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Articles 1 - 30 of 50
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Securely Ever After: Attachment,Trust, And Commitment In Married Adult Adoptees, Jill P. Burgon
Securely Ever After: Attachment,Trust, And Commitment In Married Adult Adoptees, Jill P. Burgon
Theses and Dissertations
Past research suggests that adoptees face a higher risk of insecure attachment and encounter more challenges related to trust and commitment in their romantic relationships compared to nonadopted individuals. This study examines the association between adoption status and marital security among newly married couples, with a focus on the potential moderating role of gender. Using data from a representative sample of newly married couples in the United States (n = 2,110), the relationship between adoption status and multiple measures of marital security were measured using OLS regression. Findings indicate that, during the early stages of marriage, adult adoptees exhibited comparable …
Understanding Gendered Hierarchy In Highly Religious Couples, Jolyn C. Schraedel
Understanding Gendered Hierarchy In Highly Religious Couples, Jolyn C. Schraedel
Theses and Dissertations
Although religious beliefs often associate with gendered hierarchy in sociological studies, very few studies have examined religion and gendered hierarchy within intimate relationships. This study used an exemplary sample to explore how religious, heterosexual married couples view and possibly practice gendered hierarchy. Interviews from 77 highly religious, highly satisfied couples provided insight into the following themes: (1) the potential harm of hierarchy, (2) misunderstanding hierarchy, (3) rejection of hierarchy, and (4) acceptance of hierarchy. For couples who expressed acceptance of hierarchy, further exploration revealed subthemes explaining how they conceptualized this practice. Subthemes included (4a) mutual submission, (4b) joint discussion, and …
Socioeconomic Status And Physical Attractiveness In Partner Selection 32 Years Later: An Empirical Replication And Extension Of Townsend And Levy (1990), Elena Kelsey Henderson
Socioeconomic Status And Physical Attractiveness In Partner Selection 32 Years Later: An Empirical Replication And Extension Of Townsend And Levy (1990), Elena Kelsey Henderson
Theses and Dissertations
Partnership is a universal part of human existence. Human partner selection has been long studied within evolutionary and sociocultural frameworks. One study by Townsend and Levy (1990) found that physical attractiveness and socioeconomic status influence male and female partner selection in distinct ways. The present study replicated and extended the work of Townsend and Levy, investigating how physical attractiveness, socioeconomic status, and race and ethnicity influence relationship willingness at various levels of involvement. A repeated measures ANOVA was conducted, and planned post hoc pairwise comparisons and parameter estimates were analyzed. We analyzed responses from 503 single American adults of four …
How And With Whom You Spend Your Time Matters: An Examination Of Familial Relationships, Leisure Activities, And Dementia Development, Erika Cooksey Mcdaniel
How And With Whom You Spend Your Time Matters: An Examination Of Familial Relationships, Leisure Activities, And Dementia Development, Erika Cooksey Mcdaniel
Theses and Dissertations
Dementia is an interminable disorder characterized by a decrease in cognitive functioning behavioral and emotional changes, and an overall diminishment in quality of life that usually affects the older population. In the coming decades, scientists estimate that the number of sufferers will reach over 100 million worldwide. Though there is currently no cure for any form of dementia, the theory of cognitive reserve posits certain lifestyle characteristics (i.e., educational attainment, SES, and/or career path) can mitigate the risk of dementia by improving cognitive resilience over an individual’s lifetime. The current study sought to discover what, if any, effects familial relationships, …
Assessing The Power Of Policy: Deconstructing Declines In Child Marriage Around The World, Zackery Butler
Assessing The Power Of Policy: Deconstructing Declines In Child Marriage Around The World, Zackery Butler
Theses and Dissertations
Drawing on research from the fields sociology and demography, this dissertation endeavors to deconstruct the declines in Child, Early and Forced Marriage (CEFM) around the world by assessing the power of international institutions to create and enforce global norms across a wide range of nation-states. I conducted three different studies on CEFM at different levels to better understand how international policy, the cultural composition of countries, macro level demographic trends, and the relationships between national leadership and international governance have effected changes over the last few decades beginning in 1980. I used comparative historical methods in conjunction with demographic techniques …
Post-Birth Marriage, White-Hispanic Families, And Child Academic Achievement, Sadie Andrews Slighting
Post-Birth Marriage, White-Hispanic Families, And Child Academic Achievement, Sadie Andrews Slighting
Theses and Dissertations
