We draw on three waves of the Fragile Families Study (N = 2,249) to examine family stability among a recent birth cohort of children. We find that children born to cohabiting versus married parents have over five times the risk of experiencing their parents' separation. This difference in union stability is greatest for White children, as compared…

Cohabiting couples and couples who cohabit prior to marriage have less stable relationships than married couples who did not cohabit, and these differences in stability may be linked to different processes within the relationships. This research examines the similarity of partners' beliefs about the division of household labor using the National…

Examined relationship of marital strain, coping, and depression in 550 Mexican-American women. Found marital strain and coping factors to be intercorrelated and to covary with depressive symptoms. Acculturation level also covaried with some marital strain and coping factors but was not related to depression. (Author/NB)

Developed interval scale to measure deviation from the normative sequencing of first job, marriage, and birth of first child. Scale scores had predictive utility for marital instability and work interruptions. Use of scale score as independent variable provided more information than that provided by Hogan's (1978) temporal sequence categories as…

Determined whether spouses in nondistressed marriages show greater equity and reciprocity of exchange and a greater degree of congruence than spouses experiencing marital distress by examining interactive patterns of self-disclosing behavior using the Self-Disclosure Coding System. Within-couple reciprocity patterns revealed highly similar…

Couples experiencing marital problems were assigned to a control group receiving no treatment; a group receiving programmed instruction on communication in marriage; and a group receiving counseling emphasizing marital communication. Compared to the control group, the programmed text group changed positively but not significantly. (Author)

Clarifies behavior change objectives of marital partners, suggesting a four step treatment approach culminating in an exchange of positive responses on a reciprocal basis. Summarizes treatment of four couples complaining of low rate conversational and sexual behavior, stressing use of a token system as prosthesis facilitating transition to…

Evaluated the effect of previous marital history, particularly the husband's marriage order, on the stability of first and second marriages of White and Black women. The most important predictor of the instability of first marriages of women are the previous divorces of husbands. (Author)

Explores the usefulness of "marital alternatives" as a dimension in explaining marital stability, using longitudinal data from a panel of married, White, urban couples from 16 urban areas. Results indicated the dimension of marital alternatives appeared to be a better predictor of marital disruption than marital satisfaction. (Author/RC)

Personality and background questionnaires were administered to newly married couples and followed up. Findings indicate correlational similarity and mean differentiation between partners was higher in still-married group than in divorced group. Variation in marital outcome was more accurately predicted from personality than demographic variables,…

Questionnaire and interview data from men and women (N=138) divorced in their middle years found a frequent lack of communication rather than conflict existed and little time spent together in pleasurable activities. The marriage was not examined until a crisis occurred during the middle years. (Author/RC)

Deals with the marital dynamics characteristics of the period immediately prior to a decision to divorce. The concept of a marital Point of No-Return (N/R) is introduced. Guidelines for working with the concept are presented. (Author)

Marital estrangement, positive feelings toward spouses, and locus of control among a national sample of 323 female counselors who were either married or formerly married to alcohol-abusing or to non-alcohol-abusing male partners were examined. Statistically significant differences between groups were found. (Contains 36 references.) (Author)

Considered perceptions of relationship quality (positive communication, caring gestures, recollections of happiest times) in 81 discordant clinic and 51 nondiscordant community couples. Spouses in nondistressed community marriages reported more frequent and higher quality positive communication and longer lasting and more recent happiest memories…

Research on divorce has found that adolescents' feelings of being caught between parents are linked to internalizing problems and weak parent-child relationships. The present study estimates the effects of marital discord, as well as divorce, on young adult offspring's feelings of being caught in the middle (N=632). Children with parents in…