Examines the Marriage Contract Game which can improve the skills of distressed couples and refocus their attention away from their children and toward their own marriages. Subjects were four distressed couples. Results showed that game play improved couple's problem-solving and positive feeling statements in home discussions of problems. (BH)

Children with divorced parents, children from intact but rejected families, and children from intact and accepted families were evaluated for self-esteem levels on the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale. Findings of this study do not indicate that children experiencing crisis of divorce suffer loss in self-esteem. (Author/BEF)

A counselor describes feelings and attitudes of two young adults who see their marital problems as having begun with the birth of their severely disabled child. Counseling led to improved communication, better coping, and shared planning for the future. (DB)

Evaluation of child-centered families with mentally retarded children has generated a body of theory based on new concepts of these families. Evidence suggests that relational processes interfering with functional structure in these families also give rise to significant emotional development problems for the retarded child. In turn, symptoms are…

Severly depressed children were identified who were also self-abusive and/or suicidal. Case study revealed fragmented, pathological homes, where the children's affect disorders were symptomatic of acute family breakdown, marital disharmony, and violence, both verbal and physical. Follow-up on children revealed that no child had committed suicide.…

This paper offers a comparative analysis of the process of conjoint marital therapy within the three major contemporary models of treatment: (1) psychoanalytic; (2) behavioral; and (3) systems theory. On the basis of this comparative analysis, some thoughts toward the future of marital therapy are offered. (Author)

Mothers' perceptions of family stress and ways of coping with autistic (N=36) or mentally retarded (N=36) adolescents were compared. Mothers of the autistic perceived more family stress than did mothers of the mentally retarded. Marital adjustment did not differ. (Author/DB)

One interesting aspect of the Moynihan Report which has not been investigated further is the relationship between yearly fluctuations in the unemployment rate and the rate of marital instability. This relationship ceased to exist in nonwhites in the early 1960's. A number of possible explanations are explored. (Author)

There are four prominent common law defenses to a divorce suit. They are condonation, recrimination, collusion, and connivance. The defense of condonation should be abolished because it obstructs reconciliation. (Author/BY)

Findings suggest that unhappy marriage is a disability, analogous to minority race, economic deprivation or physical illness. (Author)

Discusses a no lose approach to custody battles, wherein parents are helped to negotiate and create their own custody and visitation arrangements. The process, its strengths, and problems, and the parents' evaluative comments are discussed. (Author)

Examines the pathogenic perspective on divorce, pointing out its methodological and conceptual shortcomings. A conceptual model of the divorce experience based upon crisis theory is presented. Provides a framework for understanding short- and long-term reactions to divorce. (Author)

Results of 2 studies suggested that 11- and 12-year-old children's appraisals of marital conflict are influenced by the content, intensity, and cause of the conflict; and that the meaning of marital conflict to children is an important determinant of its impact on them. (MDM)