Over the past decade, policymakers have promoted marriage as a pathway to improve child outcomes in single-parent households. However, previous research on single mothers who later married in the United States has failed to examine how the structural advantages and disadvantages of race influence post-birth marriages and the advantage they may confer. I investigate how white advantage—the human- and social-capital benefits that come from being a white individual—acts as a resource distributed differently across three couple configurations. I predict that having access to white advantage via a white parent will improve child academic achievement. Using the US Early Childhood Longitudinal …
Exploring Love In Family Relationships, Joe Meshach Chelladurai
Exploring Love In Family Relationships, Joe Meshach Chelladurai
Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of the study was to qualitatively investigate love in religious family relationships. Participants were from the American Families of Faith Project, a qualitative study on religion and family life with participants from 198 Christian, Jewish, and Muslim families (N = 478) across the United States. The primary research questions of present study were (a) what does love mean for families? (b) why do individuals and couples in families love? (c) how is love experienced? (d) what are the related processes of love? (e) how does religion influence love in religious families? and (f) what are the reported outcomes …
Marriage Maintenance, Miscategorization, And New Manifestations: How People Are Reinforcing And Disrupting Gender And Sexual Inequalities In Married Life, Daniel John Bartholomay
Marriage Maintenance, Miscategorization, And New Manifestations: How People Are Reinforcing And Disrupting Gender And Sexual Inequalities In Married Life, Daniel John Bartholomay
Theses and Dissertations
This research positions marriage as an institution that has historically served to privilege men, masculinity and heterosexuality. Overall, this project is intended to advance our understanding of gender and sexual inequalities in the realms of marriage and family by examining the lived experiences of married people. It draws on data from 41 in-depth interviews conducted with married people living in Wisconsin, many of whom identify as part of the LGBT+ community. Using qualitative social science methods, this research speaks to unanswered questions regarding the capacity of a more gender-fluid society to reshape key social institutions (like marriage) in ways that …
The Effects Of Premarital Education Promotion Policies On U.S. Divorce Rates, Tiffany Lura Clyde
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
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 …
Relational Empowerment: The Longitudinal Influence Of Perceived Marital Power On Marital Quality And Attachment Security Over Five Years Of Marriage, Nathan D. Leonhardt
Relational Empowerment: The Longitudinal Influence Of Perceived Marital Power On Marital Quality And Attachment Security Over Five Years Of Marriage, Nathan D. Leonhardt
Theses and Dissertations
Perceiving shared power in marriage has been linked to higher marital quality and lower attachment insecurity. Yet limited research has examined whether perception of power has a longitudinal influence on how both spouses' perceptions play a role in both spouses' outcomes. To address previous limitations, I utilized 319 couples (94.7% retention from Wave 1) from the Flourishing Families Project to estimate bi-yearly (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 (though less consistently for attachment insecurity). …
Uniting And Dividing Influences Of Religion On Familial Relationships, Heather Howell Kelley
Uniting And Dividing Influences Of Religion On Familial Relationships, Heather Howell Kelley
Theses and Dissertations
Previous research suggests that religion can be both helpful and harmful. However, much of the research on religion and families has employed relatively simple, distal measures of religion and has predominantly focused on only one side of the dualistic nature of religion. Drawing upon interviews with 198 religious families (N = 476 individuals), the purpose of this study is to better understand how religion can have both a unifying and a dividing influence on familial relationships. Three overarching themes are presented, accompanied by supporting primary qualitative data from participants. These themes include: (1) How religious beliefs unite and divide families; …
Article 1- "God Will Glorify Your Marriage": Marital Satisfaction And Relational Spirituality In Religious Black Couples Article 2- "A Godly Man": A Qualitative Exploration Of The Influence Of Religion On Black Masculinity And Fatherhood, Travis James Moore
Theses and Dissertations
Research suggest that Black couples tend to marry later, with less frequency, have marriages that do not last as long, and are more prone to divorce than other racial categories. However, religion may play an important role to counteract the negative marriage trends among Black heterosexual couples. As a growing subfield of family psychology this study examines the influence of religion on marital sanctification and relational spirituality among 33 Black married couples (N = 66). In-depth qualitative interviews with Black married couples were analyzed to see how religion informed and shaped perceptions of marital sanctification as well as unique relational …
