Several theorists have advocated marital therapy in treatment programs for alcoholics. Given the promise of marital therapy for alcoholics, it is important to develop successful techniques for recruitment. One approach toward improving recruitment is to identify the characteristics of couples who are likely to accept or reject marital therapy.…

Mexican American women have higher fertility rates and higher divorce rates than does the general population of the United States. In light of these data and the documented negative effects of marital distress and divorce on spouses, Mexican American women appear to be at risk for psychological stress. To provide some insight into the marital…

The Locke-Wallace Marital Adjustment Scale was administered to 35 Caucasian, Protestant couples who were married an average of nine years, largely middle class, and lived in Knoxville, Tennessee. Significant correlates of marital adjustment were organized into groups of similar variables. Correlate groups that were the same for the husband and…

Presents a framework for understanding the crisis of infertility which is characterized by extensive anxiety, damaged self-esteem, grief, uncertainty about the future, and estranged relationships with each other and with family and friends. Proposes some interventions appropriate to helpers from a variety of disciplines. (ABB)

Examined 112 distressed and nondistressed Israeli couples' presenting complaints about their relationship, their perceptions of each other's complaints, and perceptual accuracy between actual and perceived complaints, using the Areas of Change Questionnaire. Compared results with a previous study of American distressed and nondistressed couples.…

A study of dissatisfied married couples found that those who received individual counseling and consultation benefited more than did persons receiving one kind of traditional counseling for couples. (Author)

Fifty couples who had the most positive or negative reactions in a group of Marriage Encounter couples were interviewed. Results indicated nine couples experienced significant negative changes related to Marriage Encounter, suggesting that distressed couples who attend Marriage Encounters are susceptible to further marital deterioration.…

Studied predictor variables related to the outcome of spouse-aided therapy in 28 married patients with persisting psychiatric disorders. Results showed significant, sustained improvement in couples' ratings of personal and target problems after therapy. Poor response was linked to extrapunitiveness, denial, and adherence to an illness model of…

Examined couples' and observers' perspectives of marital interaction. Nondistressed (N=10) and distressed (N=6) couples and objective observers (N=10) evaluated couples' interactional behaviors. Spouses' ratings of their partners' behavior were not consistent with observers' ratings of partners' behaviors but were consistent with observers'…

Investigated the impact of age and premarital fertility status on subsequent marital dissolution for Black and White women (N=6,374). Results using multivariate proportional hazards models indicate that premarital births, but not premarital pregnancies, increase risk of marital dissolution, and an increasing age reduces the risk of divorce.…

Analyzed whether the relative attainments of spouses at one point in time are associated with divorce, leaving the labor force, moving to a lower status job, and/or moving to a traditional job. Findings emphasized the importance of wife's employment in a nontraditional job as a predictor of change. (Author/RC)

Describes development and validation of an inventory measuring five dysfunctional relationship beliefs. This Relationship Belief Inventory (RBI) was administered to couples along with measures of marital functioning and a questionnaire assessing irrational beliefs about self. Results demonstrated internal consistency, convergent validity, and…

Examines the use of the often quoted remarriage studies done in the 1950s and found that extreme caution should be used in presentations where redivorce is discussed. The traditional family form may not be in as much of a decline as some report. (Author)

A nonrandom sample of 86 cases of Israeli separation and divorce cases was compared with a Canadian sample (N=369). Sex-role conflicts were more frequent in Israel, as were violence in separation and divorce. (Author)

Supported the hypotheses that blaming one's spouse for marital problems is negatively associated with marital satisfaction and perceived personal control over conflicts is positively associated with marital satisfaction. The wife's satisfaction was found to be related to her perception of both husband's and wife's contributions. (Author)