Long‐Term Adjustment of Infertile Couples Following Unsuccessful Medical Intervention

A 33‐month longitudinal study was conducted with 38 infertile couples making the transition to biological childlessness after unsuccessful fertility treatments. Changes in their levels of psychological distress; marital, sexual, and life satisfaction; and self‐esteem were examined. Increased self‐esteem and decreased sexual satisfaction were evident over time. Poorer adjustment was related to having none or few available options, little social support, poor emotional and physical health, and reliance on emotion‐focused coping. Participants who adopted demonstrated better adjustment.     

Marital Problems and Marital Satisfaction Among Brazilian Couples

As the practice of marriage and family therapy is spreading across the world, it is important for knowledge regarding marital processes and patterns to expand to countries outside of North America and Europe. This study examined common marital problems faced by Brazilian couples. The sample consisted of 80 married couples living in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Results showed that money, children, jealousy, and sex were common problems faced by Brazilian couples. There were few gender differences found. Sex and alcohol had a significant impact on marital satisfaction of wives, and sex had a significant impact on marital satisfaction of husbands.     

Interactional Patterns and Marital Satisfaction Among Dual-Career Couples

The relationships of interactional patterns to the marital satisfaction of dual-career cou~lews ere exolored. Greater marital satisfaction was related to create; equality and reciprocity in the relationships. Couples experiencing reater marital satisfaction were apt to both give and ta e supports, to be involved in each other's careers, have equal commitment to the relationship, and to practice equal decision making. Holding non-traditional sex-role attitudes. and the husbands' approving of their wives' careers were related to higher marital satisfaction. Women who began their career after their marriages were apt to experience less marital satisfaction, less job satisfaction, fewer spouse supports, and greater inequality in decision making. Implications for clinicians are included.     

Relationships Between Stress and Marital Satisfaction Among Dual-Earner Couples

No abstract available for this article.     

Marital Processes Linking Gender Role Attitudes and Marital Satisfaction Among Mexican‐Origin Couples: Application of an Actor–Partner Interdependence Mediation Model

Informed by dyadic approaches and culturally informed, ecological perspectives of marriage, we applied an actor–partner interdependence mediation model (APIMeM) in a sample of 120 Mexican‐origin couples to examine (a) the associations linking Mexican immigrant husbands’ and wives’ gender role attitudes to marital satisfaction directly and indirectly through marital processes (i.e., warmth and negativity) and (b) whether the associations between spouses’ gender role attitudes and marital processes were moderated by wives’ employment. Although previous research has identified spouses’ gender role attitudes as potential predictors of spouses’ marital satisfaction, no study has examined these links in a dyadic model that elucidates how gender role attitudes may operate through processes to shape marital satisfaction and conditions under which associations may differ. We found that when spouses reported less sex‐typed attitudes, their partners reported feeling more connected to them and more satisfied with the marriage, regardless of whether wives were employed. Our results suggest that marital satisfaction was highest for those Mexican‐origin couples in which marital partners were less sex‐typed in their attitudes about marital roles to the extent that partners’ attitudinal role flexibility promoted spouses’ feelings of warmth and connection to their partner.     

A Positive Psychology Intervention Among Long‐Term Unemployed People and Its Effects on Psychological Distress and Well‐Being

The present study aims to examine the effect of a positive psychology intervention (PPI) on a population of long‐term unemployed people. All were members of an association of employment assistance. An opportunity was offered to participate in a PPI. Twelve participants accepted (treatment condition). The remaining participants constituted the control group. Participants of the treatment condition were asked to complete 5 positive psychology exercises during 2 weeks. Participants of the control condition participated as usual in sessions to help their job search. Results indicate that PPI significantly decreases psychological distress (e.g., depression, anxiety) and significantly increases well‐being (e.g., life satisfaction, self‐esteem).     