The Association Between Locus Of Control And Marital Satisfaction Throughout Adulthood, Matthew Elias Kahler
The Association Between Locus Of Control And Marital Satisfaction Throughout Adulthood, Matthew Elias Kahler
Theses and Dissertations
The correlation between locus of control and marital satisfaction is examined as part of a longitudinal study spanning 44 years and 3 time points. It is predicted that as locus of control has more of an external orientation marital satisfaction will be lower. Participants include high school juniors and seniors in the state of Washington from 1966 with follow-up surveys in 1980 and 2010. Using ordinary least squares regressions, marital satisfaction scores in 1980 or 2010 are predicted by locus of control scores from either 1966 or 1980 with control variables that include gender, income, educational attainment, occupational prestige, and …
The Sounds Of Silence; Or, Isabella’S Counter Discourse In Measure For Measure, Gina Vivona
The Sounds Of Silence; Or, Isabella’S Counter Discourse In Measure For Measure, Gina Vivona
Theses and Dissertations
This argument reshapes the thinking about masculine dominance in Measure for Measure, and considers the patriarchy as a series of socially constructed, hence artificial, rules and regulations. It also explores how Isabella’s discourse and celibacy empower her to defy the constraints of early modern paradigms and achieve individual freedom.
Does All The Excitement Really End At Marriage? An Assessment Of Same-Sex Marriage Legislation And Lgbt Activism, Kelsie Diaz
Does All The Excitement Really End At Marriage? An Assessment Of Same-Sex Marriage Legislation And Lgbt Activism, Kelsie Diaz
Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between the legalization of same-sex marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships with LGBT political participation and activism. There has long been a debate between several groups of LGBT activists on what the legalization of same-sex marriage will do to LGBT activism. Will achieving same-sex marriage ultimately hinder the movement or will it open new realms of possibility for change? This study aims to survey the arguments offered by a few prevalent sides of the same-sex marriage debate, then provide empirical information as support for one of those claims. This study …
Relational Aggression/Victimization And Depression In Married Couples, Christine Marie Cramer
Relational Aggression/Victimization And Depression In Married Couples, Christine Marie Cramer
Theses and Dissertations
The current study investigates the correlates of partner-directed relational aggression in married couples. In particular, this study looks at the connection between romantic relational aggression and the personal outcome of depression. Both the experience of victimization and perpetration of romantic relational aggression are considered. Victimization may be linked to depression through the concept of the “looking glass self” and reflected appraisals. Aggression, in contrast, may be linked to depression through dissatisfaction with one’s own aggressive tendencies in the relationship and a lack of “relational self-esteem”. Couples who completed the RELATE assessment were asked to report on their partner’s engagement in …
Effects Of Cohabitation On Children Of Latino Americans, Miriam Grace Clark
Effects Of Cohabitation On Children Of Latino Americans, Miriam Grace Clark
Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of cohabitation on children in kindergarten and how this varies by race. Many researchers have shown that children being raised in cohabiting families do not perform as well as children being raised in married parent families (Manning and Seltzer 2009; Artis 2007; Raley et al 2005). Furthermore, demographic trends show that cohabitation among Latinos is very similar to marriage, whereas among whites they are two very different things (Choi and Seltzer 2009). My research combines these two ideas to investigate how cohabitation may affect Latino children differently than it affects …
The Changing Meaning Of Marriage: An Analysis Of Contemporary Marital Attitudes Of Young Adults, Nicole Margaret Kay
The Changing Meaning Of Marriage: An Analysis Of Contemporary Marital Attitudes Of Young Adults, Nicole Margaret Kay
Theses and Dissertations
An interesting paradox in the literature about marriage is that despite the substantial changes to marriage over the last half century, young adults remain committed to the ideal of marriage. While changes to marriage as a social institution have been well documented, research concerning the contemporary attitudes of young adults about marriage has been limited. Even less research has focused on how these contemporary attitudes may cluster young adults into groups that have different perceptions of marriage. This study explores young single adult attitudes about marriage, and group differences in these attitudes. A quota sample (n=700) of 18-35 year-old young …
Communal And Exchange Relationships In Marriage And Their Effects On Ambulatory Blood Pressure In Caucasians And Foreign-Born Mexican Americans, Bryan J. Jensen
