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250 Outstanding Marriage and Family Research Topics

Looking for the best marriage and family research topics for your sociology paper? With the changing dynamics of family and marriage, there is always scope for more research. This leaves you with endless options for a suitable title for your paper. To make the process simpler, here is a list of the best topics on marriage and family to help you narrow down the choices. It is good to remember that some of these topics may evoke conflicting emotions and opinions. therefore, they are best handled with sensitivity and objectivity. They present ample scope for classroom discussion and debates. However, pick a topic that also presents sufficient scope for research to showcase your understanding of the subject and writing skills as well.

Best Research Topics on Family

Here is a list of some of the best family research topics that explore the changing dynamics on family structures in the recent times.

How can you define the term ‘family’?
Family background determines your rate of success in career and life. Comment.
What are the consequences of divorce on children?
Overcoming trauma of a dysfunctional family
Is it possible to always live up to family expectations?
The effects of parental neglect on children.
How to minimize negative effect of divorce on a family
War veterans and their families. Do they really need help?
Family and its impact on teenage delinquency
Stages of grief in children after the loss of a family member
Stages of grief in an adult after the loss of a family member
How should families cope with the loss of a family member?
The increasing problem of work-life balance and its impact on families
Joint family versus a nuclear family
Family members who should have a say in the upbringing of a child
Fostering children and the issues that arise
Substance abuse within a family. How to save yourself and the rest of your family?
Sexual abuse within a family. Strategies to escape it.
Family violence in the last decade. Has it increased?
The effect of setting very high expectations for members of the family.
Family values: Should they be strict or flexible?
Different types of relationships within a family.
Putting life together after a natural disaster.
Accepting children from a previous marriage into your family.
How to meet a crisis as a family
The issue of gender discrimination within a family.
Gender roles and expectations of the family
Coping with unpleasant secrets of your family
The pressure of inheriting a family business and the impact on children and younger members of the family.
Balancing between family support and allowing young adults to live their lives on their own.
How involved should the family be in one’s career?
The absence of love within a family
Helping a family member in distress.
Unwanted activities that modern families engage in
Accepting the transition of children into adult lives.

Family Life Education Topics for Research

Among the many family and marriage topics for discussion, family life education is an important concept that presents a huge scope for research.

The objectives of family life education
The importance of family life education
The primary principles of family life education
The practices of family life education and their importance in effective outreach.
How family life education can improve moral codes in young adults
The importance of family life education in developing a good personality in adolescents
Complementing parent education with family life education.
How family life education can fill the gap when parents abdicate responsibilities.
The three behavioural needs for family planning.
Importance of setting priorities when planning a family.
Resources that teen parents need for effective parenting.
Tools to build resilience in teen parents
Family life education and psychology
Family life education and social work.
The 10 contents of family life education.
Family life education is one of the most flexible fields of sociology. Your comments.
Family life education to help problem teens cope in college or school.
The role of family life education in decision making among family members.
Write in detail about a decision making model that youth can benefit from when it comes to family planning decisions.
Skill application in family planning.
Parenting classes: A modern trend or a necessity for new parents?
Identifying personal attitude and belief in teen parenting.
How family life education contributes to overall well being and growth of a family.
Assessing knowledge levels of adolescent girls with respect to issues in family life education.
The key areas of study of family life education.
Differences in rural and urban approach to family life education.
How to set up an effective intervention plan when dealing with family life education crisis
The challenges of parents with adolescent parents.
Using family life education to teach teens about balancing between responsibility and freedom.
Critical interests of preschool children
Stimulating growth and development of preschool children.
The right time to plan for a second child.
Adjusting to the ‘Empty Nest Syndrome’.
Importance of family life education in reproductive health.
Population education versus family life education.

Sociology of Family Research Topics

Family structures are an important part of studying sociology. Here are trending sociology research topics on family to help you ace your papers.

