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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

The Effects Of Premarital Education Promotion Policies On U.S. Divorce Rates, Tiffany L. Clyde, Jocelyn S. Wikle, Alan J. Hawkins, Spencer L. James Dec 2019

The Effects Of Premarital Education Promotion Policies On U.S. Divorce Rates, Tiffany L. Clyde, Jocelyn S. Wikle, Alan J. Hawkins, Spencer L. James

Faculty Publications

Currently, 10 states have enacted policies to promote premarital education and counseling. However, no research has documented whether these policies have actually decreased divorce rates in implementing states. The purpose of this study is to assess the effects of premarital education promotion policies on divorce rates. First, we conducted an implementation study to understand how well each state implemented the policy. A combination of methods was used, including reviewing the legislative documents and archival records, as well as interviewing academics and key persons knowledgeable of the legislation. Following the implementation study, we conducted an evaluation study to analyze the effects …


Religion And Volunteering In Marital Relationships, Young-Il Kim, Jeffrey P. Dew Aug 2019

Religion And Volunteering In Marital Relationships, Young-Il Kim, Jeffrey P. Dew

Faculty Publications

Married people are generally more religious and do volunteer work more frequently than unmarried people. However, little is known about which religious characteristics or domains predict volunteering behaviors among married couples. Using data from a U.S. national sample of heterosexual married couples, we examine which aspects of couples’ religiosity predicted husbands’ and wives’ reports of volunteering. Results from actor-partner interdependence models indicated that performing religious observances in the home was associated with wives’ reports of volunteering. Attending religious services regularly with one’s spouse was associated with higher levels of volunteering for both wives and husbands. Other domains of religiosity, such …


The Effects Of Premarital Education Promotion Policies On U.S. Divorce Rates, Tiffany Lura Clyde Jul 2019

The Effects Of Premarital Education Promotion Policies On U.S. Divorce Rates, Tiffany Lura Clyde

Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has documented the effects of divorce on children, families, communities, taxpayers, and society. Accordingly, local, state, and national governments have enacted policies aimed at strengthening marriages and reducing divorce. Currently, ten states have enacted some form of premarital education promotion policy. However, no research has documented whether the implementation of premarital education promotion policies has actually decreased the divorce rate in implementing states. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to investigate empirically the effectiveness of premarital education policy implementation on reducing early divorce rates. Prior to running any empirical analyses, an implementation study was conducted to understand …


Cross-Group Relationship Satisfaction: A Meta-Analysis, Elena Kelsey Henderson Jun 2019

Cross-Group Relationship Satisfaction: A Meta-Analysis, Elena Kelsey Henderson

Theses and Dissertations

Cross-group relationships are defined by romantic relationships involving two individuals from distinct racial or ethnic groups. For this paper, the terms “interethnic” and “interracial” are used as specifiers for the umbrella terms, “intergroup” and “cross-group.” Studies examining whether cross-group romantic relationships are more or less satisfying than intergroup romantic relationships have yielded discrepant findings. Through a systematic review and meta-analysis of 27 studies, we found that there are no significant difference between cross-group and intergroup relationship satisfaction (aggregate d = .024, 95% CI [-0.076; 0.123]). Tests of moderation found that the amount of Asian participants included in individual studies on …


Uniting And Dividing Influences Of Religion In Marriage Among Highly Religious Couples, Heather H. Kelley, Loren D. Marks, David C. Dollahite Mar 2019

Uniting And Dividing Influences Of Religion In Marriage Among Highly Religious Couples, Heather H. Kelley, Loren D. Marks, David C. Dollahite

Faculty Publications

Previous research has suggested that religion can be both helpful and harmful. However, much oof the research on religion and families has employed relatively simple, distal measures of religion and has focused on predominantly only one side of the dualistic nature of religion. Drawing upon interviews with 198 religious couples (N = 396 individuals), the purpose of this study was to better understand how religion can have both a unifying and a dividing influence on marital relationships. Three overarching themes, accompanied by supporting primary qualitative data from participants, are presented. These themes include (a) how religious beliefs unite and …


Januka, Januka, Tsos Mar 2019

Januka, Januka, Tsos

TSOS Interview Gallery

After being raped by a soldier in Myanmar, Januka fled to Bangladesh with her father and later found out she was pregnant. She fears no one will want to marry her because she has been raped.


Rohima, Rohima, Tsos Mar 2019

Rohima, Rohima, Tsos

TSOS Interview Gallery

Rohima was brutally raped and tortured by soldiers during an attack. After witnessing other women receive the same treatment, she fled Myanmar for Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. Once there, she got married while pregnant as a result of the rape.


Longitudinal Influence Of Shared Marital Power On Marital Quality And Attachment Security, Nathan D. Leonhardt, Brian J. Willoughby, W. Justin Dyer, Jason S. Carroll Jan 2019

Longitudinal Influence Of Shared Marital Power On Marital Quality And Attachment Security, Nathan D. Leonhardt, Brian J. Willoughby, W. Justin Dyer, Jason S. Carroll

Faculty Publications

Spouses perceiving that they have shared power in marriage has been linked to higher marital quality and attachment security. Existing research, however, is limited in assessing how these perceptions influence both spouses and whether these influences endure over time. To address these limitations, we analyzed the longitudinal relationship reports from 319 couples from the Flourishing Families Project (FFP) to estimate biyearly (Waves 1, 3, and 5) and yearly (Waves 3–5) longitudinal actor-partner interdependence models. Reporting shared power in marriage was linked to the actors’ higher marital quality and lower attachment insecurity over time (although less consistently for attachment insecurity). Longitudinal …


Spousal Influence: A Study Of Women With Eating And Body Image Concerns, Wendy C. Birmingham, Adriane Ito De Queiroz Cavallini, Jordan Sgro Jan 2019

Spousal Influence: A Study Of Women With Eating And Body Image Concerns, Wendy C. Birmingham, Adriane Ito De Queiroz Cavallini, Jordan Sgro

Faculty Publications

Eating disorder literature often overlooks those exhibiting eating and body image concerns without an eating disorder diagnosis. Supportive spouses may ameliorate negative body image and eating behavior, but spouses who exhibit both supportive and non-supportive behaviors concurrently (ambivalent) may send mixed messages. Eating disorder behaviors and spousal interactions were assessed in 61 women who demonstrated eating disordered behavior and body dissatisfaction but were not clinically diagnosed with an eating disorder. Spouses mostly provided messages of reassurance. However, some women were unable to overcome their internalized negative body image. Feelings of social comparison were seen with ambivalent spouses. Supportive relationships may …