This thesis can be discussed under four main titles. First of all, effects of four different self types (separated-patterned, separated-individuated, related-patterned, and related- individuated), originating from differentiative and integrative needs of individuals based on the Balanced Integration and Differentiation model, on perceived decision making quality, dyadic adjustment and marital satisfaction were examined. Secondly, the effects of three types of marriage named as &ldquo / arranged marriage&rdquo / , &ldquo / family- and self-selected marriage&rdquo / and &ldquo / self-selected marriage&rdquo / were investigated regarding perceived decision making quality, dyadic adjustment and marital satisfaction. Thirdly, the interaction effects of aforementioned variables were examined. At last, variables predicting marital quality were analyzed through structural equation modeling technique. Two hundred ninety two married couples with a prerequisite of being married at least for one year participated in the present study with a selection by snowball technique from the cities of Istanbul, Ankara, Mersin, Denizli and Ordu. According to the results, it was concluded that the self types had significant main effects on each variable. Also, it was found that marriage types had significant interaction effects with self-types on dyadic adjustment and marital satisfaction as well / besides it was also revealed from the analyses that marriage type had no main effect on marital satisfaction. Finally, relatedness and individuation were found to be predictor variables of marital quality directly and/or through mediation of perceived decision making quality.

The purpose of the study was to examine: (a) the influence communication strategies Mexican men and women reported using when negotiating household work with their partners; (b) the influence communication strategies perceived their partners use when negotiating with them; (c) whether spouses considered the reported strategies as being effective to make their partners do what they need/want, and (d) whether spouses perceived the influence communication strategies used by their partners effective. This dissertation consisted of two inter-related studies performed in Monterrey, Nuevo León, México. The first study was an interview project, where 24 males and females were questioned about how they influence and are influenced by their partners in regard to participating in household tasks. The population consisted of married dual-income Mexicans with at least one child. The second study used the results of Study I to probe, via questionnaire, how couples influence and are influenced by their partners in regard to participating in household tasks, the relative reported frequency of use of the different strategies, and their perceived effectiveness when using them. 92 couples participated in this study: 46 males and 46 females who live in a double-income marriage. Mexican couples perceived equity about how the household tasks are distributed within their homes. Moreover, the degree of happiness about the contribution each partner makes to the household is high, and participants reported being very satisfied with their relationship. The influence communication strategy men and women reported using most often to make their partners participate in household tasks, and the one they perceive their partners used most often is positive affect. The reported strategies that are rarely or never used or perceived are: humor, sarcasm, ignore, and threat. Positive affect was perceived by husbands and wives to be the most effective influence, while the least effective was threat and ignore. The most significant correlation between strategies reported used by husbands and perceived by wives were positive affect, delegate and ignore. The most significant correlation between strategies reported used by wives and perceived by husbands were: suggest, avoid, and reciprocation. This study found a negative and significant relationship between using the strategy ignore and marital satisfaction, and a negative and significant relationship between perceived partners’ use of the strategy threat and marital satisfaction. / text

This thesis pursues the topic of satisfaction in romantic relationships. The previous research was focused mainly on unhappy relationships, marital crises and divorce. This thesis follows the other direction. Its aim is to describe variables which make longterm romantic relationships satisfying. In the theoretical part is an overview of literature and researches that adressed this topic. In the empirical part of this thesis is qualitative research that tries to enlighten the specifics of happy couples in Czech Republic. The grounded theory was used to analyze interviews with 22 respondents. The results are 10 categories representing various areas that contributed to satisfaction in respondents' relationships: harmony, safety, good choice of spouse, stable financial situation, family, overcoming of differences and obstacles, doing things together, communication, endurance and trying not to solve everything.

The purpose of this study was to determine the most important premarital couple protective and risk factors associated with marital relationship quality and stability by utilizing meta-analytic procedures to calculate standardized effect sizes for each factor. Extant research was identified and evaluated using the following inclusionary criteria: the dependent variables had to measure some form of marital quality or stability, the independent variables had to be premarital in nature, the participants had to have married after 1969, and the statistics necessary for the computation of a zero-order correlation effect size had to be available. Meta-analytic procedures were then utilized to code studies meeting inclusionary criteria, aggregate conceptually-comparable variables across included studies, and calculate standardized zero-order correlational effect sizes for each aggregated premarital factor. The predictive magnitude of premarital couple factors associated with subsequent marital outcomes was generally moderate. The results indicated both medium and small effect sizes for the various identified premarital couple predictors of marital relationship quality and instability. Positive premarital factors were generally associated with positive marital outcomes and negative premarital factors were generally associated with negative outcomes. The strongest significant protective and risk factors for marital distress and dissolution were as follows. The protective factors against marital distress included premarital relationship quality (e.g., love, satisfaction, support), premarital relationship stability (e.g., commitment, stability), attitude and value similarity (e.g., autonomy, lifestyle, expectations), positive premarital interactions (e.g., assertiveness, empathy, self-disclosure), religiosity similarity (e.g., religion importance, beliefs, denominational affiliation), and family-of-origin experience similarity factors (e.g., attachment, parent-child relationship, parents' marriage, physical violence). The protective factors against marital dissolution included premarital relationship stability, religiosity similarity, premarital relationship quality, and positive interactions. The risk factors for marital distress included negative premarital interactions (e.g., conflict, criticism, demand-withdraw) and premarital violence (e.g., physical aggression, sexual coercion, violence). The risk factors for marital dissolution included negative interactions and premarital cohabitation with one's spouse. No significant gender differences were identified for any of the premarital predictive factors. Study limitations, implications for future research, and recommendations for educators and clinicians are discussed.

