Correlations between subjective well-being, dyadic adjustment and marital satisfaction in Brazilian married people

This study aimed to investigate the relationships between the constructs subjective well-being (SWB), dyadic adjustment (DA) and marital satisfaction (MS). Participants were 106 married Brazilians, of both sexes, with a mean age of 42 (+/- 11) years. Instruments used for the sociodemographic characterization and socioeconomic classification were the Subjective Wellbeing Scale (SWBS), the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS) and the Marital Satisfaction Scale (MSS). Through the analysis of correlations and of stepwise multiple regression, it was verified that all the factors of the dyadic adjustment showed correlation with the marital satisfaction. The satisfaction with life (factor of the SWBS) and dyadic satisfaction (factor of the DAS), were positively and significantly correlated (r = .20: p = .04), which reveals that people who say they are satisfied with life in different domains also do so in relation to the marital experience,     

Psychological maturity of young, divorcing people

The present investigation was done to assess the psychological maturity of divorcing couples. A special questionnaire was formulated, using the conception of human development proposed by Erikson and Levinson as well as Hevighurst's conception of developmental tasks. 94 students of the VI-th year of medicine (47 women and 47 men) participated in constructing the questionnaire. Then 15 women and 15 men, who were clients of the Consulting and Diagnostic Family Center, ages 23 to 32 years were tested. Analysis shows lower scores for women than for men, especially on subscales of personal and interpersonal relations and adaptation to the parent's role.     

Perceptions of married life among single never‐married,single ever‐married,and married adults

With the increasing prevalence of single adults in the United States, perceptions of marriage as the relationship “gold standard” may be diminishing. In this study (N = 6,576), we explored perceptions of married life in three subgroups of participants: Those who have never married, ever married, and currently married. Across subgroups, most did not perceive married life more positively than single life in external/tangible domains (e.g., more friends), but did in emotional experiences and frame of mind (e.g., contentment). These findings suggest conceptualizations of marriage may be changing to be less positive or less discrepant from conceptualizations of single life. However, these findings also suggest that people continue to view marital relationships as a positive source of emotional experience and support.     

Psychological types of male and female Bible College students in England

A sample of 278 male and 213 female Bible College students in England completed Form G (Anglicized) of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). The data demonstrated clear preferences for introversion over extraversion, for sensing over intuition, and for judging over perceiving among both male and female Bible College students. Among females there was also a clear preference for feeling over thinking. The two predominant types among female Bible College students emerged as ISFJ (23%) and ESFJ (17%). The two predominant types among male Bible college students emerged as ISTJ (15%) and ISFJ (13%).     

Psychological support for people with dementia: A preliminary study

Aim/Purpose

Evidence suggests nonpharmacological therapies could improve quality of life in people with Alzheimer's disease (Olazaran et al., 2010). This study aimed to explore attitudes to, and acceptability of, psychological support for people with mild dementia, from their perspective.

Design/Methodology

Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with five people identified from secondary care services. Questions concerned the experience of being diagnosed, experience of support services and their opinion of alternative support options. Interviews were audio‐recorded, transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis.

Results/Findings

Three main themes were identified: loss, coping mechanisms and support. Loss of physical abilities was associated with loss of identity and place in the community. Coping mechanisms included asserting control, and growth and development, including engaging in new activities or using humour. Individual needs and preferences were key to effective support. Social aspects of support and opportunities to talk about their feelings were valued by participants. Counselling, mindfulness and group‐based activities, including walking and gardening, were viewed positively. Support from admiral nurses or specialist nurses tended to be viewed in terms of physical health needs, and most needed in later stages of dementia.

Research Limitations

Limitations include the small sample size, potential inaccuracies acknowledged by participants regarding recollections of events and researcher bias in hoping that psychological support would be well received.

Conclusions/Implications

Talking therapies and psychosocial interventions are acceptable sources of support. Person‐centred support which considers personal preferences and abilities can support people to live well with dementia.     

