Cherlin argues that Gill's procedural criticisms of Cherlin's work are groundless, and underlying themes of both of Gill's articles do not guide public policy concerning children and families. Gill's response to Cherlin notes that anecdotal evidence shows that increased availability and social acceptability of divorce cause more marital problems.…

The present prospective, longitudinal study of 451 adolescents and their parents extends earlier research by investigating whether change in marital problems predicts change in adolescent adjustment, after controlling for other marital problems and socioeconomic status. Latent growth curves over a period of 5 years were used, and the results…

In order to identify causes of spousal abuse, current research efforts have attempted to reconstruct the communicative components of physically aggressive encounters within the family. An interactionist model of intrafamily violence, proposed by D. A. Infante, suggests that the interaction of personal, situational, and societal conditions may lead…

Psychological abuse, defined as behavior that is sufficiently threatening to limit the capacity to work, family and social interactions, and the enjoyment of good physical or mental health can be as damaging to women as physical abuse. To learn more about this behavior a series of open ended interviews was conducted with 25 women who identified…

The purpose of the study was to investigate whether there was a consistent relationship between various deviant personality patterns and the status of the home from which the child came. Subjects were 300 adolescents from a population of 834 Caucasian teenagers, aged 12 to 18, not mentally deficient or retarded, from across the U.S., who were…

The research reported here examines the consequences of inconsistency between the individual's statuses, his or her spouse's statuses, as well as inconsistencies between husbands' and wives' education and occupation status. Measures of generalized life dissatisfaction and dissatisfaction with marriage are the outcome variables. The data were…

The relationship between the degree of marital adjustment and the emotional adjustment of the children within the family is widely accepted as is the corollary belief that the marital relationship determines the child's adjustment. A sample of 69 married couples with children was used to examine the interrelationships among several measures of…

This paper reviews the social science literature dealing with gender relations in marriage and the issues of wife abuse. It is argued that the old anti-woman biases of the literature have not really diminished under the impact of feminism. The sexist assumptions and victim-blaming focus of the new battery literature are examined through…

Data from the first year's operation (August 1, 1977 - July 31, 1978) of the Vernon Transition House, Vernon, British Columbia, Canada indicate that wife battering is a serious problem. Wife battering is not related to age or cultural background, but spans all ages, cultures, and income levels. Use and abuse of alcohol play major roles in family…

Attributes rising crime rates in rural areas to increase in incomplete or broken families, instead of factors such as poverty, race, or population growth. Discusses differences in types of crimes in urban and rural areas, characteristics of high crime counties, family structure and crime rates, and crime and population growth. (LFL)

Addresses the issue of incestuous sexual abuse of children, focusing on the definition and prevalence of the problem and associated myths, immediate and longterm consequences and symptoms, and a multidisciplinary approach to prevention and treatment. (JC)

Studied separation, divorce, and the postponement of marriage which have nearly doubled the number of adults who keep up a home without a spouse since 1970. Assesses teenage marriages as particularly unstable. Discusses other variables including children's sex, mother's education level, custody, and remarriage. (Author/JAC)

Fluctuations in biological processes over time, defined as periodicities, affect all facets of life including family relationships. Periodicities may be a factor in marital and family problems and should be studied by child and family experts. (Author/JAC)

Examined marital and child factors in predicting divorce potential and divorce occurrence. Participants included 140 adolescents and their parents. For both parents, lower levels of marital satisfaction predicted higher levels of divorce potential. In turn, divorce potential predicted greater likelihood for divorce up to seven years later. No…

Family disruption, marital conflict, and disengaged parent-child relations have a decreasing effect on child behavior over time. And survey analysis shows that the pattern of decline differs for these three stressors. Analysis specifies the developmental period when declines occurred and distinguishes the decreases due to adaptation and those due…