Unconventional family structures in the modern world.
Child behaviour and the impact of parents on it.
Child abuse and its long term effects
The impact of cross-racial adoption
The challenges of cross-racial adoption
Differences in family structures across ethnic groups and races
How single parenting impacts the life of children.
The impact on children when couples live apart.
The impact on family structure when couples live apart.
Family and its involvement in community
The role of the community in changing family structures.
Different household structures within families
The earner-carer family model
The need for dual earner couples
The evolution of household structures within families
The importance of dividing household labour within a family.
What is family demography?
Effective ways of dealing with family conflicts
What is maternalism?
The changing approach to filial responsibility
Effective family migration planning
The challenges faced by immigrant families.
Examples of matriarchal family structures across the globe.
The changing roles of a woman in a family.
The changing roles of a man in a family.
Effective ways to manage money within a family
The important parental roles in deciding the outcomes for children.
Sibling relationships at different ages.
Dealing with stepfamilies.
Challenges faced by stepmothers and how to overcome them?
Challenges faced by stepfathers and how to overcome them?
The concept of sibling ties.
Causes for increase in female householders
Deteriorating economic circumstances of men and the impact on family structures.
Cohabitation and a decline in marriage.

Marriage and Family Therapy Research Topics

Whether it is research paper on relationships, marriage or family structure, therapy and counselling plays an important role in today’s world. Here are some topics that are trending and relevant.

Stress and its impact on family or marriage counselling.
Qualities of a good family therapist.
The role of pre-marriage counselling in strengthening relationships.
Techniques of family therapy
The key concepts of family therapy
Objectives of marriage and family therapy
Living with a family member who has mental health issues
Providing family support to members with mental health issues.
Importance of family therapy in the sociology of family.
The emergence of family therapy as an identifiable field of psychology.
Family therapy and its importance in social work.
Child guidance and mental health
Family systems model of therapy.
Improving communication patterns within family through counselling.
The concept of function and purpose of symptoms.
The circular causation model of family therapy.
Recognizing structural characteristics of families through therapy
The increasing need for family and marriage therapy.
How family therapy can help cope with members who are addicted to substances.
Family therapy and child sexual abuse.
Family therapy versus marriage counselling.
Non systemic postmodernist models of family therapy.
The challenges faced by family therapists.
Factors that limit the scope of family therapy.
History of professional marriage and family therapy.
The evolving treatment of gender in family therapy.
The evolving treatment of sexual orientation in family therapy.
The perspective of family and marriage therapy among various ethnic groups.
The need for counselling for children of divorce.
Family therapy to help deal with loss of family members.
Family therapy to cope with terminally ill family members.
Significant models of family therapy in the modern world.
Important research papers on family therapy.
The pioneers of family and marriage counselling.
Changes in psychiatry and its role in the development of family therapy.
The contributions of Harry Stack Sullivan to family therapy.
Factors that contribute the positive mental health among family members.
The impact of cultural systems on the understanding of family dynamics.
Family therapy and its integration into family medicine.
Common treatment protocols in family therapy.

Divorce Topics For Research Paper

Because of the social and emotional impact that it has, divorce is among the most important marriage topics for discussion.

Study of abusive and toxic relationships within a family.
The causes for increasing divorce rates.
Perception of divorce among different ethnicities.
The impact of culture on the perception of divorce.
Marriage counselling as an effective way of preventing divorce
The trauma of child custody battles
The impact of child custody battles on the child.
The social perspective of divorced couples.
Raising children as a divorced couple.
A study on family violence
The changing perspective of marriage among children of divorce.
The impact of divorce on the social lives of children.
Sociological consequences of divorce.
Changing patterns and trends of divorce
Is divorce a social problem?
The negative consequences of divorce
The positive consequences of divorce
The economical consequences of divorce
How divorce impacts your social circle.
The impact of increasing divorce rates on society.
Ideological considerations of divorce
The process of marital breakdown.

Family Law Topics for Research

Here is a list of family law topics that have a good scope for data collection so that you can present an impressive paper.

Shared residence orders versus single residence orders.
The need for reform and alteration in family laws in your country.
Relationships, family and the law
Reform in the cohabitation law.
The Children Act of 1989 and its importance in Family Law.
Extending civil marriage availability to same sex couples. Write your views for and against this topic.
Laws regarding non-conjugal relationships.
The role of family law in determining the boundaries of marriage.
Child relocation and the laws associated with it
Divorce decisions based on the Principles of Fairness
The matrimonial cause act of 1973. Discuss its importance and the evolution.
Discuss three family laws that may be irrelevant in the modern world.
Why is it necessary to establish family laws?
The Piglowska versus Piglowski case of 1999 and its impact on divorce law decisions.
The role of religion on divorce laws.
Providing legal support to make victims of domestic abuse.
Why are child protection laws important?
The legal aspects of family welfare and social work.
Intervention of the State or authorities in families where children are abused or neglected.
Termination of parental rights in case of neglect or abuse. Is it the right approach?
Family laws about inheritance.
The changing laws of adoption.
A comparison of family laws in the West and the East.
Are family laws more liberal in the West?
Is the concept of alimony redundant in today’s world?
The need for legal validation of relationships.
Should women receive child support even if they are financially stable?
Is it correct for one parent to withhold visitation rights of the other?
Challenges faced by family lawyers.