Age variations in the suicide rates and self-reported subjective well-being of married and never married persons

Previous research has established that people who never marry have higher suicide rates and lower self-reported subjective well-being than the married. The present study examines how the differences between: (1) never married persons who live alone, (2) never married cohabitees; and (3) currently married people, vary between age groups. The relevance of such age variations for status integration theory and theories of marital selection is discussed. Summing up results from previous studies of suicide rates, the relative position of the never married is found to be most unfavourable for people in their 30s and 40s; the differences are smaller among the young and the old. Data on self-reported well-being are taken from a large-scale survey of the population of one of Norway's 19 counties (n = 51 000), and are analysed by means of ordinary multiple regression. With regard to single people who were married or who never married, the results are largely consistent with the suicide findings; the advantage of marriage increases until about 40 years of age, then declines. The survey data also provide information about unmarried cohabitation, which seems to be more or less equivalent to marriage in most age groups. Neither status integration theory nor any other single theory of marriage effects or marital selection seems to be able to account for these findings in a satisfactory way.     

Recent reliability reporting practices in Psychological Assessment: recognizing the people behind the data

Helms, Henze, Sass, and Mifsud (2006) defined good practices for internal consistency reporting, interpretation, and analysis consistent with an alpha-as-data perspective. Their viewpoint (a) expands on previous arguments that reliability coefficients are group-level summary statistics of samples' responses rather than stable properties of scales or measures and (b) encourages researchers to investigate characteristics of reliability data for their own samples and subgroups within their samples. In Study 1, we reviewed past and current reliability reporting practices in a sample of Psychological Assessment articles published across 3 decades (i.e., from the years 1989, 1996, and 2006). Results suggested that contemporary and past researchers' reliability reporting practices have not improved over time and generally were not consistent with good practices. In Study 2, we analyzed an archival data set to illustrate the real-life repercussions of researchers' ongoing misconstrual and misuse of reliability data. Our analyses suggested that researchers should conduct preliminary analyses of their data to determine whether their data fit the assumptions of their reliability analyses. Also, the results indicated that reliability coefficients varied across racial or ethnic and gender subgroups, and these variations had implications for whether the same depression measure should be used across groups. We concluded that the alpha-as-data perspective has implications for one's choice of psychological measures and interpretation of results, which subsequently affect conclusions and recommendations. We encourage researchers to recognize the people behind their data by adopting better practices in internal consistency reporting, analysis, and interpretation.     

A married couple in separate therapy groups

Abstract

A behavioral contract was used to change several behaviors in a married couple's relationship. A multi-assessment “package” was used to determine the effect of the behavior change on the couple's relationship. A multiple baseline, single-subject design demonstrated that the treatment “package” was responsible for producing behavior change and changes in levels of satisfaction. Further research should concentrate on which components of the “package” may be the most critical. Multi-assessments provide the therapist or researcher with concrete data on a couple's progress in behavioral marital therapy.     

Cognitive style and relationship quality in married dyads

Recently, cognitive personality researchers have begun to explore the social and interpersonal relevance of cognitive individual difference variables. Embedded in these examinations, however, is a methodological issue that bears importantly on our understanding of the role of these cognitive orientations in social relations. Specifically, personality studies have typically employed experimentally created dyads which, by limiting the representativeness of the sample, potentially limits the generalizability of the findings to more enduring “real-life” dyads. In the present study, field dependence/field independence was examined as a potential mediator of relationship quality in married dyads. Consistent with Witkin's theory of psychological differentiation, it was predicted that spouses with relatively field-dependent partners and individuals from dyads with similar levels of differentiation would have fewer complaints. Results showed, contrary to the predictions, that husbands married to field-dependent wives and wives from matched dyads had more complaints about their marital relationships. These findings suggest the need for a careful evaluation of the role of cognitive style in the domain of intimate interpersonal relationships. Apparently, it may not be sufficient to generalize about the role of personality in social relationships from the results of studies employing experimentally created dyads or groups to other, more enduring and real-life types of social relationships.     

Meaning in life depth in the active married elderly

To discover if elderly people have developed a deeper meaning in life than younger individuals, a sample of active married elderly people was compared to a group of younger adults. Two dimensions of meaning in life depth were investigated. The first was a self-suitability measure indicating comfort with one's own meaning, measured by Crumbaugh and Maholick's (1969) Purpose in Life Test. The second was an external validation measure derived from a statement about their own strongest meaning in life, written by the participants and rated for depth by two outside judges. The older group scored significantly higher than the younger adults on the self-suitability measure and significantly lower on the external validation measure. Such results could mean that toward the end of life we are better able to appreciate life's beauty though less able to communicate our depth of appreciation to others. An alternative interpretation of the results is that the elderly participants were engaging in self-deception.