Subject Guides: Couples

Web Sites Extension Communication Conflict Gender Health Marriage Policy Same Sex Marriage Socio-Cultural Stress Strengthening/Education Trends Violence
Journal & Research Databases General Social Sciences Cross Discipline Education Ethnic Studies Gender Studies Health/Psychology/Social Work Newspapers	People, Places & Organizations Organizations
Statistics & Facts Marriage & Household Health Violence	Jobs & Funding Jobs Funding

Web Sites

Extension

• Alabama Marriage and Family
  Education, demographic trends, coalition building, grants. Statewide initiative.
  
  
• Building Marital Strengths (Univ. of Wyoming Ext.)
  Checklist of ideas under Commitment, Compatibility, Communication, and Connections.
  
  
• Couple and Marital Relationships (Ohio State Univ. Ext.)
  
  
• Couple Talk: Enhancing Your Relationship (Kansas State Univ Ext)
  "A non-credit Internet-based distance education course."  "This course is provided free of charge to enrolled participants."
  
  
• CYFERnet
  Select Parent/Family to get to Marriage and Couples annotated links.
  
  
• Family Life (OSU Extension)
  
  
• Family Life (Univ. of Arkansas Cooperative Extension)
  See For Family Educators for marriage and relationship resources.
  
  
• Impact of Couple and Marriage Relationships on Parenting and Child Outcomes (Iowa State Univ. Extension)
  Links to annotated research and web sites for past satellite program.
  
  
• Marriage and Couple Relationships (CES in Wyoming, Nebraska, and Minnesota.)
  For couples and helpers.
  
  
• Marriage Matters. (Ohio State Univ. Extension)
  Articles on communication to challenges, with every stage in between. Need to complete a short free survey before entering site.
  
  
• National Extension Relationship and Marriage Education Network (NERMEN)
  A nation-wide outreach by Extension Professionals that supports individuals and couples preparing for, developing and enriching healthy relationships and healthy marriages.
  
  
• UK Extension's Universe of Possibilities - Skills for Creating Happiness and Blessing Others (Univ. of Kentucky)
  Includes Healthy Relationships. "Web-based, university-created human development curriculum is yours to use free-of-charge: You may employ or reproduce all of its resources for educational or nonprofit purposes."
  
  
• Utah Marriage
  Free online class,
  

Attachment

• Attachment Theory and Close Relationships
  Theory and attachment styles summary.
  
  
• Attachment Theory & Research @Stony Brook
  Attachment measures library, online articles and more from Everett Waters and colleagues.
  

Communication

• Couple Talk: Enhancing Your Relationship (Kansas State Univ Ext)
  "Feel free to use the materials as a self-study course."
  
  
• Emotional Literacy; Intelligence with Heart.
  Online fulltext c2000 book by Claude M. Steiner.
  
  
• Interpersonal Communication (Northern Virginia Community College)
  Extensive site of annotated links.
  
  
• Romantic Relationships: Marital Communication
  Annotated links from Terrance A Doyle, PhD.
  
  
• The Seven Challenges: A Free Workbook and Reader About Communicating More Cooperatively
  Also available in Spanish and Portuguese.
  
  

Conflict

• Dealing with Anger in a Marriage (Ohio State Univ. Extension)
  Fact sheet.
  
  
• Dealing with Couple's Anger (Univ. of Colorado Extension)
  24 suggestions for managing conflict.

Gender

• Gender Issues: Communication Differences in Interpersonal Relationships (Ohio State Univ. Extension)
  Fact Sheet.
  

Health

• Revisiting the Relationships among Gender, Marital Status, and Mental Health.
  Pdf article by Robin W. Simon, Rutgers. AJS Volume 107 Number 4 (January 2002) p. 1065-1096.

Images & Cartoons

• Cartoons about Love, Relationships, Dating and Marriage
  Copyrighted by Randy Glasbergen, see his rates and terms of usage.
  

Marriage

• National Healthy Marriage Resource Center
  Marriage education, research, policy & laws, free downloads of FAQs. Part of federal Healthy Marriage Initiative. (NCFR pulled out of its initial contract to host this site because of the politics of the site.)
  

Policy

• Wisconsin.gov - - Frequently Asked Questions - State of Wisconsin - Vital Records, Population
  How to get a marriage or divorce certificate. Scroll down Site Index to "Marriage" or "Divorce or Annulment".
  
