Married (N=50) and unmarried (N=50) cohabiting couples were asked to describe four problems which occurred in their relationship. Despite overall similarity of the kinds of problems reported by married and cohabiting couples, married women were particularly likely to complain that their husbands did not give them sufficient attention. (Author)

Retirement is recognized as a family experience, affecting retirees, their spouses, and their children. This study examined how the retirement transition affects the middle class, healthy, and financially secure male retiree and his wife. In-depth interviews were conducted with 92 couples from the Boston area in which the husband had been retired…

Investigated gender differences in extent to which individuals are altruistically other-oriented in their intimate heterosexual relationships. Data from married and single college students suggest that men are more altruistically other-oriented toward their partners than are women. Altruistic other-orientation appeared to be encouraged by…

The Guilford-Zimmerman Temperament Survey (GZTS) has been described as one of the most widely used tests in marriage counseling. The GZTS was administered to 61 couples when they entered marriage counseling between 1980 and 1985. When counseling ended, couples were divided into three groups--married and together after counseling (MT); married but…

Surveyed 2000 Texas residents about legislation for marital rape. Results revealed 35 percent of 1300 respondents favored a law in which a wife could accuse her husband of rape. Subsequent analysis indicated persons who were female, young, single, or educated were most likely to favor this law. (Author/RC)

Investigates the differential adjustment of men and women during the process of marital separation. Prior to separation, women reported significantly more severe psychological symptoms. During the early postseparation period, men reported significantly more severe symptoms. A brief self-report measure of psychopathology is described. (Author)

The opinion that divorce is more painful and difficult for men than for women is widespread among both professionals and the public. This issue was examined in a study involving 50 divorced men and 44 divorced women in Trondheim, Norway. Interviews were conducted with respondents and the difficulty and pain of divorce were measured in part by each…

Explored the nature of informal support given to older persons, depending upon gender and marital status. Random samples of 488 residents of retirement communities were interviewed. Data indicated the married had more primary relations than the nonmarried; married women had the most and spouseless men the fewest. (Author)

Although some people fantasize about their spouse's possible death, the literature contains no reports of research on widowhood fantasies. The incidence, characteristics, and possible function of these fantasies were examined in individual interviews with 28 divorced and married men and women. Interview data were analyzed by calculating chi-square…

Used Canadian mortality census data from 1959 through 1981 to examine relationship between marital status transitions of men and women and mortality from neoplasms and cardiovascular diseases. Found lower death rate among marrieds. Found men had greater mortality risk reduction from state of marriage than women. (Author/CM)