Family Bible Study Topics of Research

Religion is a primary construct in the family structure. Here are some best rated family bible study topics that you can choose from:

Family bible study and its role in establishing values with a family.
How to use family bible study to improve the personality of adolescents.
The role of family bible study in increasing bonding between family members.
Is family bible study necessary in the modern world?
How the church positively influences the family structure.
Some family theories and concepts from the bible that are relevant even today?
Some outdated concepts of family that are mentioned in the bible that do not fit into modern society.
How family bible study impacts marriages and relationships.
Family bible study and why it is important for children to start young.
Family bible study and its role in improving behaviour of family members.
Interesting ideas to make family bible study relevant and interesting.

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International Relations Dissertation Topics

344 Marriage Essay Topics & Examples

Whether you’re writing about unconventional, traditional, or arranged marriage, essay topics can be pretty handy. Consider some original ideas gathered by our experts and discuss divorce, weddings, and family in your paper.

🏆 Best Marriage Essay Examples & Topics

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Marriage in the Importance of Being Earnest: Analysis Although Algernon’s view on love and marriage is not known during the conversation with his butler, we get to know his thoughts on the subject in a monologue where he claims that marriage is an […]
Christian vs. Muslim Marriages Comparison and Contrast A wedding is a civil or religious ceremony conducted in the presence of the family and friends of the bride and groom, to celebrate the beginning of their marriage.
Early Marriage Advantages In addition to this, there is a positive correlation between marriage and the increased mental and physical well being of an individual.
Women, Friendships, Marriage in Lynn Nottage’s “Poof!” Maybe Loureen and Florence treat their problems a little differently depending on the fact of having children or the degree to which the husband’s attitude can be tolerated. The general opinion about women and their […]
Early Marriage and Its Impact on Education Given the significant impacts that early marriage has had on education, this paper builds on the available recent research to establish the extent of early marriage and its impacts on the lives of children.
The Pros and Cons of Gay Marriage Counteracting the argument that prohibition of gay marriage appears similar to discrimination is the idea that marriage, in the traditional understanding of the word, is the union of necessarily different sexes, a man and a […]
Marriage in A Midsummer Night’s Dream The main theme of the play revolves around the marriage between Thesus, the Duke of Athens, and the Queen of Amazons called Hippolyta, as well as the events that surround the married couple.
Why Gay Marriage Should Not Be Legal Therefore, because marriage is a consecrated unification of a male and a female, ready to sacrifice all that is at their disposal for the continuation of the human species and societal values, I believe all […]
Statement for Marriage and Family Therapist Applicant My personal experience in marriage, long-term work with families within the framework of my occupational duties, and the desire to help people through life’s difficulties motivate me to become a Marriage and Family Therapist.
Qualities of Successful Marriages Faith makes great differences in marriage and this is why it is very important to share your individual beliefs and values with the partner prior to marriage in order to understand each other and plan […]
Marriage and Family Challenges As a rule, one of the principal reasons for a difficult adaptation is the initially inflated requirements of one of the spouses or even both of them.
The Marriage of Heaven and Hell The contraries used by the poet in “The Marriage of Heaven and Hell” are the backbone of this poem. The structure of “The Marriage of Heaven and Hell” is the first feature of the contraries […]
Definition of Marriage. Reward of Marriage For many years, social scientists have argued on the reward of marriage due to the distinctiveness of the populace who get married and stay married. As a result, the definition of marriage can be broadened […]
The Future of Marriage Although today marriage is still a significant stage in the personal life and family is discussed as the fundamental factor for the social development, the role of marriage declines, the rate of divorces increases, and […]
Argument for Gay Marriages Enacting laws that recognize gay marriages would be beneficial to the society in the sense that it promotes equal rights among members of the society.
Marriage Relationships in “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” by Hemingway Harry and his wife, Helen, are stranded in Mount Kilimanjaro and their interactions reveal that their rocky relationship is a result of a mixture of frustration, incorrect decisions, getting married for wrong reasons, and unreciprocated […]
Marriage and Adultery Laws of Emperor Augustus The laws were enacted to deal with marriage avoidance, the preference for childless unions, marriage of lower class women by the Roman elite, and adultery, all of which threatened the continuity of the Roman aristocracy.
