Examined four- and five-year follow-up data from evaluation of effects of Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program, marital distress prevention program which teaches couples effective communication and conflict management skills. At five-year follow-up, intervention, as compared with control, couples had higher levels of positive and lower…

Applied a behavioral model of marriage to premarital couples to assess predictive validity of an exchange measure. Results provide evidence that unrewarding communication patterns precede development of relationship distress. Implications for the behavioral model of marriage and development of programs designed to prevent marital distress are…

Mexican American women have higher fertility rates and higher divorce rates than does the general population of the United States. In light of these data and the documented negative effects of marital distress and divorce on spouses, Mexican American women appear to be at risk for psychological stress. To provide some insight into the marital…

Examined couples' and observers' perspectives of marital interaction. Nondistressed (N=10) and distressed (N=6) couples and objective observers (N=10) evaluated couples' interactional behaviors. Spouses' ratings of their partners' behavior were not consistent with observers' ratings of partners' behaviors but were consistent with observers'…

Used meta-analyses to determine the effectiveness of behavioral marital therapy (BMT) and premarital intervention (BPI) studies. Found gains that were generally maintained over time, and equal for couples in Europe and the United States. Demonstrated higher effect sizes for comparisons of BMT with no treatment placebo control groups, whereas the…