We are researchers who study what makes marriages succeed and fail in order to develop strategies for helping couples have better marriages. In this report, you will read about key findings from a recent poll on marriages in America. Research like that in this poll can further our understanding of marriage and what can be […]

This qualitative study explored meaning and process in long-distance dating relationships. Based on in-depth interviews with 10 students aged 23-35, the following areas were examined: meanings connected to the relationship and separation, relational maintenance strategies, and commitment processes. Findings suggested that processes associated with intimacy were applicable to long-distance relationships–including the importance of subjective meanings […]

The fiscal year 2006 federal budget bill–known as the “”Deficit Reduction Act of 2005″” (DRA)–provides $100 million per year for five years to fund healthy marriage promotion efforts, and $50 million per year over five years for responsible fatherhood programs. A brief description of each of the funds is included in this overview. (Author abstract […]

Dream sharing between partners, coupled with self-disclosure training, was empirically investigated as a means for generating intimacy and satisfaction among 216 participants who were randomly assigned to one of three groups: dream sharing, event sharing, and waiting list controls. Both dream sharing and event sharing participants attended a four hour self-disclosure training workshop and received […]

This interview highlights issues in domestic violence and the perspectives of Michael Johnson, a professor at The Pennsylvania State University who is conducting research and teaching courses on domestic violence, women’s studies, and African American studies. He explains the definition of domestic violence, the debate about the gender symmetry of domestic violence, the prevalence of […]

The article discusses the Newlywed Study performed by Gottman, Coan, Carrere, and Swanson, and contrasts it with the Oregon Youth Study, performed by Shortt, Capaldi, Dishion, Bank, and Owen. The article argues that, in contrast to the Newlywed Study, the Oregon Youth Study sought out and utilized a sample of people intended to describe a […]

This interview explores issues in domestic violence in Latino communities and the perspectives of Julia Perilla, a clinical community psychologist who conducts academic research and teaches at Georgia State University. She explains the impact of the environment on the individual and the need to approach interventions and research from a strengths perspective; how community psychologists […]

The generalizability of the affective process models of J. M. Gottman et al. (1998) was examined using a community-based sample of 85 married or cohabiting couples with at-risk backgrounds. Predictive associations between affective processes assessed at about age 21 years and relationship status and satisfaction assessed approximately 2.5 years later were examined. The major findings […]

Wade Horn, Assistant Secretary for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, was the first guest in the 2004 CLASP Audio Conference Series, The Squeeze: Helping Low-Income Families in an Era of Dwindling Resources. In an interview with CLASP’s John Hutchins, Dr. Horn offered his perspective on welfare reauthorization, child care funding, […]

The relationship status of study participants (e.g., daters, cohabitors, marrieds, or unmarrieds) has implications for understanding dating and mate selection. Procedures used in studies may blur or ignore status distinctions. The authors examined methods used in 791 studies published from 1991 – 2001. Most commonly, status of participants is unspecified, and different statuses are collapsed […]