How to Have a Happy Marriage In life, although a number of strategies of enhancing happiness in life exist, it is important for all individuals to note that, success of these strategies depends on the commitment levels in spouses hence, the […]
Marriage Differences in Botswana The body part discusses the history of life and marriage, marriage now, marriage in the book, the similarities and differences of life and marriage in the book and real life.
Marriage in the Postmodern Society Circa 900BC, the world only knew one type of marriage, at least the Judeo-Christian history, which is the best documented type that indicates that marriage was between a man and a woman with the option […]
Arguments against Young Marriage and Their Rebuttal For the most part, these arguments point at the current social flaws and the need to address them. Instead, such experience is acquired in the course of social interactions, which young people are engaged into […]
From Collectivism to Individualism in Marriage A marriage that is established on a collectivist ideal tends to be focused more on the interests of the in-group more than self interests.
Islamic Marriage and Divorce The family being the basic unit of a society which is also a principle in the Islamic society its genesis is the relationship between a husband and a wife.
“Why Marriages Fail” by Anne Roiphe It is a productive way to end the essay because people are reassured that in every situation there is a way out and it all depends on the individuals and their want to work things […]
Marriage in “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin News about the death of her husband arises and owing to her heart problem, carefulness is vital for the one to deliver the news to her.
Absolute Gender Equality in a Marriage Despite the fact that the principles of gender equality in marriage will clearly affect not only the relationships between a husband and a wife but also the roles of the spouses considerably, it is bound […]
The Marriage Traditions of Wolof Culture These include the role that marriage plays in the family formation in the Wolof society, what the economic background of the plural marriages is, and which traditions describe the marriage ceremony of the Wolof culture.
Marriage is Outdated and no Longer Suits Modern Lifestyles and Attitudes They do not perceive the essence of entering in to marriage when they can accomplish most of the above mentioned issues outside marriage.
Interracial Marriage in the 1950s The central problem was that the period was characterized by racial segregation laws that did not allow people of a different race to attend the same restaurants, cinemas, and other public places. Moreover, parents often […]
Christian Marriage Rituals From the ancient times, parents of both the bride and groom were the primary parties to the marriage covenant. According to the biblical times, marriage was a legal covenant between the parents of the bride […]
Marriage and Family Therapy Even though she is the one instigating therapy, she is suggesting that the therapist speaks to Leon and not her. This case, the problems is Marceline’s indecision and lack of set goals of what she […]
Cultural Differences in Arranged Marriages All the expenses of the marriage are taken care of by the parents of the couple. The reason why arranged marriages are encouraged among the Hindus is that there is utmost respect compared to marriages […]
The Concept of Same Sex Marriage and Child Adoption It is as a result of this approach that an individual sexual orientation cannot be used to limit them from adopting children least it is proven beyond doubt that the relationship will be harmful to […]
Process Philosophy’s Impact on Marriage and Education The growth in the popularity of gay marriages in America provides evidence of the impact of process philosophy on government policies.
The Benefits of Marriage This essay aims to identify the benefits of marriage, compare the level of happiness between married couples and cohabitors and analyze the conditions that contribute to the marriage advantage.
Traditional Marriage and Love Marriage Comparison In this paper, the pros and cons of love marriage and traditional marriage will be discussed to clarify which one is a better or just more appropriate option for modern people.
Cultural Traditions: Arranged vs. Autonomous Marriage Given the aforementioned reasons, this is possible to convince people that pre-arranged marriages can be admitted as culturally permissible, and the concept of cultural relativism is an objective tool.
Taqiya and Mut’ah in Islam: The Legal Status of Mut’ah Marriage in Indonesia It is essentially a temporary contract marriage, in which a man and a woman agree to assume the roles of husband and wife for a limited period.
Temporary Marriage in Lebanon: Pros and Cons Supporters of temporary marriage in Lebanon argue that, since the union does not involve use of force, it cannot be termed as a violation of the right of women.
The Marriage in Norway in the 1800s The paper reviews the tendencies of matrimonial and reproduction life in Norway in the 19th century. The research study is based on the academic peer-reviewed article that analyzes marriage in the country in the 1800s.
Interracial Marriage and Emirati Identity Issues According to the Federal National Council, the prevalence of interracial marriages in the UAE is threatening Emirati women, in terms of their ability to be married by a fellow Emirati man.
Marriage in Saudi Arabia The elders of the prospective bride propagated marriage in Saudi Arabia, and afterward, it was the responsibility of either the groom or the groom’s parents to propose to her father.
