Examined age-heterogamous marriages, testing the notion that such marriages are most prevalent among the upper classes, and the belief that they exhibit poorer marital quality than age-similar unions. Results indicated age-discrepant unions are more prevalent among lower classes. No significant differences in marital quality among couples from…

Attributional bias (unrealistic optimism and responsibility) was examined in relationship to conflict among married and divorced individuals. Individuals perceived themselves as better than average and as more responsible than their partners for marital problems. Optimism bias was lower among divorced individuals and those with a higher level of…

Tested the influence of birth-order complementarity on marital adjustment among 327 married women using the Spanier Dyadic Adjustment Scale (1976). Birth-order complementarity was found to be unassociated with marital adjustment. (Author/BL)

Assessed how participation of husbands and wives in off-farm jobs is related to structural features of the farm, selection of farm enterprises, farm management, and farm decision making. Results show that husband's involvement in off-farm work is more important than wife's in influencing the organizational and operational characteristics of the…

Determined whether spouses in nondistressed marriages show greater equity and reciprocity of exchange and a greater degree of congruence than spouses experiencing marital distress by examining interactive patterns of self-disclosing behavior using the Self-Disclosure Coding System. Within-couple reciprocity patterns revealed highly similar…

Using a network theory of emotion, the role of the evocation of emotion in emotionally focused marital therapy to create intimacy and facilitate conflict resolution is discussed. Accessing underlying primary emotional responses in partners makes available adaptive action tendencies which promote problem solving and helps change self- and…

Compared personality and marital adjustment of 32 couples married before or after the husband's spinal cord injury. Subjects completed the Dyadic Adjustment Scale and Personal Orientation Inventory. Results showed couples married after the injury were more inner-directed and better adjusted than couples married before the injuries. (JAC)

Describes coping patterns of Israeli Jewish prisoners' wives (N=143) and identifies predictors of successful coping. Results indicated successful coping was related to wives' higher level of education, an egalitarian pattern of family life before the husband's incarceration, and the length of sentence served. (JAC)

Discusses factors involved in parental bereavement, including the unnaturalness of the child predeceasing the parents, social reactions to the death of a child, the loss of the spouse as a primary support during the grieving process, and grief-related problems with surviving children. Treatment recommendations are presented. (NRB)

Describes the therapy, assessment, and education principles of Functional Family Therapy and applies them to the treatment of inhibited sexual desire, using a case illustration. Functional Family Therapy works at motivating the couple to want change, rather than providing an understanding of underlying causes of the problem. (JAC)

Presents suggestions for assembling a musical tape made up of 20 popular songs that reflect the characteristics of five potential stages in a marital relationship. Illustrates how therapists use the tape in marital therapy and discusses how educators can instruct students to use the tape in their practice. (LLL)

Explored the relationship between two types of childhood family aggression and severe marital aggression in the next generation of adults (N=2,143). Results indicated that observing hitting between one's parents is more strongly related to involvement in severe marital aggression than is being hit as a teenager by one's parent. (LLL)

Examines couple complementarity and similarity, and their relationship to dyadic adjustment, from three perspectives: social/psychological research, clinical populations research, and the observations of family therapists. Methodological criticisms are discussed suggesting that the evidence for a relationship between similarity and…

Identified 16 significantly different marital communication practices which distinguished 23 happily married individuals from those undergoing counseling (N=23). Results revealed that happy individuals had significantly more congruency between their self-perceptions and their spouse's perceptions of their communication practices and more congruent…

Compared the effectiveness of the Relationship Enhancement Program (RE) and the Minnesota Couples Communication Program (CC) with 46 couples in the treatment groups. Results showed that RE was more effective in increasing marital communication and marital satisfaction. Couples experiencing low marital satisfaction were best helped by RE. (JAC)