Although some couples avoid divorce for children's benefit, divorce may actually be a better solution than an unhappy home. Children's potential for creating stress between spouses may sometimes make divorce more likely. Counseling may provide alternatives. (JAC)

Explores how global and political issues affect microsystems like the marital unit. A variety of interactional patterns emerged in the observation of 30 couples marital interactions during a prolonged stressful situation. Couples reporting a deterioration of their relationship had more disagreements regarding the meaning of a peace process and its…

A community sample of 295 mothers, fathers, and children M age 11-14 years, SD2.32 years rated marital distress, maternal and paternal psychological symptoms, and child adjustment. The predicted direct relations between these family and child variables were demonstrated for both fathers and mothers. Tests of pathways among these variables were…

Although incarceration rates have risen sharply since the 1970s, medical sociology has largely neglected the health effects of imprisonment. Incarceration might have powerful effects on health, especially if it instills stigma, and it could provide sociologists with another mechanism for understanding health disparities. This study identifies some…

The study focuses on the relationship of life event stress and marital dysfunction. Couples in which one or both partners were receiving marital counseling had experienced a significantly greater amount of life stress events during the previous 12-month period than had couples who were not experiencing marital dysfunction. (Author)

Investigated the usefulness of Arnold's Signs in examining marital discord among married couples (N=72) who were parents of children brought to a mental health facility seeking marital counseling, or in the process of divorce. Results revealed that the counseling group was consistently higher on all signs that reached significance. (Author/JAC)

Examined psychological symptoms among 310 recently separated men and women. Analysis indicated that socio-demographic variables generally are unrelated to symptom expression. Results suggest that the symptomatology of divorcing persons can be partitioned into disruptive conditions encountered in divorce and those which may reflect characteristics…

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) was completed by 42 fathers and 71 mothers of pediatric cancer patients and 26 fathers and 29 mothers of hemophilic children. MMPI profiles were examined for signs of emotional disturbance. Results indicated both groups of parents suffered more distress than a normal group. (Author)

Distressed couples were more critical of each other and less responsive to each other's influence efforts. Distressed and nondistressed couples were similar in their frequencies of inquiries and solution proposals. Criticism and responsiveness were important predictors of both satisfaction with outcomes and attainment of resolutions. (Author)

Examined negative affect among 349 adults. Indices of salient social support and salient interpersonal stress irrespective of source were related to level of negative affective symptoms. Marital relationship was most frequently named source of support, but coworkers were named equally often as source of interpersonal stress. Marital satisfaction…

This study examined family stressors among 3-year-old children who were classified as hyperactive (HYP), hyperactive and oppositional defiant (HYP/OD), and non-problem based on mothers' reports of behavior. Children with HYP/OD were found to experience higher levels of family stressors than non-problem children on almost every family stressor…

Little evidence exists about either the short or long-term effects of coping strategies on the reduction of emotional distress or the lessening of problems. To examine the predictors and effectiveness of four marital coping efforts (negotiation, optimistic comparison, selective ignoring, and resignation), data derived from a panel study of 758…

The level of role strain experienced by the deploying sailor is positively related to the amount of incompatibility between job and family role demands. These employees make relatively clear distinctions between gratification related to the specific job and that related to the career in general. (Author)

In accordance with McLoyd's model of African American children's development, we examined the linkages among family income, maternal psychological distress, marital conflict, parenting, and children's outcomes in early and middle childhood, using a sample of 591 African American children from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. Income…

An assessment of the "demography" of two forms of sexual behavior, marital intercourse and extramarital involvement, is presented. Findings suggest the sexual behavior of males and females is largely contextual. The more severe the marital strain, the lower the frequency of marital coitus and the more likely is extramarital involvement. (Author)