649). Found spouses' earnings, work status, sex-role orientations, their power relationship, and the interaction between power and sex-role orientations were related to the husband's relative share in domestic work.…

Assessed the effects of three different methods of observation of couples (one-way mirror, audio recording, and video recording) on 30 volunteer, nonclinical married couples. Results suggest that types of observation do not produce significantly different effects on nonclinical couples. (Author/ABL)

Interviewed 1,200 male Vietnam veterans and spouses or coresident partners of 376 of these veterans. Compared with families of male veterans without current posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), families of male veterans with current PTSD showed markedly elevated levels of severe and diffuse problems in marital and family adjustment, in parenting…

Examined effects of employee versus spouse status, age, emotional well-being, physical health, number of marriage and family problems, and job stress on general perceived stress among 111 university staff, faculty, and their spouses. Results supported hypotheses that each of these variables, except employee versus spouse, would predict general…