Marital relationships research

• Welcome to the Outcome Assessment forum by John Grohol, 9/18/96
  
  

In an attempt to develop a more detailed analysis of marital relationships , I have posted on the net a Family Relationships Page and a 72-item questionnaire that includes scales for dimensions of 1. Encouraging Autonomy and Individuality versus Control and 2. Loving Relatedness versus Hostile Detachment complemented by scales that explore the domain of sensuality and sexuality. My goal is to determine whether sexuality is a relatively independent dimension or is highly related to Autonomy and Relatedness in marriage.

As a retired professor I do not have ready access to funding and subjects for the project. I would welcome suggestions from students and researchers for access to subjects. I would like to publish a report on the method and factor analysis on an adequate sample, with or without coauthors, while others might publish the substantive findings on relationships to marital happiness, mental health, husband-wife correlations etc. In my judgment, the method provides a more detailed analysis--brief scales for 18 specific concepts--than existing marital relationship scales such as the Locke-Wallace and Spanier scales.

Current interest in marital happiness and stability, feminist interests in dominance and control, and interest in the role of sexuality in relationships suggests that the proposed method, factor analysis on major dimensions of marriage, and substantive research would be fruitful extensions of research on marriage. I would welcome comments, criticisms, and suggestions.

Sincerely,

Earl S. Schaefer

• Questions about Marital Relationship Research by Ellen Dornelas, 10/29/96
  • address for marital inventory by Earl S. Schaefer, 11/2/96
• Searching for marital adjustment scale by Steven Locke, 1/12/98