The current study is the first to explore how reported reasons for divorce are associated with the emotional climate of subsequent marriages, and if the emotional climate of these relationships is significantly different from that of happy or unhappy first marriages. It also examines whether variations in the emotional climate of marriage are reducible to underlying personality characteristics. These issues were investigated using data from the Texas Baseline Survey on Marriage. Results indicate that there are two types of marriage that end in divorce: those preceded by a highly distressed marriage, and those preceded by a less distressed marriage. Regardless of emotional tenor of the marriage prior to divorce, the emotional climate of remarriages appears to be largely similar to that of happy first marriages and substantially better than that of unhappy first marriages. Although individuals with different relationship histories possess distinct personality profiles, the differences in emotional climate persist after the effects of personality have been taken into account. Overall, these results suggest that accounting for differences among those who have divorced, as well as distinguishing between happy and unhappy first marriages, is important for understanding the affective nature of marriage. / text

Thesis (M. Soc. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1993. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 100-102).

Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1993. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 100-102) Also available in print.

This study presents findings from qualitative research that focused on how couples who had been remarried for 5 years talk about their strong remarriage. Ten remarried couples were recruited to be interviewed independently. Using a semistructured interview survey, the interviews were recorded and transcribed. The entire interviews were analyzed and coded to explore aspects of strong remarriages. Prevalent factors that contribute to strong remarriages were identified, which include: commitment, love, religion/spirituality, communication, compatibility, financial agreement, and physical intimacy. Expectations of remarriage were explored with the majority of participants reporting that their remarriage exceeded their expectations. The findings contribute to the literature and suggestions for future research are also discussed.

Research on stepfamily life in the 21st century reveals unexplored variables at every turn. This is important because around half of American adults report close step-relationships and the challenges and demographic and relational differences for different types of stepfamilies remains unexplored. The first of these studies explored data for 879 husbands and wives couples to explore how positivity, negativity, and sexual interest levels differ depending which of the couple, both partners, or neither had previous children. Wives reported higher levels of marital instability and positivity than husbands. Marital instability was linked with one’s own and one’s partners’ negativity, and inversely related to one’s own and one’s partners’ positivity and sexual interest. The marital instability of those with children was related with their partner’s negativity. The second study investigated how the marital stability of different stepfamily configurations is related to difficulties associated with the social and family dimension, the role of the spouse, the role of a parent, and the role of a stepparent. Wives’ scores of marital instability and difficulties being a parent and stepparent were higher than husbands’ across remarriage types. Stepmothers reported the highest levels of parenting and stepparenting strain, especially stepmothers without children of their own. This implies stepfamily challenges can impact family-related stress and marital instability, with the most profound effects found for stepmothers with no biological children of their own. We found that parents with children seem to be sensitive to negativity and sexual interest from their partners as a measure of relationship functioning. Stepmothers experienced higher levels of marital instability and difficulties associated with being a parent and a stepparent and this is especially true for stepmothers who did not have children of their own. These findings suggest couples may benefit from strategies that decrease negativity, increase positivity and sexual interest, and help manage the stresses associated with being a parent and stepparent, especially for stepmothers

The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate the Latino remarriage conundrum: Latinos have first marriage and divorce rates similar to whites but notably lower remarriage rates than whites. What explains this divergence in race, ethnicity and nativity (R-E-N) differences for remarriage? The question is particularly intriguing because the R-E-N patterns for first marriage and divorce are often explained as a consequence of Latinos having a cultural orientation that promotes pronuptial values. Despite having socioeconomic disadvantage compared to whites, this view suggests that Latinos marry and divorce at rates similar to whites because of their strong cultural attachment to marriage. The conundrum is how could pronuptial values fully account for Latino-white patterns in marriage and divorce but not for remarriage? To investigate the Latino remarriage conundrum, I utilized a mixed method approach using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979-2010 (NLSY79), the National Survey of Family Growth 2006-2010 (NSFG) surveys and 23 in-depth interviews with recently divorced white and Latina women. I examined a variety of economic, cultural, and social factors to explore why remarriage patterns differ from marriage and divorce among R-E-N groups. Findings suggest that religious affiliation, parental reactions to post-divorce dating, and socioeconomic preferences for remarriage influence white-Latino remarriage differences. / text

The aim of the research was to evaluate the premarital enrichment programme designed by Pretorius (1997) for couples who wish to remarry. The study was motivated by literature, which shows a high likelihood of divorce among divorcees who remarry. Three interested couples responded to advertisements placed in a local Potchefstroom newspaper and announcements made in churches. A qualitative (case study method) research design was used. The programme consisted of six two-hour sessions. The programme was conducted over two weekends. The first three sessions were held with all three couples and the last three sessions with each couple separately due to conflicting schedules. The effect of the programme was assessed by five measuring instruments, participants' metaphoric drawings of their relationships, semi-structured interviews, and the researcher's observations of the interaction between the participants. The assessment took place a week before and four weeks after the programme presentation. The results obtained indicated that two of the couples experienced changes whilst the other couple experienced minimal change. The change that occurred in the two couples were with regards to their communication and conflict management, their implementation of boundaries, intimacy, security in their relationship, growth, and dyadic adjustment. It was concluded that the premarital enrichment programme prepared two couples for remarriage, specifically with regards to their adjustment in the relationship. / Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

The aim of the research was to evaluate the premarital enrichment programme designed by Pretorius (1997) for couples who wish to remarry. The study was motivated by literature, which shows a high likelihood of divorce among divorcees who remarry. Three interested couples responded to advertisements placed in a local Potchefstroom newspaper and announcements made in churches. A qualitative (case study method) research design was used. The programme consisted of six two-hour sessions. The programme was conducted over two weekends. The first three sessions were held with all three couples and the last three sessions with each couple separately due to conflicting schedules. The effect of the programme was assessed by five measuring instruments, participants' metaphoric drawings of their relationships, semi-structured interviews, and the researcher's observations of the interaction between the participants. The assessment took place a week before and four weeks after the programme presentation. The results obtained indicated that two of the couples experienced changes whilst the other couple experienced minimal change. The change that occurred in the two couples were with regards to their communication and conflict management, their implementation of boundaries, intimacy, security in their relationship, growth, and dyadic adjustment. It was concluded that the premarital enrichment programme prepared two couples for remarriage, specifically with regards to their adjustment in the relationship. / Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

Thesis (J.C.L.)--Catholic University of America, 1989. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 76-84).

Thesis (J.C.L.)--Catholic University of America, 1991. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 77-80).