Investigated relationship between spouse gender identity and premarital aggression among 123 African Americans and 412 white couples about to marry. Gender identity was differentially related to premarital aggression in African Americans and whites. Femininity among white husbands seemed to temper aggression. Among African Americans, wives high in…

Examined the interaction between marital distress and spouses' attributions and expectancies regarding the marital relationship in predicting depressive symptoms in a mixed sample of 59 clinic and nonclinic couples. Best predictor of depression for both sexes was measure of disaffection, reflecting emotional distance and alienation in the…

Evaluated the Screen for Caregiver Burden (SCB) using 191 subjects. The SCB is a 25-item measure designed to identify distressing caregiver experiences rapidly, specifically for spouse caregivers of Alzheimer's care recipients. Results demonstrated the internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and validity (content, divergent, convergent, and…

Explored hypothesis that husbands with lower levels of emotional involvement with their families are less likely to participate in research. Administered questionnaires to wives (N=57) of husbands refusing to participate in study and wives (N=120) of husbands who willingly participated. Found nonparticipant husbands rated as less emotionally…

Examined biases in spouses' reports of relative distribution of child care responsibility. Married couples (n=268 couples) estimated each spouse's contribution to 32 specific child care tasks and to 5 global aspects of child care responsibilities, and completed Spanier dyadic adjustment scale. Found that spouses gave themselves more credit for…

Examined effects of incarceration on family life among 63 inmates and 38 inmate wives. Contrasted those who participated in Family Reunion (conjugal visits) Program with nonparticipants. Found that coping was in normal range for both groups of inmates and wives and, except for measures of wives' passive appraisal, did not differ according to…

Interviewed 150 widows, then used 4 indicators for adjustment to widowhood (functioning in everyday living, depression level, health status, life satisfaction) to examine factors that may affect adjustment. Found indicators associated with different clusters of predictors. Two predictors were associated with all four indicators: widow's locus of…

Briefly describes Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and explains Relationship Enhancement (RE) marital and family therapy. Provides rationale for understanding BPD as manifestation of lack of differentiation in intimate relationships, followed by explanation of how RE fosters differentiation between partners. Includes case study. (Author/NB)

Notes that interpersonal conflict among family members and between spouses can cause dissatisfaction and threaten feasibility of marriage. Defines Family Defense Mechanisms (FDMs) as fixed patterns of behaviors that, when followed by spouses and other family members, enable them to better manage their interpersonal differences and conflict.…

Presents basic information concerning normal aging that therapists need to understand sources of conflict and distress in older or caregiving couples. Describes unique aspects of assessment and intervention with older couples. Examines marital satisfaction across life span, including factors that alter marital functioning, developmental tasks and…

Considered perceptions of relationship quality (positive communication, caring gestures, recollections of happiest times) in 81 discordant clinic and 51 nondiscordant community couples. Spouses in nondistressed community marriages reported more frequent and higher quality positive communication and longer lasting and more recent happiest memories…

Conducted content analysis of nine experimental studies on bereavement programs to investigate elements needed to serve bereaved spouses. Examined client characteristics, practitioners, intervention, research methodology, and outcome. Found that planned brief intervention was effective in preventing or reducing symptoms of morbid grief among…

Examined retrospective data on homicide-suicide in Australia to determine what differentiates homicides between adult sexual intimates that include suicide of offender from those that do not. Found that, if offender was male, estranged from partner, and used gun to kill more than one victim, or was older with ailing wife, he was more apt to also…

Expanded concept of family work to include emotion work as well as housework and child care. Survey data from 205 married women revealed that husbands' performance of emotion work, as compared to performance of both housework and child-care tasks, had strongest positive effect on wives' marital well-being. Emotion work was negatively related to…

Interviewed 15 male caregivers from diverse backgrounds caring for their wives with Alzheimer's disease. Found following themes: commitment, social isolation, loss of companionship, control, sense of accomplishment, problem-solving approach, burden lessening with years of caregiving, and limited expectations of children. Typology of male…