Data from a national sample of married adults, interviewed four times between 1980 and 1992, do not support the idea that unhappily married couples use childbearing as a strategy to increase solidarity and reduce marital uncertainty. Instead, results indicate that a solid marriage and compatibility between spouses encourage parenthood and…

Sought to identify similarities and differences of Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS), Marital Adjustment Test (MAT), and Revised Marital Adjustment Test (RMAT) with 302 clinical and nonclinical couples. Across both samples, each test was significantly different from other two. Results showed that scores on DAS, MAT, and RMAT were not equivalent.…

Compared interactions of 11 dissatisfied and 11 satisfied couples on basis of trained observers' ratings of spouses' behavior through time on 3 scales: withdrawn/involved, hostile/friendly, and displeasure/pleasure. Dissatisfied coupled evidenced significantly lower mean ratings of hostility and displeasure, but no differences in withdrawal.…

Suggests it is couples' communication skills and problem-solving strategies, not their specific problems, that differentiate satisfied and dissatisfied couples. Concludes after a study of couples' arguments that adjusted couples are more likely to use effective complaint sequences, whereas maladjusted couples are more likely to employ ineffective…

Conducted meta-analytic review of findings from 34 past studies examining marital satisfaction and analyzed moderating effect of certain study characteristics. Found statistically significant differences for three of five comparisons made but concluded that differences had little practical meaning. Included critique of marital satisfaction…

Reports on measures of marital success based both on rates of divorce and separation and on the quality of intact marriages constructed from U.S. national survey data gathered over the 15-year period from 1973 to 1988. Concludes that the probability of ever-married persons attaining and maintaining marital success dropped in the past few years.…

The role of cognitions in marital relationships has received increasing attention. Specific beliefs about marital relationships have shown consistent correlations with overall marital satisfaction. As a measure of dysfunctional beliefs about intimate relationships, the Relationship Belief Inventory provides five dysfunctional beliefs scores. This…

Projections, based on current rates, are that 40% of recent marriages will end in divorce. To investigate the factors associated with long term marriage stability and satisfaction among elderly persons, 60 California older adults (30 married, 30 divorced) were interviewed about their perceptions of the role of companionship, alternatives to…

Compared couples with alcoholic husbands and maritally conflicted and nonconflicted couples without alcohol problems. The alcoholic and maritally conflicted couples showed greater relationship distress than nonconflicted couples of measures of marital stability, change desired, and positive communication behaviors. Alcoholic husbands reported less…

Examines problem of marital quality not being defined or readily distinguishable from other relevant constructs such as communication. Explores implications of treating marital quality as the global evaluation of one's marriage, for the association between empirical and conceptual dependence, the interpretation of responses to self-report…

Religious commitment is found to differentiate levels of both communication and physical violence for both wives and husbands in Quaker families. High levels of peace activism are associated with low levels of marital violence for wives but with high levels for husbands, which suggests that commitment to Quaker principles is confounded with…

Examined cognitive personality and sociodemographic factors associated with thoughts of separation. When spouses' marital satisfaction was controlled, four groups were identified as "unhappy stable,""unhappy unstable,""happy stable," and "happy unstable." The first three groups were examined further, and the…

Analyzed the 1972-1980 General Social Surveys to develop models accounting for changes in patterns of marital structure over time. Results did not indicate that the young and least educated contribute disproportionately to increased family instability. Cohort membership and educational attainment must be considered. (JAC)

Assessed predictive validity of telephone version of Locke-Wallace Marital Adjustment Test in couples (N=120) who varied in marital happiness, social class, and other demographic characteristics. Found Locke-Wallace scores predictive of husband/wife marital adjustment scores and distressed/nondistressed marital status. (Author/CM)

Compared communications patterns and conflicts over psychological distance in 25 nondistressed couples, 15 clinic couples, and 22 divorcing couples. Compared with nondistressed couples, both distressed groups had less mutual constructive communication, more avoidance of communication, more demand/withdraw communication, and more conflict over…