  
• Marriage Calculator: Financial Consequences of Marriage Decisions (ACF, U.S. Health & Human Services)
  "Takes information provided by the user about a family's income and assets, the number, sex, age, and parentage of the children, and its decisions to participate (if eligible) in a variety of public assistance programs and computes the net income of the family under four potential living arrangements."
  
  
• Database of State Policies Affecting Marriage (ACF, U.S. Health & Human Services)
  Supplements Marriage Calculator data.
  
  
• State Policies to Promote Marriage Final Report
  Sept 2002 report to U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services. Attachment A gives details by state.
  
  
• Potential Budgetary Impact of Recognizing Same-Sex Marriages ( Congressional Budget Office)
  June 2004 report.
  

Research

• Gottman Institute: Research on Marriage and Couples
  Has many of the "Love Lab's" research publications.
  
  
• Parenting and Family Support Centre (U of Queensland, AU)
  Many evidence based research publications.
  

Same Sex Marriage

• Same Sex Marriage: A Selective Bibliography of the Legal LIterature (Rutgers Law Library)
  Annotated bibliography. Includes web sites.
  
  
• Same Sex Marriage ( State Library of Massachusetts)
  Annotated books, articles and web sites for and against same sex marriage.
  
  
• Same Sex Marriages: Preliminary Statistics (Multnomah County, OR)
  Analysis of 2,968 same sex marriage licenses issued from March 3, 2004 through April 20, 2004.

Socio-Cultural

• Beyond the Melting Pot: Cultural Transmission, Marriage, and the Evolution of Ethnic and Religious Traits.
  Quarterly Journal of Economics, August 2000, p.955-988 pdf by Alberto Bisin and Thierry Verdier.
  
  
• Cross Cultural Patterns of Interracial Marriage
  27 page pdf by Tim B. Heaton and Cardell K. Jacobson, Dept. of Sociology, Brigham Young University.
  
  
• Hmong Culture: Kinship, Marriage, and Family Systems
  61 page master's research paper by Teng Moua, Univ. of WI-Stout.
  
  
• Kearl's Guide to the Sociology of the Family: Marriage & Family Processes
  Extensive site with references by Dr. Mike Kearl, Sociology & Anthropology prof. at Trinity Univ. (TX).
  
  
• Learning Commons - What is Culture? - Learned Behaviors - The Kiss
  Cultural meanings of the kiss.
  
  
• National Healthy Marriage Resource Center
  Type cultural in search box for resources on Hispanics, search Library for Native American resources..
  
  
• Sex and Marriage: An Introduction to The Cultural Rules Regulating Sexual Access and Marriage
  By Dr. Dennis O'Neil, Behavioral Sciences Department, Palomar College, San Marcos,CA.
  
  
• Teen Sexuality in a Culture of Confusion (Media Education Foundation)
  Video "explores the forces influencing young people's decisions about sex: media, friends, family, religion, love, AIDS, alcohol, and homophobia."
  
  
• Wedding Traditions and Cultural Wedding Traditions (Ohio State University)
  Exhibit of wedding traditions and apparel.
  

Stepfamilies & Blended Families

• HelpGuide: Blended Families/Stepfamilies (Rotary Club of Santa Monica & Center for Healthy Aging)
  Advice, myths, tips and references from non-commercial site.

• Remarriage/StepFamilies (Ohio State Univ. Extension)
  Before Remarriage, Parenting, Finances and Couple Relationships links to OSU and other Extension web sites.
  

Strengthening/Education

• Building Better Marriages: Association for Couples in Marriage Enrichment
  Several exercises for partners to do and discuss.
  
  
• Couple Coaching Interactive
  Activities. Need free sign up to get to archives. "Program designed to help couples resolve relationship conflicts.This is the English adaptation of the successful German version."
  
  
• Healthy Marriage Resource Center
  Date ideas, planning a wedding, divorce, stepfamilies, and questions to ask a marital therapist. Resources collected by New York City by the National Healthy Marriage Institute LLC.
  
  
• Long Distance Couple Relationships
  Activities, tips and advice.
  
  
• Love Lessons: 6 New Moves to Improve Your Relationship
  Describes couple courses and some activities.
  
  
• Nine Psychological Tasks for a Good Marriage
  APA article.
  
  
• eHarmony Marriage
  Online program with tools and guidance.
  
  
• Gottman Research Institute: Researching and Restoring Relationships
  Has workshops, relationship quizzes, self help and tips, and links to Relationship Research Institute and Family Research Lab. The Marriage Doctor describes one couples' experience at their workshop.
  
