Graham B. Spanier

Measuring Dyadic Adjustment: New Scales for Assessing the Quality of Marriage and Similar Dyads.

This study reports on the development of the Dyadic Adjustment Scale, a new measure for assessing the quality of marriage and other similar dyads. The 32-item scale is designed for use with either married or unmarried cohabiting couples. Despite widespread criticisms of the concept of adjustment, the study proceeds from the pragmatic position that a new measure, which is theoretically grounded, relevant, valid, and highly reliable, is necessary since marital and dyadic adjustment continue to be researched. This factor analytic study tests a conceptual definition set forth in eariler work and suggests the existence of four empirically verified components of dyadic adjustment which can be used as subscales [dyadic satisfaction, dyadic cohesion, dyadic consensus and affectional expression]. Evidence is presented suggesting content, criterion-related, and construct validity. High scale reliability is reported. The possibility of item weighting is considered and endorsed as a potential measurement technique, but it not adopted for the present Dyadic Adjustment Scale. It is concluded that the Dyadic Adjustment Scale represents a significant improvement over other measures of marital adjustment, but a number of troublesome methodological issues remain for future research.

A Confirmatory Analysis of the Dyadic Adjustment Scale

The dyadic adjustment scale is critically evaluated by reconsidering the factor structure of the scale and its subscales using a maximum likelihood, confirmatory factor-analysis procedure. A new sample is studied three years later from the same geographical area. High reliability was confirmed for the overall scale. The four subscale factors appear robust and account for 94% of the covariance among the items, although subscale affiliations were not perfectly replicated in the confirmatory factor solution. The findings of the re-evaluation are encouraging, suggesting that confidence in the scale is warranted for subsequent users.

Recycling the family : remarriage after divorce

This volume reports the result of a longitudinal study of the social, psychological, and economic adjustment to the transition from marriage to divorce to remarriage. Furstenberg and Spanier present for the first time the result of a serious study of the world of remarried couples. Many factors change in the second marriage - there is the presence of former spouses and complex familial arrangements, and the involved system of relationships forces us to reconsider our entire definition of the family. This volume adds to our knowledge of remarriage through exploratory interviews and surveys.

The measurement of marital quality

The quality of marital relationships is the most studied topic pertaining to marriage and family life. Moreover, clinicians have become increasingly interested in this variable as divorce rates have climbed and as services for counseling and therapy have become more readily available and more widely accepted. These research and clinical needs necessitate the availability of measures of variables which assess marital quality (e.g., marital adjustment, satisfaction, and happiness). This article discusses the need for such measures, reviews the history of measurements in this area, identifies some conceptual and methodological issues of relevance, and then focuses most specifically on the Dyadic Adjustment Scale developed by Spanier. Some cautions for clinicians are noted, and a discussion of future measurement needs is presented.

Parting : the aftermath of separation and divorce

Parting Introduction Moving Toward Separation Outsiders Relief and Distress The Partners After Marriage Friends and Relatives Dating and Sex Well-Being

Influence of Parents, Peers, and Partners on the Contraceptive Use of College Men and Women.

Self-administered questionnaires were completed by a nonprobability purposive sample of 434 never-married sexually active males and females between the ages of 17 and 22 years in order to investigate the relative influences of parents peers and partners on the contraceptive use of college men and women. Path analyses showed that the effects of involvement with partner sexual exclusivity and frequency of intercourse on contraceptive use are mostly indirect via influence from partner. Among the males in the sample partner influence emerged as a strong and singular contribution to contraceptive use. Involvement with partner was significantly and inversely related to contraceptive use unless the influence from partner intervened. A more complex pattern emerged among the females suggesting that young women are oriented toward partner and friends and the source of influence is related to extent of involvement with the sexual partner. Parents failed to significantly influence contraceptive use. Overall the models presented accounted for 31% of the variance in contraceptive use for females and 34% for males. Clearly influence from the partner to use contraception is a strong contributor to contraceptive use among young men and women.(AUTHORS MODIFIED)

Sources of Sex Information and Premarital Sexual Behavior

Abstract Parents and educators have been concerned with the impact of sex education courses and sources of sex information on premarital sexual behavior. This study investigates different sources of sex information, including parents, peers, and others, and how they influence premarital sexual behavior among American college students. This exploratory research is based on the secondary analysis of cross‐sectional data from a national probability sample of 1,177 college students interviewed about their sexual behavior and sexual socialization experiences. Cross‐tabulations between several sources of sex information and a composite index of incidence and prevalence of premarital socio‐sexual involvement are presented. Among females, sexual behavior was influenced in a negative direction by their mothers and in a positive direction by male friends and independent reading. Among males, sexual behavior was influenced in a negative direction by clergymen and in a positive direction by male and female friends an...

The End of Marriage and Acceptance of Marital Termination.

The circumstances surrounding the termination of marriage are examined in relation to the aftermath of marital separation. Social exchange theory provides a framework for representing the end of marriage. Data were collected from a nonprobability sample of 205 individuals in central Pennsylvania, who were first interviewed in depth soon after their final separation. Measures are developed to assess the attractions in marriage, external pressures to remain married, alternative attractions to the marriage, and acceptance of marital termination. Multiple regression analysis demonstrates that 41 % of the variance in acceptance of marital termination can be explained by marital history variables. Several bivariate and multivariate hypotheses are tested, providing insight into the similarities and differences between males and females in postmarital adjustment. The paper concludes with a descriptive analysis of several dimensions of the process of marital dissolution and its aftermath.

The risk of dissolution in remarriage: an examination of Cherlins hypothesis of incomplete institutionalization

The authors examine the hypothesis developed by Andrew Cherlin that the high rate of dissolution of remarriages stems from the incomplete institutionalization of remarriage. U.S. data from the June 1975 Current Population Survey are used to confirm the hypothesis in general; however they do not provide evidence that remarriers with children run a significantly greater risk of separation or divorce. Reasons for the frequency of second marriage breakdowns are discussed. (ANNOTATION)

Marital Instability in the United States: Some Correlates and Recent Changes.

The authors examine recent U.S. divorce trends with particular reference to some of the demographic consequences for children and families. They also present new data on some correlates of marital instability including the relationship between age at first marriage and divorce and between childlessness or sex of children and divorce. Data are from official vital statistics the 1960 and 1970 censuses and the June 1975 Current Population Survey (ANNOTATION)