Communal And Exchange Relationships In Marriage And Their Effects On Ambulatory Blood Pressure In Caucasians And Foreign-Born Mexican Americans, Bryan J. Jensen
Theses and Dissertations
Research shows Mexican Americans typically have better cardiovascular health than European Americans, despite being relatively economically disadvantaged. Given research indicating the importance of relationship quality on one's health, the present study examined whether certain relationship orientations (e.g. communal or exchange) were more prevalent in different ethnic groups and if these orientations could help explain this Hispanic Paradox. 582 adults were recruited from the community. Participants were primarily European American (40%) and foreign-born Mexican Americans (55%). A cross-sectional designed was used where participants wore 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) monitors and completed self-report measures of relationship satisfaction and relationship orientation. Results …
Age Differences In Marriage: Exploring Predictors Of Marital Quality In Husband-Older, Wife-Older, And Same-Age Marriages, Brandan E. Wheeler
Age Differences In Marriage: Exploring Predictors Of Marital Quality In Husband-Older, Wife-Older, And Same-Age Marriages, Brandan E. Wheeler
Theses and Dissertations
Using data from a nationally representative sample of 723 married adults, this study explored the association of age differences between spouses at the time of marriage on various aspects of marital quality years into the marriage. Four groups (full sample, husband-older, wife-older, and same-age marriages) were compared to see how marital quality was affected by age difference and several other moderating variables. Spousal interactions increased among wife-older marriages, but not among the other groups. An increased level of husband participation in household labor was linked with an increase in marital happiness and a decrease in marital problems for wife-older marriages. …
Emotional Intimacy, Coparenting, And Family Work: A Latent Class Growth Analysis, Adam Michael Galovan
Emotional Intimacy, Coparenting, And Family Work: A Latent Class Growth Analysis, Adam Michael Galovan
Theses and Dissertations
From a family systems theoretical view, this paper uses both variable-oriented and person-oriented research approaches to examine parental marriage as a dynamic, interdependent system, and extends the literature by examining parental marriage across a 15 year time span. Employing latent growth curve analysis of 490 mother-father dyads from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, this study considers multiple aspects of the relationship husbands and wives have together as spouses (emotional intimacy), parents (ideas about discipline and a child-centered vs. adult-centered orientation to childrearing), coparents (agreement regarding parenting beliefs and discipline), and household managers (agreement on the …
Measuring Marriage Or Measuring Individuals: An Ontological Analysis Of Marital Therapy Outcome Measures, Joseph Andrew Ostenson
Measuring Marriage Or Measuring Individuals: An Ontological Analysis Of Marital Therapy Outcome Measures, Joseph Andrew Ostenson
Theses and Dissertations
Many scholars have noted the pervasiveness of individualism in American culture, particularly in the marriage culture. Unfortunately, assuming individualism in the marriage culture poses very specific threats to marriage as an institution. Some claim that these individualistic assumptions have also infiltrated the marital sciences, undermining the efforts of researchers who hope to defend marriage. This dissertation explores that claim by analyzing seven of the most popular marital outcome instruments used by marital researchers today for individualistic assumptions. Using a conceptual analysis called "contrasting relations," the meanings of both the content and the process of the instruments are laid out according …
Family-Of-Origin Experience And Emotional Health As Predictors Of Relationship Self-Regulation, Matthew Dean Brown
Family-Of-Origin Experience And Emotional Health As Predictors Of Relationship Self-Regulation, Matthew Dean Brown
Theses and Dissertations
The general purpose of this study was to understand differences in one's ability to implement relationship self-regulation (RSR) based on the predictor variables of parental marital satisfaction, parent-child relationship quality, and neuroticism. Participants were 380 married couples (760 individuals) in their first marriage who completed the RELATionship Evaluation (RELATE) between 2006 and 2008. This sample was used to test a structural equation model of the study variables. Results were mixed, indicating that proximal factors may have a larger effect on RSR than more distal family-of-origin factors. There was no direct relationship between perceived parental marital satisfaction and RSR for males …
Commitment In Marriage: An Influence For Moral Growth, Shelly Evans Powell
Commitment In Marriage: An Influence For Moral Growth, Shelly Evans Powell
Theses and Dissertations