Family of Origin Predictors of Marital Outcomes Among Coptic Orthodox Christian Egyptian-American Couples

Despite the importance of family within the Coptic community, the extant literature on Coptic family relationships is remarkably limited. The purpose of this study was to explore parental marital quality and family of origin (FOO) quality as predictors of marital satisfaction and marital stability among Coptic Orthodox Christian Egyptian-American couples. Self-report survey data from 255 married Coptic couples living in the United States were analyzed using an actor-partner interdependence model. Results indicated husband FOO quality predicted both marital satisfaction (β =.51, SE?=?.18, p?=?.005) and marital stability (β?=?.51, SE?=?.22, p?=?.022) among Coptic husbands but not among Coptic wives. Results further indicated wife parental marital quality, wife FOO quality, and husband parental marital quality were not predictive of marital satisfaction or marital stability among Coptic husbands or wives. Clinical implications, limitations, and recommendations for future research are discussed.     

Deployment‐Related Benefit Finding and Postdeployment Marital Satisfaction in Military Couples

Extensive research has evaluated potential negative effects of military deployments on romantic relationships. Comparatively few studies have examined potential positive effects of such deployments. In stressful situations, benefit finding (BF) has been found to be linked with better functioning on both individual and interpersonal levels. This study reports on deployment‐related BF in a sample of 67 male service members (SMs) who deployed at least once since 9/11/2001 and their wives. Couples completed measures of marital satisfaction at baseline (an average of 1 year postdeployment) and follow‐up 4–6 months later. At follow‐up, SMs also provided data on symptoms of posttraumatic stress, and both partners provided reports of deployment‐related BF. Multivariate path analysis controlling for SMs' PTSD symptom severity revealed that wives' BF was positively associated with increases in SMs' relationship satisfaction. These findings suggest that wives' responses to deployment may be more influential than SMs' responses to deployment on military couples' relationships. This pattern indicates that support for spouses during deployments is essential; furthermore, such support should include an emphasis on trying to facilitate personal growth in spouses.     

Marital Quality and Global Well-Being Among Older Adult Israeli Couples in Enduring Marriages

In order to profile family therapy users in China, this study examined 612 cases of a family therapy center in Beijing, including demographic data and presenting problems. It was found that, different to the western experience, cases reviewed were predominately families who presented with problems concerning children and adolescents. Typically presenting relationship issues, individual users had lower intake than the family modality, and couples had the lowest among three modalities. The overall results would seem to evidence some Chinese cultural characteristics, such as prioritizing the filial relationship above the couple one, and a particular focus on the children.     

Long‐Term Outcomes of Traumatic Brain Injury in Early Childhood

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is a leading cause of injury among children, with approximately 15% of children experiencing a TBI prior to 15 years of age. Acutely, mTBI has been associated with a range of cognitive, physical, emotional and behavioural impairments. However, few studies have examined outcomes beyond five years post injury, long before the developmental process is complete and the full extent of any deficits may manifest. Our group had the unique opportunity to use data from a longitudinal birth cohort of 1265 children (Christchurch Health and Development Study) to examine the long term outcomes of early injury (0–5 years). Information about these children, including mTBI events, had been collected at birth, 4 months and at yearly intervals until age 16, and again at ages 18, 21 and 25 years. We found that even after statistical control for a wide range of child and family confounds, children who had been hospitalized for an mTBI had increased inattention/hyperactivity and conduct as rated by mothers and teachers over ages 7–13 years. Increased rates of psychiatric disorders were over 14–16 years for those injured in the preschool, including symptoms consistent with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Odds Ratio = 4.6, Conduct Disorder (CD), Odds Ratio = 5.6 and Substance Abuse (Odds Ratio = 9.1). Over ages 21–25 ongoing behaviour problems were assessed using self‐reported arrests, violent offenses and property offenses. Compared to non‐injured individuals, mTBI groups were more likely to be arrested, involved in property, and violent offences. We controlled for a wide range of factors and there was still clear evidence of ongoing problems for individuals who had experienced a mTBI compared to their non injured counterparts. These findings provide compelling evidence of long term psychosocial and psychiatric outcomes following mTBI.     