  
• Marriage Alive
  David and Claudia Arp non-profit marriage and family enrichment site. Has books to buy, video based educational programs, seminars, training and consulting. Includes empty nest advice.
  
  
• Marriage Builders
  Dr. Harley's basic concepts, articles, Q&A columns, books for sale, classes, workshops and more.
  
  
• Marriage Matters, LLC
  Online counseling therapy site. Has 5 keys to Improving Your Relationship, and an annotated list of recommended books.
  
  
• Marriage Toolbox
  Online magazine for relationship building.
  
  
• Marriage Support.com
  Has free email course and newsletter. Dr. David Sanford's "relationship coaching, skills-training, and innovative learning" commercial site.
  
  
• PAIRS Relationship Skills and Marriage Education Classes
  Offers classes and materials for the public and for trainers.
  
  
• Positive Way
  "Advice on relationships, love, romance, passion, marriage, divorce, stepfamilies, self-esteem development, communication, forgiveness, work, money problems and more." For individual personal use only.
  
  
• PREP (Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program)
  "A skills and principles-building curriculum" with a lot of evaluation research and tools for couples and tools for leaders. Originally developed my Howard Markman.
  
  
• Prepare/Enrich by Life Innovations
  Counselor training and programs for premarital and marital couples based on 5 inventories Dr. David Olson's developed at U of Minn. Has articles abo ut program and research summaries.
  
  
• Smart Marriages: The Coalition for Marriage, Family and Couples Education, LLC
  Has Healthy Marriages anual conference, pamphlets, summaries of their books such as 101 ideas for Strengthening Marriages in Your Community, Why Marriage Matters, quotes and more.
  
  
• Worldwide Marriage Encounter
  Religion organized weekend experiences for couples to work on communication. Select a religion and state to find scheduled encounters.

Stress

• Impact of Financial Stress in Marriage: Implications for Marriage and Family Therapists
  14 page 1989 ERIC report ED354457 by Sandra Crews Arguello.
  
  
• Marital Stress: Immunological, Endocrinological, and Health Consequences (Ohio State Univ.)
  Summary of research findings, press releases, and bibliography on stress in marriage at different stages.
  
  
• Understanding marriage and stress: essential questions and challenges
  Clinical Psychology Review 2004 Jan;23(8):1139-62 by L.B. Story and T.N. Bradbury.

Trends

• National Marriage Project: Publications
  Annual State of Our Unions, Ten Top Myths (about marriage, divorce) and more from Rutgers State University of New Jersey.
  
  
• Nursing Marriage from Sickness to Health
  Why marriages delay starting and fall apart. 1995 APA online article.
  

Violence (Domestic)

• ABA Commission on Domestic Violence (American Bar Assoc. )
  Has Finding a Lawyer tip sheet.
  
  
• Disabusing the Definition of Domestic Abuse: How Women Batter Men and the Role of the Feminist State by Linda Kelly. Florida State University Law Review, 2003 v30, p 791-855.
  

• Domestic Violence Awareness Handbook (USDA)
  Overview, what to say, how to create a safety plan, what communities should do, and impact of domestic violence on workplace.
  
  
• Family Peace Project (Medical College of WI)
  Fact sheet for community leaders and clinical protocols for signs and symptoms of partner violence, and common errors when working with victims.



• Family Research Laboratory (Univ. of New Hampshire)
  Huge bibliography on family violence in publications.
  
  
• "Friends" Raping Friends--Could it Happen to You?
  Causes, tips, and point of view on date rape. ERIC document.
  
  
• Intimate Partner Violence (CDC)
  Occurrence, consequences, risk factors, and references from the Center for Disease Control & Prevention.
  
  
• Introduction to "Checklist for Differentiating Two Different Forms of Interpersonal Violence"
  Differences between classic "battering" and "situational couple violence." By Rob Skuka, PhD.
  
  
  
• Medline Plus: Domestic Violence
  Trusted consumer articles on overviews to statistics to impact on children to how victims of domestic violence can get new Social Security numbers.
  
  
• Minnesota Center Against Violence and Abuse
  Online clearinghouse to ~3000 resources.
  
  
• No Safe Place (PBS)
  Interviews with experts, "Are You in Danger" symptoms, discussion questions & answers, and resources accompanying this 1998 PBS program.
  
  
• Preventing Family Violence (D.C. Family Impact Seminar)
  22 page 1994 background briefing for policymakers.
  