Benefits of Remarriage for Happy Life Remarriage allows a person to find love and comfort from the other partner. When a person chooses to be remarried, they would likely accumulate their financial sources to focus their economic development with the partner.
Cohabiting Before Marriage: Reasons and Benefits The concept of cohabitation is traditionally looked down at by the representatives of the contemporary society, which is quite weird given the fact that the phenomenon of diversity and plurality of opinions have been promoted […]
Marriage Vs. Living Together: Pros and Cons Marriage is simply a ceremony that was imagined and enacted by man in order to signify the decision of a man and a woman to live together in a forever sense of the word.
Marriage in The Yellow Wallpaper She has failed to recognize that she is the driver of her own life, and blame should not be put on man. Therefore, she is not able to work her creativity and ends up drawing […]
Polygamy in Islam: Marriage Issues Thus, the faith of people in their prophet is also the basis and rationale for the practice of polygamy. The fact that Islam views marriage as a sacred act of goodness and mutual help is […]
Interracial Marriage Explained Secondly, an interracial marriage promotes the general acceptance of people from a different race in the new society or community and also promotes the appreciation of other people’s values in the new community and their […]
Inter Caste Marriages and Mixed Identity They do not experience the practices of a particular religion due to which they are perturbed when other children know and talk about their religion and its practices with a sense of pride and belonging.
Interracial Marriage in the United Arab Emirates One of the main problems is the population ratio of the country. The increased presence of foreign wives in the country can create an appearance that the identity of the country changed.
Assessing in the Field of Marriage and Family Therapy Through assessment, the family therapist can influence the outcome of the conversations in a consultative meeting between the troubled individual and the therapist.
Effect of Stress on Relations and Marriage Therefore, this paper had the aim of discussing the effects of stress on a marriage and relationships and how the stress can be reduced and controlled.
Effects of Same Sex Marriage to the Society Therefore, the paper will seek to elaborate on the effects of same sex marriage to the society. The number of children being raised in the available families has reduced leading to a declining population and […]
The Importance of Premarital Counseling Before Marriage It is thus essential for couples contemplating to enter into a binding contract to go through premarital counseling program in order to get skills and knowledge on how to maintain their marriage.
Love and Marriage during the Era of Mao in Communist China In the Mao era, the law did not allow polygamous marriage in the Chinese community and through such, the sale of young females within the society ended.
Marriage and Family: Life Experience When we got married, a man was perceived to be the head of the family, and in his absence the wife was expected to guide the family.
Marriage in the Modern World For instance, there is no common agreement over the number of parties required in a marriage; who should select partners for marriage; whether or not the rearing of children is the core idea of marriage; […]
Child Marriages in Modern India The practice of child marriages among the Shaikh and the Rajasthan community at large has been exacerbated by the government’s reluctance in preventing it and to make the matter worst, it seems to be very […]
Factors Influencing Perception on Same-sex marriage in the American Society The protagonists and antagonists of this marriage institution have always clashed over the tenet of the same-sex marriage against the moral standards of the society.
American Marriage in transition Nevertheless, the Great Depression and the two World Wars drove women from homes into the labor market, and this had a major effect on the roles and expectations of both husbands and wives within the […]
Importance of Communication in Marriage Marriage is the first step in establishing a family and the kind of communication that exists between the partners determines the kind of family that they will establish.
Sex and Marriage Relations Analysis The problem of the modern married couples is that the notion of sex became the dominant in the relations and the faithfulness in the family is not in honor now.
Arranged Marriages: A Critical Analysis While discussing the points in favor of arranged marriage, the writer does not seem to have taken a stand in favor yet he has provided evidence to show that arranged marriage is an outlet for […]
Christians Holy Orders and Marriage To a great level the society itself is constitutive of the symbol, and is thus vital in calling forward the gifts of the occupation in which each individual is well-known and established in each sacrament […]
Love, Marriage, and Divorce He weighs the possible outcomes, and mostly, these were negative elements such as discrimination of his side of the family who are expected to wait only for food and drink during the wedding, other wedding […]
Marriage Decline as a Social Problem in the US To discuss the social illness of declining marriages in the US, the incorporated is the social constructionist perspective. The origins of the constructionism can be traced back to the attempts to establish the nature of […]
