Family History Of Distress Research Articles

Marital Distress across the Mid-Life Transition among Middle-Class Caucasian Women

Aspects of Levinson's 1978 theory of adult development were used to examine women's progress across the mid-life transition. The subjects were 126 married, Caucasian mothers, ages 37 to 47 years. Contrary to prediction, age-related differences in marital distress were not found. For the sample as a whole, marital distress was related to a family history of distress, difficulty in parent-child relations, and inequitable task-sharing with spouses. Some of the difficulties for women in combining family and career within the context of current social and family structures are discussed.

COMPUTER‐BASED INTERPRETATION OF THE MARITAL SATISFACTION INVENTORY: USE IN TREATMENT PLANNING

This paper describes the computer‐based interpretive system for the Marital Satisfaction Inventory (MSI) and its application in initial phases of clinical assessment and treatment planning. The automated MSI interpretive report contains sections regarding profile validity and global marital affect, spousal communication, specific areas of interaction, concerns regarding children, role orientation, and family history of distress. A case study and sample narrative demonstrate the manner in which the MSI computerized report can be incorporated into initial clinical assessment and treatment planning. Clinical findings at intake are compared with MSI profiles for this couple obtained at termination and follow‐up. Both strengths and limitations of self‐report measures and computer‐based interpretive reports in marital therapy are considered.