Psychological abuse, defined as behavior that is sufficiently threatening to limit the capacity to work, family and social interactions, and the enjoyment of good physical or mental health can be as damaging to women as physical abuse. To learn more about this behavior a series of open ended interviews was conducted with 25 women who identified…

The relationship between the degree of marital adjustment and the emotional adjustment of the children within the family is widely accepted as is the corollary belief that the marital relationship determines the child's adjustment. A sample of 69 married couples with children was used to examine the interrelationships among several measures of…

This paper reviews the social science literature dealing with gender relations in marriage and the issues of wife abuse. It is argued that the old anti-woman biases of the literature have not really diminished under the impact of feminism. The sexist assumptions and victim-blaming focus of the new battery literature are examined through…

Data from the first year's operation (August 1, 1977 - July 31, 1978) of the Vernon Transition House, Vernon, British Columbia, Canada indicate that wife battering is a serious problem. Wife battering is not related to age or cultural background, but spans all ages, cultures, and income levels. Use and abuse of alcohol play major roles in family…

Studied separation, divorce, and the postponement of marriage which have nearly doubled the number of adults who keep up a home without a spouse since 1970. Assesses teenage marriages as particularly unstable. Discusses other variables including children's sex, mother's education level, custody, and remarriage. (Author/JAC)

Examined marital and child factors in predicting divorce potential and divorce occurrence. Participants included 140 adolescents and their parents. For both parents, lower levels of marital satisfaction predicted higher levels of divorce potential. In turn, divorce potential predicted greater likelihood for divorce up to seven years later. No…

This working paper discusses the effects of recent legislative changes regarding divorce in Australia. The introduction describes the 1975 Family Law Act and gives a summary of its principles. The second section presents background information to the Act and lists the philosophical principles behind its formation. The third section describes…

This paper presents a model or framework of marital adjustment, for both the researcher and the practitioner, which provides description, explanation, and modification, i.e., ways in which the model can be changed that are theoretically connected with the description and the explanation. A typology of relationship processes is proposed which…

Describes a project designed to reach low-income, multiproblem families, utilizing couples therapy in the home. Reviews major characteristics of multiproblem families. Emphasized therapeutic techniques based on modeling, role playing, and demonstration. Designed tasks which increased the individual and couple functioning of spouses. Reinforced…

Examined whether spouses' attributions for partner behavior are related to their behavior by assessing their attributions and observing the problem-solving discussions of cohabitating couples (n=52) in which neither spouse was depressed or distressed, the wife was depressed and both spouses were distressed, and the wife was not depressed and both…

A community sample of 617 adult women completed a questionnaire about witnessing interparental physical conflicts before the age of 16. Twenty percent of respondents reported witnessing some type of physical conflict between parents. Mean age when physical conflict was first observed was eight. Women who witnessed parental physical conflict…

In spite of some initial disappointments, the large number of publications and government services devoted to prevention suggests that preventive mental health has established its place in the mental health delivery system. Prevention is broadly defined as an attempt to reduce the prevalence of a disorder. Traditionally, prevention has been…

A study was conducted of the effectiveness of marriage counseling with respect to marital status and the long-term stability of relationships. Data were gathered from clients of approved Australian marriage counseling agencies (n=540) who took a pre-counseling survey during a 4-week period in October-November 1987 and a post-counseling survey 8…

Economic loss and hardship during the 1929 Depression produced marital tension resulting from increased conflict over finances and temperamental behavior of husbands and wives. Data on 110 couples were obtained from the Berkeley Study at the Institute of Human Development in California. Annual data were collected from wife, home observer, and…

Marriages, just like the individuals in them, go through stages of development. Understanding these relatively predictable stages can be helpful to couples, by allaying apprehension, promoting preparation for change, and putting fluctuations into perspective. Research on marital stages and experiences in counseling couples suggest that marriages…