David G. Schramm

Religiosity, Homogamy, and Marital Adjustment: An Examination of Newlyweds in First Marriages and Remarriages

This article explores the relationship between religiosity, denominational homogamy, religiosity homogamy, and marital adjustment. Using a statewide sample of spouses in first marriages (N = 1,394) and remarriages (N = 601), the authors find that within-group differences in religiosity, denominational homogamy, and religiosity homogamy are not as prevalent for spouses in remarriages. Overall, husbands and wives in first marriages who are very religious have significantly higher marital adjustment scores than spouses who are less religious. Similarly, husbands and wives in first marriages who share the same religious denomination report higher marital adjustment scores than spouses who report different denominations. For spouses in both first marriages and remarriages, those who report that they are “both religious” have higher marital adjustment scores than spouses where both partners are not religious, or where only the wife is religious. Possible reasons for the within-group similarities and differences are explored, particularly for spouses in remarriages.

Father Involvement, Father–Child Relationship Quality, and Satisfaction With Family Work Actor and Partner Influences on Marital Quality

Using family systems theory and an actor–partner interdependence model, we examine the influence of the division of family work (including fathers’ participation in child rearing) on father–child relationship quality, satisfaction with the family work division, and marital quality. The strongest effect on both spouses’ marital quality is wives’ perception of father–child relationship quality. Following this, wives’ perceptions of father participation in child rearing are positively associated with both spouses’ reports of marital quality. Furthermore, both husbands and wives report higher marital quality when they are more satisfied with the division of labor. When wives report their husbands have greater responsibility for family tasks, both spouses report higher satisfaction with the division of labor. Post hoc analyses revealed that wives are more satisfied with the division of labor when they work with their spouse rather than alone. All findings support a systemic relational orientation to family work, the division of roles, and relationship quality.

Marital Quality for Men and Women in Stepfamilies Examining the Role of Economic Pressure, Common Stressors, and Stepfamily-Specific Stressors

Although economic pressure and family stress models have been examined with samples of men and women in first marriages, previous models have neglected to focus on men and women in stepfamilies and to examine stress sources unique to stepfamilies. This study examines the effect of economic pressure on both common stressors and stepfamily-specific stressors and the subsequent effects on negativity, positivity, and marital quality. Results of structural equation modeling with a sample of 490 men and women in stepfamilies indicate that the proposed stepfamily stress model fit the data well for both men and women. For women, stepfamily-specific stressors have a direct inverse effect on positivity, negativity, and marital quality. For men, stepfamily-specific stressors were predictive of both positivity and marital quality. Findings from the study advance previous research on economic pressure, family stress, and marital quality.

Divorce Education for Parents: A Comparison of Online and In-Person Delivery Methods

Divorce education classes are common across the United States, and results suggest they are generally effective. No studies, however, have examined the effectiveness of an online version of a divorce education course. Using data from a sample of 778 divorced and separated parents who participated in the Focus on Kids (FOK) divorce education class in person, and 517 participants who completed the online version of the course, we examine program effectiveness by method of delivery. Results from retrospective pre–post surveys indicate there are minimal differences in understanding, knowledge, and anticipated behavior change across delivery method. Overall, both groups of parents indicated the FOK program was helpful and worthwhile, and anticipated making positive changes in their coparenting behaviors as a result.

Focus on Kids: Evaluation of a Research-Based Divorce Education Program

Using data from a sample of 2,274 divorced or separated parents who participated in the Focus on Kids (FOK) divorce education program, we examine program effectiveness by demographic characteristics. We followed up with 149 participants after between 4 and 10 months with a follow-up posttest survey to examine long-term effectiveness. Overall, the vast majority of parents indicated that the FOK program was helpful and worthwhile. However, younger participants, females, and those with lower education levels and lower incomes found the program to be most helpful. At follow-up, parents were less likely to be engaging in coparenting conflict. Implications for divorce education programs are discussed.

Merging Relationship Education and Child Abuse Prevention Knowledge: An Evaluation of Effectiveness with Adolescents

Using a quasi-experimental design with sample of 623 high school students, we examined the effectiveness of combining information about child abuse prevention with relationship education, on several outcomes. Findings suggest that adolescents who participated in the classes showed significant increases in their knowledge and understanding of healthy relationships, including more realistic beliefs and attitudes about romance and mate selection, decisions about sex, and decreases in their use of verbal aggression in dating relationships compared with control subjects. Participants also showed increases in their knowledge related to harsh caregiving, spanking, and sudden infant death syndrome. Implications for educators, practitioners, and future programming are discussed.

Training Child Welfare Professionals to Support Healthy Couple Relationships: Examining the Link to Training Transfer

Integrating healthy relationship and marriage education (RME) into child welfare services is a relatively recent initiative. Guided by the theoretical work in child welfare training evaluation, the current study describes the development and testing of a new RME training for child welfare professionals. Based on data collected from 272 trainees, results from structural equation modeling indicate a linear association between learner attitudes and newly acquired knowledge and skills to perceptions of training usefulness, which, in turn, influenced implementation of RME skills with clients. Implications for the delivery and evaluation of programming, in general and specific to RME, are shared.

Economic Costs and Policy Implications Associated With Divorce: Texas as a Case Study

Although many adults and children are resilient after divorce, it is common for marital breakups to precipitate the need for government assistance for families who had been self-sufficient. This study focuses on the economic costs of divorce associated with means-tested welfare programs in Texas, which fall into five central areas: medical assistance; cash assistance; food assistance; housing, energy, and utility assistance; and child care and development assistance. The study estimated that Texas spends at least

A Revision of the Questionnaire for Couples in Stepfamilies

3.18 billion on divorce and its related consequences each year, accounting for approximately 12% of the total Texas budget in 2008. These results reinforce the notion that family actions often have public consequences. Policy implications related to services aimed at strengthening healthy marriage and decreasing “preventable” divorce via reconciliation services are offered.

Variations in Predictors of Marital Satisfaction Across More Religious and Less Religious Regions of the United States

This study describes the efforts to develop and validate the Revised Questionnaire for Couples in Stepfamilies (RQCS). Utilizing exploratory and confirmatory factor analytic techniques, a 22-item scale is presented. Concurrent validity between the original and revised instruments is assessed with a measure of marital instability. Two independent samples, from different regions of the United States, are used to cross-validate the findings. Results suggest that relative to the original instrument, the RQCS can be used to assess 4 domains of stepfamily difficulties without significant loss of measurement precision.