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Toward Identification of Strategies to Strengthen the Family Unit

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 February 2016

C.L. Schultz*
Affiliation:
Department of Behavioural Health Sciences, Lincoln School of Health Sciences, La Trobe University, 625 Swanston Street, Carlton 3053
N.C. Schultz
Affiliation:
Highfields Centre, Ivanhoe 3079
A.E. Craddock
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Sydney, 2066
*
Department of Behavioural Health Sciences, Lincoln School of Health Sciences, La Trobe University, 625 Swanston Street, Carlton 3053

Abstract

This study compares levels of couple agreement about positive and satisfying features of their relationship as reported by a remarried sample (n = 70) couples and a more general sample of couples largely in their first marriage or committed de facto relationship (n = 100 couples). The ENRICH inventory (Olson et al., 1982) was used with the general sample and the ENRICH-Anew inventory (Schultz & Schultz, 1987) was used for the remarried sample, thereby providing the measures of positive couple agreement, which can in turn serve as indicators for strengthening family relationships. There were no statistically significant differences between the two samples, indicating commonalities in stresses and strengths experienced by the two samples. However, there are suggestions in the data that issues related to children and parenting were subject to lower levels of agreement for the remarried couples. The comparison couples produced lower levels of agreement in the areas of conflict resolution and relating to partner's family and friends.

Type
Remarriage and Family Well-Being
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1990

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