Long‐Term Memory Effects of Eye Closure on Children Eyewitness Testimonies

Previous studies conducted on adults and children found that closing the eyes while recalling an event increased memory accuracy for both free and cued recall. One possible explanation to this phenomenon is that eye closure increases the amount of cognitive resources devoted to the task reducing external stimulation, but it is still not clear whether the beneficial effect is only due to a better focus on the task or to a better encoding of the material leading to an advantage over time. In this study, we evaluated the effect of eye closure instruction on children memory accuracy for a short clip in an immediate and delayed recall. We observed that asking participants to close their eyes while performing a memory task helped them to remember more details and that this effect persisted after a time delay. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Relationships Among Young Adults’ Marital Messages Received,Marital Attitudes,and Relationship Self‐Efficacy

The authors examined relationships among university students’ marital messages received (MMR), marital attitudes, and romantic relationship self‐efficacy (RSE). Results indicated that students’ marital attitudes and romantic relationship status predicted their level of RSE. The authors found differences in MMR, marital attitudes, and RSE on the basis of gender, ethnicity, age, romantic relationship status, and family‐of‐origin marital status. Counseling implications, future research directions, and limitations are discussed.     

Long‐Term Effects of an Extensive Cognitive Training on Personality Development

Previous research found that cognitive training increases the Big Five personality trait Openness to Experience during and some weeks after the intervention. The present study investigated whether long‐term changes happen in Openness to Experience and other personality traits after an extensive cognitive training of memory and perceptual speed. The intervention group consisted of 204 adults (20–31 years and 65–80 years; 50% female) who received daily 1‐hour cognitive training sessions for about 100 days. The control group consisted of 86 adults (21–29 years and 65–82 years; 51% female) who received no cognitive training. All participants answered the NEO Five‐Factor Inventory before and 2 years after the cognitive training. Latent change models were applied that controlled for age group (young vs. old) and gender. In the long run, the cognitive training did not affect changes in any facet of Openness to Experience. This was true for young and old participants as well as for men and women. Instead, the cognitive training lowered the general increase of Conscientiousness. Even an extensive cognitive training on memory and perceptual speed does not serve as a sufficient intervention for enduring changes in Openness to Experiences or one of its facets.     

Loneliness and Marital Adjustment of Turkish Couples

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between loneliness and marital adjustment in Turkish couples. Some demographic correlates of loneliness and marital adjustment such as gender, age, duration of the marriage, type of marriage, and degree of acquaintance before marriage were also examined. The UCLA Loneliness Scale (D. Russell, L. A. Peplau, & C. E. Cutrona, 1980) and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (G. B. Spanier, 1976) were administered to 58 heterosexual married couples. The results showed that loneliness was significantly and negatively correlated with marital adjustment. For the demographic correlates, significant results were as follows: Self-selected marriages resulted in lower loneliness scores and higher marital adjustment scores than the arranged type of marriage, and marital adjustment increased parallel to an increase in the degree of acquaintance before marriage. The findings and implications are discussed in the context of practice and research.     

Brief Exposure to Misinformation Can Lead to Long‐Term False Memories

Do false memories last? And do they last as long as true ones? This study investigated whether experimentally created false memories would persist for an extended period (one and a half years). A large number of subjects (N = 342) participated in a standard three‐stage misinformation procedure (saw the event slides, read the narrations with misinformation, and then took the memory tests). The initial tests showed that misinformation led to a significant amount of false memory. One and a half years later, the participants were tested again. About half of the misinformation false memory persisted, which was the same rate as for true memory. These results strongly suggest that brief exposure to misinformation can lead to long‐term false memory and that the strength of memory trace was similar for true and false memories. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Effects of Marital Interaction,Depression and Self-Esteem on Dietary Self-Efficacy Among Married Couples1

This investigation defines the construct of dietary self-efficacy and examines the personal and interactional factors that predict efficacy in food behavior. Dietary self-efficacy is the belief that one is capable of behavior necessary to produce a nutritionally healthful diet. A path model was tested that located dietary self-efficacy as a consequence of the character of marital interaction (role disagreement, equity/inequity, and family food interaction), personal conditions of depression and low self-esteem, age, and education. One hundred fifty-five married couples were randomly selected and interviewed. The path model predicted a direct causal effect of role disagreement and inequity on depression and an indirect effect on dietary self-efficacy mediated by depression and self-esteem. The findings supported the proposed model for wives but not for husbands, suggesting that dietary self-efficacy is a female construct. Wives continue to take major responsibility for food selection and preparation, including the nutrition of children. Therefore, dietary self-efficacy gains a position of centrality for wives that is not independent of the effect of everyday interaction.