Recent studies have investigated the transition of relationships from a more intimate to a less intimate state--the depenetration process. Various phases of interpersonal conflict in the dissolution of marital dyads have been described, and factors indicating that a marriage might be "in trouble" have been identified. Processes that are…

The rationale, background, and nature of family enrichment programs is explained. These structured, skill training approaches for couples and families consist of six lessons with four to six exercises per lesson. They are extremely structured to the point that instructions to trainers are given verbatim. Trainers can modify these instructions and…

Many American servicemen have married Asian women and brought them to the United States. Asian wife-American husband families are unique compared to black-white or European-American marriages because they are both interracial and cross-cultural. Yet, few studies have been done to analyze their relationships and problems in adjusting to American…

To estimate the influence of maternal stress, marital conflict, and psychosocial risk on the interaction between mothers and their children, this study observed 97 mother-child pairs in a laboratory setting in the presence of another unfamiliar mother-child pair. All families were francophone families from the Montreal, Canada, region; children…

This study examines changes in parents' marriages following older-child adoption, using in-depth interviews with seven couples prior to and following placement. The interviews indicated that parents' experiences followed similar patterns. Children's acting-out behavior and their ability to exploit parents' vulnerabilities placed stress on the…

This paper provides an overview of family experience in the United States by examining three dimensions: (1) childhood family experience, including the experiences of one-parent and step-parent families, and age at homeleaving; (2) marriage and childbearing including nonmarital childbearing, cohabitation, marriage, home ownership, and marital…

The national divorce rate has risen since the Civil War from less than two per 1,000 to one of every two married in 1976, with a continuing increase likely. Implications for divorced people suggest an increase in mental and physical illness concurrent with increase in stress. The impact appears to diminish with time. Divorce is a legal, emotional…

This study examined the underlying common origins of pediatric social illnesses (i.e., child abuse and neglect, failure to thrive, accidents, and poisonings) in children under age 4. Subjects were 560 children admitted to the Children's Hospital Medical Center in Boston. Children admitted with pediatric social diagnoses were matched on the basis…

Approximately 50% of American marriages have some sexual dysfunction. Because sexuality is an important part of a person's life, counselors should be sensitive to sexual concerns of their clients. Taking an adequate sex history and highlighting problem areas may increase counseling efficiency. When counselors teach courses on human sexuality, they…

The occurrence of breast cancer creates psychosocial stress for both the patient and her family. Because of the threat to the patient's life and frequent disfigurement that results from breast cancer, interpersonal relationships, particularly the marital/sexual relationship and the mother/daughter relationship, are adversely affected. The related…

The frequent occurrence of childbirth during periods of marital disruption is discussed. Life table procedures based on 1970 information show, from a sample of 1,054 women, that slightly more than 25% of separated, divorced, or widowed women had given birth within 48 months of marital disruption. The variables affecting these statistics are…

Counselors should begin to think not only of the needs of children involved in the process of their parents' divorce, but of an approach to marriage counseling as a whole. Children participate in the context of divorce as family members in the social interaction that makes a family work or not work; there are, therefore, various stages or points…

The effects of parental separation and home environment factors on children's cognitive creative abilities, specifically in the area of divergent thinking, were studied. A total of 64 female and 52 male children from 58 single-parent families and 58 two-parent families enrolled in grades 3 through 5 participated in the study. Subjects were sampled…

The report describes a 3-day, two-part (community education and in-home counseling) rural elderly mental health project conducted in Waushara County, Wisconsin, during 1980-81. The first section details activities of the two components and the second section reports the clinician's experiences in the project. As covered in the first section,…

Marriage offers important social and economic benefits. Well-designed public policies could play a constructive role in helping couples develop the skills needed to develop healthy, sustainable relationships with each other and their children. It does not follow, however, that marriage promotion should be a significant component of anti-poverty…