Let Me Not to the Marriage of Two Minds by William Shakespeare The reader can interpret starting lines as the response to the question of the priest in the wedding ceremony about the reasons preventing the couple from getting married The structure of the phrase “Let me […]
Marriage in the Bible According to the book of genesis 1:28, after creating a man and a woman, God bestowed them with blessings and told them to “…be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and […]
Marianne Weber’s Views on Marriage Traditionally, the role of a husband was that of a breadwinner and a patriarch of the family, whereas a wife’s duties were to take care of their children and keep the family hearth.
Marriage Types and Their Critical Components Increasingly, variations have also encompassed how one of the traditional expectations of marriage, that is, siring children, is construed and whether spouses are of the same or different sexes.
Arranged Marriages in India According to Bertolani, marriage in Indian society is strictly arranged by the parents of potential marriage partners and does not necessarily have to involve love. Thus, arranged marriage in the context of Indian society is […]
Marriage and Family Problems as Social Issues Sociology as a discipline has an extremely wide range of interests and it is next to impossible even to enumerate them, however the issue that has always been of the utmost importance for the sociological […]
Domestic Violence in Marriage and Family While there are enormous reports of intimate partner homicides, murders, rapes, and assaults, it is important to note that victims of all this violence find it very difficult to explain the matter and incidents to […]
Making Marriage Work The aim of the governor in using state funds to reduce the number of divorce cases is compulsory because it becomes obligatory for individuals to know each other, be able to come up with conclusive […]
Same-Sex Marriage as a Positive Tendency Nowadays The festival also occurred to celebrate the legalization of same-sex marriage in all the United States by the Supreme Court. In December 2000, the first law in the world that legalized same-sex marriage was adopted […]
Arranged Marriages are Less Successful This research aims to establish the reasons why arranged marriages are less successful when compared to love unions in the realms of commitment, passion, intimacy, and marital satisfaction.
Common Sexual Problems Experienced During a Marriage Dissatisfaction with the relationship, a lack of shared activities, old age, poor health, and daily stress also contribute to a decrease in sexual satisfaction in a marriage.
Marriage Decline Among Black Americans The marriage rate in the United States of America has generally declined in the current decade. Incarceration of the African American community has played a significant role in promoting their marriage decline for decades.
Unforgiveness in Marriages and Families I think true forgiveness in the context of marital or familial relationships cannot be achieved without a complete understanding of the causes of the transgression and the reasons behind one’s inability to forgive.
Life in Marriage or Single Life? However, in recent decades, the world has begun to actively change, society has become more inclusive, and more and more people who refuse to marry for different beliefs have begun to appear.
Privacy in Marriage: Rights Violations While this approach differs from the notion of the Living Constitution, which holds that the constitution should be read in the context of current times and political identities, even if such interpretation is at odds […]
Premarital Cohabitation’s Impact on Marriage Though premarital cohabitation used to be linked to an increased probability to a divorce.recent studies confirm that cohabitation enhances the power of a marriage.
The Importance of Marriage Education In such cases, the importance of attending marriage education is highlighted, the usefulness and importance of which is to provide knowledge not only about the marriage union but also in general about interaction and proper […]
Women in Marriage & Sex, Abortion, and Birth Control The historical period chosen is from the eighteenth to the twentieth century to demonstrate the advancement of social structures for women.
Creating a Survey About an Institution of Marriage If I were to create a poll or a survey, I would want to study the institution of marriage from the viewpoint of people who have gotten a divorce at least once.
Comparison of Marriage in Elizabethan Times and in “Othello” The man was believed to be the head of the family, and he had the legal right to punish his wife.
Family Behaviors, Inequality, and Outside Childbearing Marriage The gap between the poor and the rich is widening in the US, making the American dream impossible for many people, especially children and families.
The Meaning of Marriage: A Comparison of Articles In addition to the titles of academic journals and articles, it is possible to determine which field of science an article belongs to from its content, the language used, and the focus of the study.
The Love and Marriage Relationship Analysis This shows that the researcher was determined to obtain accurate results from the subjects with the least, and that is the strength of the research.
Institution of Marriage: The Sociological Perspectives However, sociological studies played a pivotal role in defining the main tendencies of marriage as a social institute development from the end of World War II to the current realities.
