Examined simultaneous effects of multiple indicators of wife's employment on marital disruption for women (N=1,798) who first married between 1968 and 1982. Results indicated the rate and timing of marital disruption was negatively related to wife's income and positively related to number of hours worked per week and amount of premarital work…

Reviews research on premarital factors associated with later marital quality and stability in first marriages. Three major categories of factors are described, including background and context, individual traits and behaviors, and couple interactional processes. Both cross-sectional and longitudinal research are summarized. Recommendations for…

Presents two cases chosen to draw attention to marital and developmental dynamics of suicidal behavior. Both case vignettes are based on individual interviews with suicidal persons and their spouses during the suicidal person's psychiatric hospitalization, and both include observations of the marital interaction. Case vignettes are followed by…

Used data from National Longitudinal Surveys to investigate patterns and determinants of marital dissolution for first marriages. Found that risk of marital instability was highest among couples with heterogamous education and nontraditional employment patterns. Couples who equalized their original education and conventionalized employment status…

Sixty marital dyads completed Dyadic Adjustment Scale and participated in problem discussions while using communication box. Intent ratings of distressed wives were significantly more negative than those provided by distressed husbands or by nondistressed wives. Distressed wives predicted that impact of their messages would be more negative than…

Contends that marital dissolution may inspire motivation for geographic and psychological distance, and when this occurs, there are serious implications for child custody determinations. Addresses complexities that arise in several realms when one parent desires to relocate and implications this may have for what transpires in therapy. (Author/NB)

Tested effects of 3 religious homogamy types (denominational affiliation, church attendance, and Bible belief) upon marital satisfaction and stability using national probability sample of adults in over 6,000 households. Found denominational affiliation most critical although church attendance contributed only slightly to marital success. Found no…

Assessed intrapersonal distress and impact of diabetes and vision impairment on marital functioning. Found significant degrees of intrapersonal distress and compromised family functioning. Of 18 subjects in committed relationship at onset of vision impairment, 9 later separated. Totally blind subjects were at greater risk for separation than were…

We use data from the Current Population Survey to investigate racial differences in recent patterns of marital disruption. Although a leveling in the trend of disruption has occurred for White women since 1980, our results suggest less stabilization in rates of disruption among Black women. We also observe significant differences by race in the…

Using data from the June 1980 Current Population Survey, Morgan, Lye, and Condran 1988 reported that families with a daughter have a higher divorce risk than families with a son. They attribute this finding to the higher involvement of fathers in raising a son, which in turn promotes marital stability. We investigate the relation between gender…

We draw on three waves of the Fragile Families Study (N = 2,249) to examine family stability among a recent birth cohort of children. We find that children born to cohabiting versus married parents have over five times the risk of experiencing their parents' separation. This difference in union stability is greatest for White children, as compared…

Cohabiting couples and couples who cohabit prior to marriage have less stable relationships than married couples who did not cohabit, and these differences in stability may be linked to different processes within the relationships. This research examines the similarity of partners' beliefs about the division of household labor using the National…

Research indicates that economic dependency in women and emotional dependency in men independently contribute to domestic-partner abuse risk and that high levels of emotional dependency in an abused partner may reduce the likelihood that the victimized person will terminate the relationship. An analysis of psychological factors and social forces…

Numerous studies have asserted the prevalence of marital conflict among families of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but evidence is surprisingly less convincing regarding whether parents of youths with ADHD are more at risk for divorce than are parents of children without ADHD. Using survival analyses, the authors…

Humans organize into constellations subjective attributes that help them to know themselves. Self-esteem refers only to those aspects of one's self-concept to which an evaluation is assigned. Self-esteem reflects one's sense of personal efficacy and worth. Love has been described as emotional closeness, passion, and decision/commitment; esteem for…