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Cette recherche examine la relation entre la religiosité et l’adaptation conjugale auprès de 119 couples mariés ou cohabitants. Dans un premier temps, des analyses de régression multiple démontrent une relation positive entre l’adaptation conjugale et la religiosité. Elles indiquent aussi que plus la durée de cohabitation est élevée, plus la relation entre la religiosité et l'adaptation conjugale est marquée. Dans un second temps, trois sous-groupes en fonction de l'âge sont formés et les analyses initiales sont reprises pour chacun. Une relation positive entre l'adaptation conjugale et la religiosité est observée chez les participants âgés de 21 à 35 ans et de 51 à 65 ans. Enfin, un effet d’interaction similaire à celui observé chez l’échantillon global est constaté pour les deux groupes de participants les plus âgés.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Family Studies and Human Services / Joyce Baptist / The purpose of this study is to expand our understanding of alcohol dependency and its recovery in Northeast Brazil by exploring the lived experience of this disorder and its recovery process among couples whose husbands are seeking treatment for alcohol dependency. Culturally specific values such as patriarchy and gender roles were explored to gain insight into the recovery process. Findings from in-depth interviews conducted with couples and mental health professionals indicated that wives had a major role in the recovery process but were not included in the treatment process. Wives are expected to wait and temporarily “wear the pants” while husbands attend to their personal problems in treatment. Wives were viewed as a major support to husbands in treatment as well as the “stone in the middle of the road” that obstructed progress. The cultural values and gender norms appear to play a major role in how alcohol dependency is managed within the couple system and by mental health professionals. The use of metaphors to externalize problems and religious scripts helped couples cope. Clinical implications for systemic treatment and research implications are discussed.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Psychological Sciences / Gary Brase / Although fertility decision-making has been the source of considerable theoretical and empirical investigation, the effect of several contextual variables on individuals’ fertility decision-making processes are not yet understood. For example, are individuals more strongly influenced by social forces that are informational or normative? Also, do individuals change their fertility intentions based on their current and developmental economic conditions? Further, how ‘shared’ are reproductive decisions within a couple, are males or females more likely to get what they want? This 3-study program of research used both experimental and exploratory qualitative methods to elucidate the nature of these unresolved issues within the domain of fertility decision-making. Study 1 (N = 344, M[subscript]age = 23, SD[subscript]age =6.41, 59.3% female) found that highly motivated individuals’ fertility intentions were more susceptible to informational, compared to normative messages (the opposite was true for unmotivated participants). Study 2 (N = 249, M[subscript]age = 24, SD[subscript]age =6.10, 61.4% female) found that exposure to mortality primes up-regulated fertility intentions for individuals with “fast” life history strategies, but facilitated the down-regulation of fertility intentions for individuals with “slow” life history strategies. Interestingly, resource scarcity primes were associated with the postponement of fertility plans in individuals’ with “fast” life history strategies. Study 3 (N = 120, M[subscript]age = 21, SD[subscript]age =4.96, 50% female) found that, contrary to predictions, the similarity of couples’ gender role attitudes, career-orientations, and education levels did not significantly predict the frequency of their use of statements coded as compromise and agreement or persuasion and disagreement in their discussions regarding their future reproductive plans. Findings do suggest that individuals with higher levels of education were more likely to use persuasion and disagreement statements in their child timing and number discussions with their romantic partner, indicative of greater decision-making power in that particular social exchange. Further, men and women in study 3 were equally likely to use statements coded as compromise and agreement, persuasion and disagreement, and concession when discussing both their future fertility plans as well as their future financial plans.

Les effets de l'immigration sur les individus comme étant le résultat des influences sociales, culturelles et économiques du nouveau contexte sont très bien connus dans la littérature scientifique. Ainsi, pour ceux qui ont immigré en couple, l'expérience d'immigration les amène à renégocier leurs rôles afin de s'ajuster aux conditions du nouvel environnement. Cette renégociation apporte des changements dans la répartition du pouvoir conjugal et permet l'adaptation de chacun des partenaires à la nouvelle société ainsi que le retour à l'équilibre dans le couple. Cependant, cette adaptation ne se fait pas de façon uniforme entre les hommes et les femmes. La présente recherche vise à prédire les changements dans la répartition du pouvoir conjugal au sein de trente couples d'origine colombienne ayant immigré à Montréal, en fonction de la durée de séjour et de leur degré d'identification à la société d'accueil (Canada et Québec). Le pouvoir conjugal est évalué dans cette étude selon la perception des membres du couple face à leurs responsabilités respectives lors de la prise de décisions globale ainsi que dans quatre catégories spécifiques, avant et après avoir immigré à Montréal. À propos de la durée de séjour, les données obtenues révèlent que, pour les femmes, le temps vécu dans la société d'accueil permet de prédire des changements dans la répartition du pouvoir conjugal. Ces résultats confirment aussi que ces changements favorisent l'augmentation du pouvoir des femmes au sein du couple dans deux des quatre catégories, soit « loisirs et activités sociales » et « soins et éducation des enfants ». Cependant, la perception des femmes n'est pas partagée par les hommes ; pour les hommes, le temps passé dans la société d'accueil ne permet pas de prédire des changements dans la répartition du pouvoir conjugal. Concernant le degré d'identification, nos données révèlent que, pour les femmes interviewées, l'identification au Canada peut prédire des changements dans la répartition du pouvoir conjugal au niveau global. En ce qui concerne le degré d'identification au Québec, celui-ci permet de prédire des changements dans la répartition du pouvoir conjugal dans la catégorie « soins et éducation des enfants », tant chez les hommes que chez les femmes. / The effects of immigration on individuals as the result of social, cultural and economic influences of the new context are well known in the scientific literature. So for those who immigrated as a couple, the immigration experience leads them to renegotiate their roles in order to adjust to the conditions of the new environment. This renegotiation makes changes in the distribution of marital power and allows the adaptation of the partners in the new society and the return to balance in the couple. However, this adaptation is not done evenly between men and women. This research aims to predict changes in the distribution of marital power among a group of thirty Colombian couples who immigrated to Montreal, depending on length of stay and degree of identification with the host society (Canada and Quebec). Marital power is evaluated in this study according to the perception of the partners about their responsibilities in making global decisions and in four specific categories before and after immigrating to Montreal. About the length of stay, the data obtained show that, for women, the time lived in the host society predicts changes in the distribution of marital power. These results also confirm that these changes favour the empowerment of women within the couple in two of four categories: « leisure time and social activities » and « care and education of children ». However, the perception of women is not shared by men ; for men, the time spent in the host society does not predict changes in the distribution of marital power. Regarding the degree of identification, our data show that for the women interviewed, identification with Canada can predict changes in the distribution of marital power globally. Regarding the degree of identification with Quebec, it predicts changes in the distribution of marital power in the « care and education of children » category for both men and women.

