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…

The effects of family structure and parental discord on the self-esteem of 199 female undergraduates were investigated. Family structure and happiness ratings were substantially related, with those separated rated as less happy. Parental discord appeared to lower the self-esteem of daughters, whereas separation of parents did not. (Author/LMO)

Examined the effects of separation and divorce on adolescents' (N=217) self-image, anxiety, locus of control, and perception of their family. Results indicated males from disrupted homes had better self-concepts and better perceptions of their family environment than those from intact homes. The opposite results were found among females. (JAC)

Examined the relationship between family headship and stress. Data from the Michigan Panel Study of Income Dynamics conclude that single female heads with children experience more stress than their married male counterparts. Higher incidence of major life events experienced by female heads is primarily a function of marital disruption. (Author/JAC)

Examined the effects of family form and process on 314 college students. Findings indicated that parental childrearing roles were perceived more positively by those from intact, and death (of father) nonremarried families than those from divorced, remarried families. Perceived family happiness did not impact significantly. (Author/JAC)

Interviewed married couples (N=30) concerning strategies each spouse used to resolve conflicts. Findings show that husbands win most conflicts regardless of the strategies they or their wives employ. Suggests general background factors of the marriage shape outcomes but the process by which they are translated into outcomes is unclear. (Author)

Examined the relationship between spouses' (N=58) attributional styles for marital problems and their negative social reinforcement in a laboratory interaction procedure. Results indicated wives who attributed other couples' marital problems to undesirable personality traits or negative attitudes were more likely to verbally criticize their…

Discusses ways people cope with extramarital relationships of their spouses. Results found avoidance was significantly more common among women, especially among women with a low self-esteem. Both avoidance and reappraisal correlated positively with neuroticism. Communication occurred more often among people with high marital satisfaction. (Author)

There was no statistically significant difference in the marital adjustment of abusive v nonabusive parents. Both groups appear to have only mildly distressed marital relationships. The results for the couples with parent-child problems were similar to those of the original Weiss and Cerreto study (1980). (Author)

Examined the impact of support systems on post-divorce family functioning. Results suggest that families under extreme stress need to be provided with relatively high levels of support or their dissatisfaction with support systems will appear in harsher and more restrictive relationships with children. (Author)

Examined how spousal behaviors related to global and daily marital satisfaction. Eighty-two couples completed daily checklists of spousal behaviors for seven days using an individualized or a standardized assessment method. Daily behavioral event measures were significantly related to global and daily measures of marital satisfaction,…

Compared psychological well-being of men and women before and after marital separation with that of control group who remained married during same period. Prior to separation, men and women in disrupted group had lower psychological well-being scores than controls. Scores of separated women, but not men, declined even further after separation.…

Used data from the 1975-76 Jamaica Fertility Study to examine relationship between fertility and the following transitions in sexual relationship: (1) from visiting to common-law; (2) from visiting to marriage; and (3) from visiting to termination of partnership. Results indicated that childbirth reduced the probability of all three transitions.…

Hypothesizes that traumatization underlies the difficulties many children experience from witnessing their parents' marital violence/spousal abuse, and argues that intervention should be designed to counteract post-traumatic disorders. A case study highlights this discussion. (BB)