Using data from a nationally representative sample of 723 married adults, this study explored the association of age differences between spouses at the time of marriage on various aspects of marital quality years into the marriage. Four groups (full sample, husband-older, wife-older, and same-age marriages) were compared to see how marital quality was affected by age difference and several other moderating variables. Spousal interactions increased among wife-older marriages, but not among the other groups. An increased level of husband participation in household labor was linked with an increase in marital happiness and a decrease in marital problems for wife-older marriages. It also was related to a decrease in marital happiness for husband-older marriages as well as a decrease in spousal interaction for all groups except wife-older marriages, which showed no significant association to the division of household labor. Finally, a more traditional approach to gender roles among the same-age marriages was associated with a decrease in marital problems and a decrease in spousal interaction.

No description available.

In line with the Vulnerability-Stress-Adaptation (VSA) model of marriage, this study examined the role of neuroticism, stressful life events, mutual problem solving and negative relationship attributions on marital quality and adjustment among a sample of newlywed couples in Addis Ababa. A quantitative cross-sectional study design involving a sample of 192 newlywed couples was employed. Data were analysed using correlation and multiple regression analysis methods. The PROCESS module in SPSS and Structural Equation Modeling was also used to test indirect effects and actor and partner effects, respectively. The results showed that for both wives’ and husbands’, neuroticism significantly predicted their own marital satisfaction but only husbands’ neuroticism significantly predicted their partners’ marital satisfaction. Stressful life events did not have a significant actor and partner effect for both wives’ and husbands’. Negative relationship attribution was found to be a significant predictor of actors as well as partners' marital satisfaction for both wives’ and husbands’ while only husbands’ mutual problem solving, not that of wives’, had a significant effect on their own marital satisfaction. Tests of indirect effects also showed that, for both wives’ and husbands’, neuroticism had a significant negative intrapersonal and interpersonal indirect effect on marital satisfaction through the mediation of both mutual problem solving and negative relationship attribution. Wives’ and husbands’ stressful life events had a significant negative intrapersonal and interpersonal indirect effect on marital satisfaction through the mediation of negative relationship attribution. Mutual problem solving only mediated a significant indirect effect of husbands’ stress on marital satisfaction at the intrapersonal level and wives’ stress on marital satisfaction at the interpersonal level. This research contributed to enhancing scientific knowledge that guides the design and implementation of policies, programs, and services to promote newlyweds’ marital quality and adjustment in the Ethiopian context. The research also made a theoretical contribution to the VSA model by indicating that adaptive processes play a varying mediational role for wives’ and husbands’ in the indirect effect of stress on marital satisfaction and by confirming that adaptive processes such as mutual problem solving and negative relationship attribution play a more prominent role in affecting marital quality and satisfaction than the other two components of the model, that is neuroticism and stressful life events. / Psychology

This study is part of a larger research project examining family attachment processes. The current study tests a family process model that postulates the mediating role of parent-child attachment and sibling relationship quality in the associations of parent psychopathology or marital adjustment to children's psychological dysfunction. A community sample of 86 families with at least one school-aged (8-12 years) child was recruited from area schools and organizations. Families came to the UNT Family Attachment Lab, where they participated in research tasks, including interviews, self-report instruments, and videotaped interaction tasks. Specific questionnaires used in this study included the Sibling Relationship Questionnaire, the Security Scale, the Behavior Assessment System for Children, the Symptom Assessment-45 Questionnaire, and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale. Using a single indicator for each variable, path analyses tested three paternal models, three maternal models, and three systemic models using different informants' (i.e., father, mother, child) reports of child functioning as the outcome variable. Results of this study highlight the positive relationship between parent marital adjustment and parent-child attachment security, as well as the inverse relationship between maternal psychopathology and mother-child attachment security. In addition, the inverse relationship between parent-child attachment security and child psychological dysfunction was significant across nearly all paternal and maternal models. Particularly noteworthy was the consistent mediating influence of attachment security in the association between marital adjustment and child psychological dysfunction across paternal and maternal models.

No description available.

Understanding the contingencies that explain whether divorce has positive or negative long-term effects for adult children is at the heart of this study. Although previous studies suggest an association between parental divorce and the divorce of adult offspring, less known is about whether the timing of divorce influences the relationship outcomes of adult children. Using a large nationally representative sample in terms of race (N=6,066), eight groups of individuals (males and females from intact homes, males and females who experienced divorce during adolescence, males and females who experienced divorce during middle childhood, and males and females who experienced divorce during preschool years) were analyzed to examine the impact of divorce and its timing on family impact, emotional regulation, and relationship quality. Findings indicate that divorce, in general, negatively influences family impact, emotional regulation, and relationship quality. However, the developmental timing of divorce does not appear to significantly alter the impact of these variables on relationship quality.