Marriage continues to be one of the most important relationships to today's Americans (Fowers, 2000), generating numerous studies on the physical, emotional, mental and financial outcomes of marriage (Waite & Gallagher, 2000). Yet, little research has been done to explore the moral outcomes of marriage. Examining how marriage may contribute to individual spouses' moral development is compatible with recent studies on marital virtues that aim to provide a more complete as well as less individualistic view of marriage (Hawkins, Fowers, Carroll, & Yang, 2007). This study adopts a moral personality approach to examine marriage's role in adult moral development. Taking …
Marriage Preparation Education Programs: An Evaluation Of Essential Elements Of Quality, Geniel Childs
Marriage Preparation Education Programs: An Evaluation Of Essential Elements Of Quality, Geniel Childs
Theses and Dissertations
The efficacy of marriage preparation education (MPE) continues to be demonstrated through participant outcome research. However, understanding the elements that make MPE effective is still unclear and standards for quality have not been established. In an effort to address these deficits and promote improvement in the field of MPE, currently available and widely recognized marriage preparation education programs were examined according an evaluative model created by Hughes (1994). The four components of the Hughes model (content, instructional process, implementation process, and evaluation) outline research-supported elements that are essential in the development of quality family life educational programs. Eight MPE programs …
The Neglect Of Divorce In Marital Research: An Ontological Analysis Of The Work Of John Gottman, Joseph Andrew Ostenson
The Neglect Of Divorce In Marital Research: An Ontological Analysis Of The Work Of John Gottman, Joseph Andrew Ostenson
Theses and Dissertations
This thesis explores why the divorce rate has remained relatively stable over the past few decades, even in the face of rapidly growing social sciences – particularly the branch associated with the study and treatment of marriage – through an analysis of the work of John Gottman. This thesis chiefly claims that divorce is not addressed in marital research. It is argued, however, that far from being intentional on the part of researchers, the disregard for divorce in the marital research is actually due to underlying, unrecognized assumptions. Specifically, this thesis analyzes the most fundamental assumptions – the ontological assumptions …
Pornography Viewing As Attachment Trauma In Pair-Bond Relationships-A Theoretical Model Of Mechanisms., Spencer T. Zitzman
Pornography Viewing As Attachment Trauma In Pair-Bond Relationships-A Theoretical Model Of Mechanisms., Spencer T. Zitzman
Theses and Dissertations
Online sexual activities, including pornography use, have drastically increased in recent years. Many studies have examined the impact that pornography use can have on marriages and families. One of the key findings has been that pornography use can negatively impact trust in relationships. This study focused on understanding the mechanisms involved when a husband's pornography use negatively impacts his marital relationship and his wife's emotional well-being. Through qualitative analysis of interviews of 14 wives who received therapy because of their husband's pornography use, the analytic team found (1) a breakdown of expectations and assumptions central to the marriage, (2) a …
Sexual Satisfaction In Older Marriages: Effects Of Family-Of-Origin Distress And Marital Distress, Luke Elias Wilson
Sexual Satisfaction In Older Marriages: Effects Of Family-Of-Origin Distress And Marital Distress, Luke Elias Wilson
Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of this study was to examine how sexual satisfaction in older marriages (marriages with at least one spouse between the ages of 55 and 75) was affected by family-of-origin distress (recent measure of recollection of childhood experiences) and marital distress (measure of current marital relationship) for husbands and wives. The hypotheses of this study were that both family-of-origin distress and marital distress would have negative effects on sexual satisfaction for older couples, with marital distress having a direct, negative effect on sexual satisfaction and with family-of-origin distress having an indirect, negative effect on sexual satisfaction through its influence …
The Development Of The Remarital Assessment Questionnaire For Divorced Persons (Raq-D), Derrel Jay Higgins
The Development Of The Remarital Assessment Questionnaire For Divorced Persons (Raq-D), Derrel Jay Higgins
Theses and Dissertations
The development of the Remarital Assessment Questionnaire for Divorced Persons (RAQ-D) is presented. Steps of development of the questionnaire are outlined: a review of remarital literature, interviews with remarried couples, the creation of a pool of items, review of the items by clinicians, and the development of a preliminary questionnaire. Data were collected through the internet. An Exploratory Factor Analysis of the data yielded scales relating to adjustment areas that are specific to remarital couples. The resulting scales exhibited acceptable level of internal consistency. Psychometric properties of the resulting scales are reported. Implications and recommendations of further development of the …