Premarital cohabitation has consistently been found to be associated with increased risk for divorce and marital distress in the United States. Two explanations for this "cohabitation effect" are discussed: selection and experience. We present an empirically based view of how the experience of cohabitation may increase risk for…

The technique called "two-marriage therapy" (conjoint cotherapy by married cotherapy teams) has been developed to help couples in marital crises to confront the elusive nature of marriage. This paper attempts to show how the presence of a married cotherapy team adds a significant salutary perspective on the marriage in conflict. (Author)

Describes common characteristics of 13 cases in which one marital partner initiated therapy because the other partner was undecided about continuing their marriage. Initiating clients wanted their marriages to continue even if they were unrewarding and saw themselves as helpless victims. Clients who could turn their attention from the ambivalent…

Much analysis of the correlates of divorce fails to take into account the time dependency of this event with respect to marital duration. This paper focuses explicitly on the relationship between independent variables and the timing of divorce. Results indicated a perceptual problem model better describes the relationship between various variables…

Explored the frequency of marital separations of 48 hours or more due to marital discord in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, residents (N=1,101). Results indicated one in six couples is likely to separate at some point in their relationship. Income and children account for much of the variation between race, sex, and separations. (Author/BL)

Outlines various factors likely to complicate the process of marital separation and increase the need for intervention. Presents illustrative cases and intervention strategies. (Author/JAC)

Distressed and nondistressed couples held discussions of their major marital problem. Mismatch errors or differences in intent and impact were most likely to occur when the receiver of the message evaluated the message more negatively than it was intended regardless of the group. The results provide some support for both the semantic and…

Explores variation between first marriages and remarriages in the incidence of spouse abuse. Experiences of individuals prior to remarriage account for higher rates of spouse abuse in remarried families, regardless of complexity, than in intact, never-divorced families. (Author/ABL)

Excerpts are presented from a counseling session in which parents of a brain damaged nine-year-old struggle with issues of depression, anger, and resentment compounded by lack of communication with each other. They faced conflicts over their son's actual capabilities and the dreams they had had for him. (CL)

Investigated three types of extramarital relations in married and cohabiting subjects (N=378): (1) emotional (in love) but not sexual (intercourse); (2) sexual but not emotional; and (3) emotional and sexual. Results showed that 43 percent of the subjects indicated having at least one of the defined extradyadic relations. (LLL)

Estimates the effects of welfare on marital dissolution and remarriage. Data from females indicated that those who received AFDC, food stamps, or other public assistance dissolved their marriages more frequently than those not receiving welfare. The relationship between welfare and marital dissolution decreased somewhat as duration of marriage…

Examines the relationship between premarital cohabitation and marital dysfunction a sample spouses in two marriage cohorts: those married between 1964 and 1980 (when cohabitation was less common) and those married between 1981 and 1997 (when cohabitation was more common). Spouses in both cohorts who cohabited prior to marriage reported poorer…

Comments on Heim and Snyder (1991) study which explored interaction between marital discord and spouses' attributions in predicting depression. Suggests that attributional theory model may set up reductionistic research stance, potentially separating what depressed people think from their circumstances and history and implying linear relationship…

Heim and Snyder respond to Ettinger et al.'s comments in previous article concerning Heim and Snyder's 1991 study exploring interaction between marital discord and spouses' attributions in predicting depression. Discusses findings and reiterates complex and recursive relationships among marital difficulties, depression, cognitive processes, and…

Of marriages in 1972, fewer joint remarriages than first marriages ended in divorce. Within specific age/sex groupings (e.g., men 20 to 24 years old), more remarriages than first marriages ended in divorce. Difference occurred because couples entering remarriages were older than those entering first marriages and divorce rates declined with…