Depressed (n = 110) and nondepressed (n = 104) mothers were given a set of self-report measures, including the CES-D (depression), the STAI (anxiety), the STAXI (anger), the Perinatal Anxieties and Attitudes Scale, a questionnaire on substance use and the Feelings About Pregnancy and Delivery Scale that was designed for this study and that…

Many studies of family relationships in later adulthood fail to take into account earlier experiences. This study investigated predictors of family contact and closeness. Data were provided by 500 adult children (aged 22 to 72) and 190 adult siblings (aged 45 to 96) of elderly participants in the Seattle Longitudinal Study. Subjects rated the…

The development and maintenance of romantic relationships in college students has been an increasingly frequent focus of attention among researchers interested in college student development. This study examined the role of gender in the relationships of emotional self-disclosure, self-esteem, and relationship satisfaction. Using a sample of…

Previous research findings were used in this study to develop and compare categories of the commonly used tactics and motives of sexually aggressive college women and men. In the collaborative work, 43% of the men and 26% of the women said they had perpetrated at least one act of sexual persistence. Based upon the reports of sexual targets,…

Examined adolescent intimacy in close friendships and romantic relationships from a systemic perspective. Found qualitative sex-related differences in how partners balance closeness and individuality in the two types of close friendships. Development of an intimate romantic relationship was also found to require greater commitment for males than…

Explored findings of a sexual conflict scale given to 250 university students. Results indicate that premarital sexual conflict was negatively related to sexual satisfaction and relationship satisfaction. Likewise, premarital sexual conflict was positively related to sex guilt, sexual conservatism, pressure to engage in sexual activity, and…

Examines John Wilson's ideal of love between equals presented in his work "Love between Equals." Assesses whom Wilson perceives as counting as equals and examines Wilson's ideas further by addressing who in this equal relationship is taking responsibility for whose sexuality. Highlights a moral peril associated with his ideal of…

Interviewed 11 caregivers for early-stage Alzheimer's patients to investigate changes in relationships concurrently with onset and progress of disease. Over 18 months, intimacy declined in both spouse and parent-child relationships. Caregivers were saddened at loss of reciprocal aspects of relationship and had difficulty coping with uncertain…

Studied intimacy in best friendships of 217 children of 8-14 years. Results showed that: (1) intimacy between best friends was relatively low at age 8, but increased in late childhood; (2) some components of intimacy developed before others; and (3) females and androgynous males formed a homogeneous high intimacy group. (RJC)

Examines relationships of idiomatic communication (including words, phrases, or nonverbal signs) to the interpersonal sentiments of 100 romantically involved heterosexual couples. Finds that loving, commitment, and closeness correlated with the number of idioms expressing affection and referring to sexual matters. Notes that males invented idioms…

Inability to hear or understand the male voice of intimacy creates difficulty in relationships. Listening to relational dialogues of intimacy based on feminine relational strengths may preclude understanding or hearing males voices. Reviews special issue of the "Journal of Mental Health Counseling" on counseling men, concluding with several…

Asked 15 couples who had been married at least 30 years to give their perceptions of qualities that had sustained their relationship in times of closeness and relational strain. Key characteristics identified were intimacy balanced with autonomy, commitment, communication, religious orientation, and congruent perceptions of the relationship.…

Nonsmoking females (n=270) observed videotaped interview in design that crossed three levels of intensity of counselor smoking, three levels of client presenting problem intimacy, and two female counselors. No interactions were observed, but counselor smoking exerted negative impact on participants' impressions of counselor characteristics and…

Examined patterns of psychosocial development for white and African-American traditional-age undergraduate female college students (n=218). Differences were found by class level in measures of autonomy with seniors scoring higher than other classes and mature interpersonal relationship scores indicating a gradual increase. In a measurement of…

Proposes a perspective for understanding the development of adolescent sexual intimacy. Describes a "transitional stage" in which adolescents, driven by developmental needs, experiment with sexual behaviors, and which results in the ability to achieve "relational" sexual intimacy when completed. Discusses problems and implications for counseling…