  
• Understanding and Preventing Family Violence (California Family Impact Seminar & CA State Library Foundation)
  133 page 1996 background briefing report and seminar presentations.

 

Journal & Research Databases

 

Statistics & Facts

Marriage & Household

• Wisconsin Marriages and Divorces
  Annual reports from WI Dept. of Health and Family Services.
  
  
• Henry A Murray Research Archive
  Harvard social sciences data repository.



• National Marriage Project: Publications
  Annual State of Our Unions, Ten Top Myths (about marriage, divorce) and more from Rutgers State University of New Jersey.
  
  
• National Survey of Families and Households
  "Interviews were conducted in 1987-88, 1992-94, and 2001-2003."
  
  
• Family Facts & Figures (Australian Institute of Family Studies)
  Cohabitation and marriage statistics.
  

Health

• Indicators of Marriage and Fertility in the United States from the American Community Survey: 2000-2003
  May 2005 U.S. Bureau of Census report.



• National Health Statistics Center: Series 21: Data on Natality, Marriage and Divorce.
  Has special reports such as #45 Remarriages and Subsequent Divorces: United States. Wilson, B. F. January 1989. 40 pp
  
  
• National Health Statistics Center: Vital Statistics of the United States 1985-1993
  Look for Vol. III of each year for published pdf reports on marriage & divorce.
  
  
• National Health Statistics Center: Marriage Data Public-use Data Files
  How to get data and what data is included.
  

Violence

• Family Violence Statistics (U.S. Bureau of Justice)
  "Data are drawn from victimization surveys, official police statistics, State and Federal court statistics, and surveys of inmates in State prisons and local jails."
  
  
• Same Gender Violence Statistics (Univ. of Wisconsin-Stout)
  Summary of statistics with sources.

People, Places & Organizations

Organizations

• American Family Therapy Academy
  "Non-profit organization of leading family therapy teachers, clinicians, program developers, researchers and social scientists, dedicated to advancing systemic thinking and practices for families in their ecological context."
  
  
• American Sociological Association
  Can search site by terms couple, marriage, or cohabitation.
  
  
• Association for Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies (ABCT)
  Useful Resources links. Help for Trauma/Disaster Related/Public gets you to Guidelines for Choosing a Behavior Therapist. Formerly Association for Advancement of Behavior Therapy (AABT).
  


• Australian Institute of Family Studies
  Australian research and statistics on family relationships.
  
  
• Community Psychology Network (CPA)
  Includes "discussion lists, professional membership societies, graduate schools, community psychology course materials, funding sources, position announcements, community psychology books and suggested reading material, and various other miscellaneous resources relevant to the field. "
  
  
• FamilyScholar.com
  Searchable directory of family scholars by institution, journals that publish family-related articles.
  
  
• International Association for Relationship Research
  Publications include the online Relationship Research News, lets you register for alerts for the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships and has fulltext pdfs for 1994-2001 issues of Personal Relationships. Abstracts for newer issues are also available.
  
  
• Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction
  Promotes interdisciplinary research. Many publications and books.
  
  
• National Council on Family Relations (NCFR)
  Has fact sheets and policy briefs related to family policy and family issues under Public Policy.
  
  
• Prevention Science & Methodology Group (PSMG)
  Products has a bibliography of member's research and statistical software for power calculations.
  
  
• Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS)
  Extensive publications and bibliographies.
  
  
• Society for Community Research in Action (SCRA)
  APA division 27 "devoted to advancing theory, research, and social action" on community issues.
  
  
• Society for Interpersonal Theory and Research (SITAR)
  Publications includes instruments and bibliographies from this "International, multidisciplinary, scientific association devoted to the advancement of interpersonal theory and research."
  

Jobs & Funding

Jobs

• ABCT Job Bank
  Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies.
  
  
• American Sociological Association Job Bank.
  For ASA members or pay a fee to subscribe to Job Bank for a month.
  
  
• NCFR Career Center
  Searchable and browsable job listings for family educators, researchers and practitioners.
  
  
• Psychwatch Job Listings
  Updated weekly, organized by state or international.
  
  
• TipSheets for Psychology Majors from PsychWeb
  Career hints and planning for grad schools.
  

Funding

• ACF Grant Opportunities
  Administration for Children and Families grant sources and forms.
  
  
• UW-Madison Grants Information Center
  Links to many licensed searchable databases. Has proposal writing resources and offers workshops.