This study investigated the relationship of certain independent variables and young married couples' attitudes toward children. Church leaders in Plano, Texas, administered the Hereford Parent Attitude Survey to couples from their churches. Ninety-seven subjects comprised the main sample group. The data were analyzed using t-tests and f-tests. Women had more positive attitudes toward children than men. Parents had more positive attitudes than childless subjects. Childless subjects who plan to have children had more positive attitudes toward children than subjects who did not plan to have children or who were not sure. Income level was related to confidence in parenting. Age and sex of children and education level were not related to attitudes toward children. Based on these findings, recommendations were made for future research and education.

Husbands and wives of 67 couples described themselves on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, described their spouses on an altered form of this test, and completed the Locke-Wallace Short Marital Adjustment Test. Results for each man were matched to a woman's results based on socio-cultrual similarity to create a comparison group of nonmarried couples. A chi-square test indicated that related spouses of the married group did not have more similar personalities than unrelated partners in the comparison group. An F-test suggested that actually, interspousal personality similarity affects marital adjustment for both sexes, but it is not affected by perceived similarity. Accuracy of perception on the introversion-extraversion scale had a positive effect on the marital adjustment of wives, but not of husbands.

The primary theme of the thesis is "paternity determination", an interesting part of private law. The goal of the thesis was to find juridical legislation that could be applied by legal institutions in the Czech Republic, and have been neither legally controlled nor properly spoken through. Also the thesis deals with surrogate motherhood institutes, same-sex parenthood, baby hatches and paternity determination of children, made by assisted reproduction. The thesis is divided into five chapters, which are divided further into sub-chapters. Following the introduction, the primary terms of parental difficulties, paternity determination and the term family are explored. The second chapter discusses motherhood institutes. It speaks primarily of surrogate motherhood's challenges, including other countries' attitude to this topic. The following chapter is about fatherhood determination, containing the juridical legislative analysis of the problem in the Czech law. The fourth chapter expands on the issues of same sex couple parenthood, and the forms of family coexistence. These issues are described in great detail from both the view of Czech law, and also as a global issue. The last chapter discusses the issues of baby hatches, and legislation regarding anonymity for those who utilize them in the Czech...

The purpose of this study was to examine the factors that influence the relationship between counselors' sexual comfort and their willingness to discuss sexual issues with the couples they counsel. I surveyed 2000 members of the American Counseling Association (ACA). This study examined the relationships between counselors' sexual comfort and their willingness to discuss sexual issues with couples with a variety of variables. The results revealed that counselors' sexual education and training experience, supervision experience discussing sexuality, sexual attitudes, and age were all associated with both counselors' sexual comfort and willingness to discuss sexual issues with couples. Counselors' years of practice was found to be associated with their sexual comfort. Types of graduate specialization were found to be associated with counselors' willingness to discuss sexual issues with couples. The results of this study have implications for counselors, counselor educators, and supervisors. My hope is that counselor educators will utilize this knowledge to address counselors' in training sexual comfort level and willingness to discuss sexual issues with the couples.

Thesis advisor: Dorothy A. Jones / As the United States population ages, knowing and understanding the older adult couple’s experience living with chronic illness at home is significant to inform new strategies of care, and planning of resources for the improvement in the health and well-being for a potentially vulnerable population. The purpose of this qualitative study was to better understand the older adult couple’s experience while living with chronic illness at home by answering the following research questions: What is the life pattern manifested by an older adult couple living with chronic illness at home? Are there common themes across the life patterns of older adult couples living with chronic illness living at home? The theoretical framework guiding this study was Margaret Newman’s Health as Expanding Consciousness using a hermeneutic-dialectic phenomenology method. The study’s sample consisted of 14 married older adults (> 65 years of age) couples living together at home. The research method explored the experiences of the older adult couple through dialogue within the context of their social environment in all its complexity. This approach gave voice to the older adult couples’ experiences and their meaning from their perspective, which facilitated insights about each older adult couple as well as common themes across the older adult couples. Three themes emerged from the study, (1) an unfolding pattern of living meaningfully as an older adult couple with chronic illness while moving through life transitions, (2) couple interconnectedness strengthens the bonding within the older adult couple and promotes self-growth, and (3) a resonating process within the older adult couple promotes movement toward expanding consciousness. Conceptual models are proposed. The findings suggest older adult couples living with chronic illness at home strive to live meaningfully while experiencing multiple life transitions embedded in a resonating process that facilitates change. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2018. / Submitted to: Boston College. Connell School of Nursing. / Discipline: Nursing.