Married bisexuals who come out to their heterosexual partners do not invariably divorce. This qualitative study included 14 intact, mixed orientation married couples. The mean marriage duration was 14.5 years, and the mean time since the bisexual spouse had come out was 7.9 years. The research focused the negotiation processes around three constructs: (a) sexual identity; (b) gender identity; and (c) marital commitment. Dyadic interviews were used to generate a grounded theory of the identity and commitment negotiation processes occurring among intact mixed orientation married couples. The findings revealed two sexual identity trajectories: Bisexuals who identify before marriage and reemerge within marriage; or bisexuals who do not identity before marriage but who emerge from within marriage. Two gender identity processes were reported: gender non-conformity and deliberate gender conformity. Finally, two negotiation processes around marital commitment were found: (a) closed marital commitment, and (b) open marital commitment. Closed marital commitment was defined as monogamous. Open marital commitment had four subtypes: (a) monogamous with the option to open; (b) open on one side (i.e., the bisexual spouse was or had the option to establish a tertiary relationship outside the marriage); (c) open on both sides or polyamorous; and (d) third-person inclusive (i.e.. couples had or were seeking a third person to bring into their marriage for both spouses). The implications for research and clinical practice were discussed. / Ph. D.

Marriage continues to be one of the most important relationships to today's Americans (Fowers, 2000), generating numerous studies on the physical, emotional, mental and financial outcomes of marriage (Waite & Gallagher, 2000). Yet, little research has been done to explore the moral outcomes of marriage. Examining how marriage may contribute to individual spouses' moral development is compatible with recent studies on marital virtues that aim to provide a more complete as well as less individualistic view of marriage (Hawkins, Fowers, Carroll, & Yang, 2007). This study adopts a moral personality approach to examine marriage's role in adult moral development. Taking a moral personality approach when studying marriage's influence allows for a broader understanding of moral development that includes character virtues and identity constructs. In order to examine how marriage may exert such a moral influence, it is necessary to focus on aspects of marriage that are characteristically different from those of other relationships. Commitment is one aspect of marriage thought to set it apart as distinct from other relationships (Adams & Jones, 1997). This study examines how commitment may play a role in the moral development of individual spouses themselves. The purpose of the present study was to examine, using qualitative methods, how married individuals experience commitment and how that commitment may be associated with a greater motivation to be moral. Couples were interviewed on how they experience commitment in their marriages. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and analyzed using grounded theory methods. Themes that emerged were organized into the following seven categories: (1) What marriage means; (2) What commitment in marriage means; (3) Examples of the influence of marriage; (4) Moral traits and the influence of spouses; (5) Themes relating to identity; (6) Commitment, challenges, and personal growth; and (7) Other influences on moral development. Themes are discussed in terms of their relation to past literature and how they might be integrated into a conceptual model. Implications for practitioners and suggestions for future research are given.

While there is ample research showing that adult children of divorced parents have more positive attitudes toward divorce and lower marital commitment, there has been no such research focused specifically on the Orthodox Jewish (OJ) population, which tends to view divorce more negatively. Prior to this study, it was thus unclear if the findings of existing research on marital competence applied to OJ children of divorce. Driven by social exchange theory, this study was designed to discover (a) whether OJ adult children of divorce differ significantly from OJ adult children of intact marriages in their marital commitment and marital satisfaction; (b) whether gender moderates the relationships between parental divorce, marital satisfaction, and marital commitment; and (c) if attitudes toward divorce mediate those relationships. Data from 162 adult OJ participants living in the United States were collected using quantitative cross-sectional survey methodology, and were analyzed using 1-way multivariate analysis of covariance, hierarchical multiple regression, and conditional process analysis. Results indicated that there were no significant differences between OJ adult children of divorce and OJ adult children of intact marriages in their marital commitment or marital satisfaction. Further, gender did not moderate the relationships between parental divorce and marital satisfaction or marital commitment, nor did attitudes toward divorce mediate those relationships. OJ community leaders may use the results of this study to help implement community awareness programs designed to reduce the stigma of parental divorce and its impact on the marriage prospects of OJ children of divorce.

Strong families are built on positive relationships among husbands, wives, and children, and can be positively or negatively impacted by a variety of factors. This study focuses on the influence of religiosity on family strengths, particularly as it affects marital commitment, relationships between parents and children, and family involvement. Using Flourishing Families Project (FFP) data (N=305 couples) and a theoretical framework derived from Dollahite and Marks, Mahoney and colleagues, and Stinnett and DeFrain, I examined the ways in which a parent's religious beliefs and religious practices support or hinder family relationships. The Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM) was used to examine the intrapersonal and interspousal relationships among religious beliefs, religious practices, marital commitment, parent-child closeness, and family involvement. Results suggest that religious beliefs and practices are equivocal and are associated with higher and lower marital commitment, parent-child closeness, and family involvement for both husbands and wives. Significantly, this research demonstrated that husbands and wives differed through both intrapersonal and interspousal pathways. These results provide important insight into the ways religiosity is associated with family strengths and provides additional handles for researchers and practitioners interested in strengthening families. / Ph. D.

This study is on the influence of Biblical teaching and church participation on marital commitment and adjustment of Evangelical intercultural couples of Filipinas with North American Caucasian husbands. The project is based on literature research and fieldwork. Consideration was given to literature on intercultural marriage, Biblical theology on intercultural marriage, and on pertinent Philippine and North American mainstream cultural values. The sample in the field research consists of 23 couples. Each spouse was interviewed by phone for one hour. Thus, 46 one-hour interviews were conducted that included assessment of demographic and church activity data; levels of the couples' marital commitment and adjustment, and a personal interview. The study found that Biblical teaching functioned as a constraining force against divorce, as the principle for unconditional sacrificial love, and as a guiding principle in dealing with differences and adjustments. It was the foundation on which the couples attempted to establish common values for their marriage life. Joint church participation that is adequate gave them a sense of extended family; a sense of being rooted and belonging together as a couple and their children; and spiritual nurture. It helped establish a common Evangelical Christian identity, regardless of their diverse cultures or previous religious backgrounds. The study also points to potential improvements for churches in ministering to intercultural couples. / PRACTICAL THEOLOGY / DTH (PRACTICAL THEOLOGY)

This study is on the influence of Biblical teaching and church participation on marital commitment and adjustment of Evangelical intercultural couples of Filipinas with North American Caucasian husbands. The project is based on literature research and fieldwork. Consideration was given to literature on intercultural marriage, Biblical theology on intercultural marriage, and on pertinent Philippine and North American mainstream cultural values. The sample in the field research consists of 23 couples. Each spouse was interviewed by phone for one hour. Thus, 46 one-hour interviews were conducted that included assessment of demographic and church activity data; levels of the couples' marital commitment and adjustment, and a personal interview. The study found that Biblical teaching functioned as a constraining force against divorce, as the principle for unconditional sacrificial love, and as a guiding principle in dealing with differences and adjustments. It was the foundation on which the couples attempted to establish common values for their marriage life. Joint church participation that is adequate gave them a sense of extended family; a sense of being rooted and belonging together as a couple and their children; and spiritual nurture. It helped establish a common Evangelical Christian identity, regardless of their diverse cultures or previous religious backgrounds. The study also points to potential improvements for churches in ministering to intercultural couples. / PRACTICAL THEOLOGY / DTH (PRACTICAL THEOLOGY)