There are four strategies spouses may attempt to employ in cases of conflict: authority, control, influence, and manipulation. Rates of marital dissolution are a function of the relative equality between spouses in terms of the types of conflict-resolution strategies they are able to employ. (Author)

The Marital Status Inventory (MSI) differentiates effectively between couples seeking marital counseling and couples seeking help with parent-child problems. For all cases, MSI scores were found to relate significantly to husbands' and wives' marital satisfaction in the areas of companionship and sex. (Author)

Over the time period from 30 to 60 days, spouses increased their tendency to reciprocate both irritating and rewarding behaviors. Implications for identifying couple risk factors and initiating early family intervention are discussed. (Author/NRB)

Presents analyses of data from the National Comorbidity Survey to assess the extent to which problems within marriage spill over to produce work loss. Results indicate that marital distress is positively associated with work loss. Suggests family interventions targeted at prevention of marital problems may result in important psychosocial and…

Investigated the interactions of married couples at play with infant sons and daughters. Found that maritally distressed parents of boys more commonly displayed hostile-competitive coparenting behavior, whereas distressed parents of girls were more likely to show discrepant levels of parenting involvement. Findings also indicate the importance of…

Compared a sample of spouses of workaholics and spouses of nonworkaholics on ratings of marital estrangement, positive feelings toward husband, and locus of control. Spouses of workaholics reported greater marital estrangement and less positive affect towards husbands and higher external locus of control than did spouses of nonworkaholics. (BF)

Sixty married couples participated in a study of the effects of husbands' gender role conflict on outcomes for wives. Hypothesized relationships between husbands' gender role conflict and wives' marital adjustment and depressive symptoms were supported. Hostile and dominant behaviors were recorded by outside raters viewing videotaped segments of…

Power modes in marital interactions were investigated in a laboratory observation study at the University of New Hampshire in 1975. Married couples (N=78) were the subjects in this study, whose focus was on the power modes (types of power assertion) used by the partners, shifting attention from the much-considered distribution of power in marriage…

Shows that attorneys are also "at risk" from client suits when client hostility in abused spouse cases is redirected from spouse to attorney. Reveals joint interdisciplinary linkages between family therapists and lawyers concerning vulnerability to client malpractice suits or violence. (ABB)

Examined the circumstances surrounding marriage termination in relation to the aftermath of marital separation. Collected data from a nonprobability sample of 205 individuals. Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that 41 percent of the variance in acceptance of marital termination can be explained by marital history variables. (Author/RC)

Investigated the relationship between participation in Marriage Encounter and subsequent marital or family distress. An analysis of 13 case reports suggested that Marriage Encounter weekends can cause marital or family deterioration through increased marital conflict, avoidance of constructive problem solving, or marital enmeshment at the expense…

Compared the interactional patterns of distressed (N=22) and nondistressed (N=17) couples through base rate and sequential analyses of communication samples that were coded with the Marital Interactional Coding System. Nondistressed couples emitted higher rates of problem-solving, verbal and nonverbal positive, and neutral behaviors. (Author)

Compared communicational interactions of maritally distressed and nondistressed couples engaged in conflict resolution tasks. Distressed couples made significantly more negative cognitive and problem-solving acts. Distressed couples evidenced more reciprocity of negative communication as compared with nondistressed couples. Relationships of these…

Develops an interpersonal perception inventory which demonstrates that various ratings of facial caricature drawings when made by a husband and wife can be used as a predictor of marital adjustment. Analysis of data establishes validity for the Facial Interpersonal Perception Inventory as well as reliability and consistency. Implications are…

Examined relationships among methods for assessing marital adjustment: self-reports of marital satisfaction, spouse reports of pleasing and displeasing behaviors, and trained observers' coding of positive and negative communication. Frequency of pleasing behaviors was only measure correlating with global marital satisfaction. Inverse relationships…