Anthony P. Jurich

Characteristics of the Kansas Family Life Satisfaction Scale in a Regional Sample

In a regional sample of 620 families, the four items of the Kansas Family Life Satisfaction Scale demonstrated adequate internal consistency reliability and limited construct validity. As with other satisfaction scales, however, the scale did not manifest a normal distribution of responses. The scales social desirability characteristics were not assessed and remain unknown.

The “Marital Conventionalization” Argument; Implications for the Study of Religiosity and Marital Satisfaction

The “marital conventionalization” argument set forth by Edmonds, Withers, and Dibatista (1972) claims that empirical relationships observed between measures of religiosity and marital satisfaction are spurious artifacts of the common contamination of such measures with social desirability/acquiescence response bias, identified by Edmonds (1967) as “marital conventionalization” and measured through the Marital Conventionalization Scale (MCS). More recently, Glenn and Weaver (1978) have adopted the “marital conventionalization” argument to discount the importance of the substantial, positive associations they observed between a religious variable and a measure of marital happiness. Data from two Kansas samples of husbands and wives were analyzed to evaluate the validity of the “marital conventionalization” argument. Results indicate that religiosity is an important predictor of marital satisfaction, at least in some samples, even among subjects who do not respond in a “conventionalizing” way to an abbreviated version of the MCS. Therefore, the limitations of the “marital conventionalization” argument should be considered prior to discounting empirical relationships found between religiosity and marital satisfaction as mere artifacts of social desirability or acquiescence response biases, as measured by the MCS.

His and Her Marriage Revisited

Glenn (1975) and Bernard (1975) have debated the relative benefits of marriage for men and women. An analysis of data from three samples of midwestern married couples yielded partial support for both positions. While men and women were equally happy on the average, when there was an extremely wide difference in marital satisfaction, it was almost always the woman who was less satisfied—“her” marriage was quite different from “his”—much worse.

The Effect of Cognitive Moral Development upon the Selection of Premarital Sexual Standards

A sample of 160 college students from eight different colleges was solicited and tested. Using Kohlbergs method of assessing cognitive moral development and questions about premarital sexual attitudes, the present study discovered a strong relationship between these variables. Subjects with low levels of cognitive moral development chose either traditional morality, the double standard, or permissiveness without affection standard. Those with a moderate degree of cognitive moral development chose permissiveness with affection. Those with a high level of cognitive moral development chose a nonexploitive permissiveness without affection standard. The formulation of premarital sexual standards was discussed and theoretical implications were drawn.

Young adults' preferences for premarital preparation program designs: An exploratory study

Although premarriage programs are widely available, relatively few couples seek formal preparation, perhaps because programs are typically structured by providers, not clients. To determine client interests for program format, an exploratory study was conducted with 185 unmarried young adults at a midwestern university. Respondents indicated interest in programs led by a combination of well-trained and respectful providers, therapist-couple formats, and awareness and skill-building emphases.

Approaches To The Statistical Analysis Of Family Data

Family scholars are now becoming more and more concerned about the extent to which data collected from only one family member can accurately describe what is happening in the family. Little systematic guidance, however, has been available to researchers on how to analyze data collected from more than one family member. This paper presents several alternatives for the statistical analysis of family data. In general, it appears that multivariate multiple regression, typo logical analysis, and repeated measures designs are among the more useful tech niques for studying family data.

Locus of Control and Marital Satisfaction

Summary This study replicates, to some extent, the only two previous studies that had examined the relationship of locus of control and marital satisfaction (Mlott and Lira, 1977, and Doherty, 1980), whose findings indicated that when the wife was more externally oriented and the husband more internal there were high levels of marital dissatisfaction. Both studies had focused on young, recently married couples. The present study focused on older couples, 83 from rural and 98 from urban communities in southeastern Kansas, who had remained in marriages longer. Findings indicated that locus of control was indeed associated with marital satisfaction—the greater the internal locus of control for the wife, the higher the marital satisfaction—and that such an association is not an artifact of social desirability.

Reasons for drug use: comparison of drug users and abusers.

A paired sample of 48 subjects, matched in sex, marital status, residence, and socioeconomic status, was divided into two groups, drug users and drug abusers. Each subject was interviewed about his motivation for drug use. His responses were taped, transcribed, and coded. Analysis showed that drug users were more likely to use drugs for recreational purposes, while drug abusers used drugs to cope with an external locus of control, a low self-concept, feelings of disillusion, and personal stresses. Both groups used drugs to escape, seek personal identity, and rebel against authority. The discussion emphasized that drug users and abusers have different motivations for drug-taking and must be considered as two distinct groups.

Gender and Marital Satisfaction: A Replication Using a Seven-Point Item Response Version of the Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale

In a subsample of married individuals, 97 married men and 154 married women, who had participated in a larger study of retention of church members, an effect size of 0.28 was found between gender and marital satisfaction as measured by the standard 21-point, three-item Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale. The results are consistent with previous reports of a gender effect associated with marital satisfaction, including an analysis of another subsample of the same larger study in which a 15-point version of the scale was used.

Dimensionality of an Abbreviated Version of the Relationship Inventory: An Urban Replication with Married Couples

An abbreviated version of the Relationship Inventory (Barrett-Lennard, 1962) was administered to a random sample of 98 urban married couples to replicate an earlier study involving a sample of 83 rural married couples. Principal components were analyzed to assess the dimensionality of items pertaining to empathy, congruence, and regard. In general, results of the previous study were confirmed. Although the abbreviated inventory may have limitations, it appears to be adequate enough to warrant use in future research in that the same dimensions were found across four different groups of respondents in the two studies.