Same-Sex Marriages and Equality Some oppose gay marriage on religious grounds and others- on an individual or group basis, but some tussle against the inequitable portrayal of gay marriage with zeal, such as Senator Dianne Feinstein.
Newlyweds’ Optimistic Forecasts of Their Marriage The first instrument used was the Quality of Marriage Index, a six-item scale requiring partners to describe the level of their agreement and disagreements regarding their marriage in general.
The Supreme Court Decision on the Right to Same-Sex Marriage The decision of the Supreme Court on the constitutional right of citizens to same-sex marriage is a significant event in the history of the development of modern democratic society.
“Do Student Loans Delay Marriage?”: Participants, Measures, and Results The purpose of this article is to discover: the relationship between student loan debt and marriage in young adulthood; whether or not the relationship differs for women and men; if this relationship becomes weak over […]
Aspects of Marriage and Family Life At the time of Colonial America, during the consequent period of the emerging modern family, and after the formation of the contemporary family, the situation of this institution differed drastically.
Institution of Marriage in China Marriage is one of the oldest social institutions that regulate interpersonal and sexual relations, a society recognized by the union between spouses to create a family, giving rise to a married couple’s mutual rights and […]
How Marriage Affected the Economic Status of Women On the other hand, in Twelfth Night, written in the early XVIIth century, the reader is shown the more romantic side of a marital union.
Institution of Marriage and Its History Due to the nature and intentions of marriage, numerous definitions and viewpoints have emerged that continue to dictate what the institution ought to be.
The Church’s Attitude Toward Homosexual Marriage Erickson Millard claims that Jesus’s teaching about the permanence of marriage is based on the fact that: God made humanity as male and female and pronounced them to be one.
Future of Marriage: Non-Monogamy, People’s Needs in Marriage Another condition explaining the likelihood of the shift in the meaning and form of this institution is the fact that some of the values underpinning it remain intact.
Marriage in Muslim Cultures and America In the Muslim religion, which is most widespread in the Arabian countries and among the Arabian people, marriage is perceived differently than in the American culture.
Girls Not Brides Organization’s Commitment to Eliminate the Forced Child Marriage Graca Machel, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu are the champions of Girls Not Bride, and they advocate to end child marriage in our society.
Gay Marriage Should Be Repealed The institution of marriage has changed dramatically within the first two decades of the 21st century due to the gradual acceptance of gay marriage.
Interracial Marriages in “Like Mexicans” by Gary Soto Therefore, Soto’s decision to marry a Japanese woman should encourage Mexican people to change their negative attitude towards other ethnic groups and practice interracial marriages.
COVID-19: How Race, Gender and Marriage Contribute to Humanity A study by Landivar et al.about the effect of the virus on gender and marriage in the US reveals that the pandemic has worsened gender inequality in employment.
“Social Attitudes Regarding Same-Sex Marriage and LGBT…” by Hatzenbuehler It relates to the fact that the scientists failed to articulate a research question in the proper form. However, it is possible to mention that the two hypotheses mitigate the adverse effect of the lacking […]
Cuban Americans Views on Marriage The representatives of different racial and ethnic groups tend to share dissimilar views regarding marriage, parenting, and divorce that are based on their cultural traditions and beliefs.
Specific Communication Styles That Make for Happy Marriages The next style of communication is submissive, characterized by a desire to please other people, and avoid conflicts by all means.
Does Marriage Bring Happiness?: Based on “The Story of an Hour” In this case, marriage is not a union of the loved ones but is a social obligation where a wife is a subject of a husband.Mr. Millard’s family seemed a perfect example of the social […]
The Defense of Marriage Act: LGBTQ + Community One of the milestones in the development of the struggle of members of the LGBTQ + community for their rights in the United States is the adoption of the Defense of Marriage Act.
Marriage and Divorce: Problems of Couples This seems to be the same stand that is taken by Paul in regards to the position of the man and the woman in the marriage, where the man seems to be the sole determinant […]
Legalization of the Same-Sex Marriage: Advantages In this particular section, I would like to find out by which percent the economy of different countries will grow when the government legalizes homosexuality due to the excess expenses that it uses in buying […]
Controversies Surrounding the Topic of Same-Sex Marriage In particular, the emergence of same-sex relations is the sign of the deinstitutionalization of the concept of marriage in society. The changes that occurred at the beginning of the 90s of the past century were […]
The Gay Marriages: Ethical and Economic Perspectives Among the key ethical dilemmas that are related to the issue in question, the conflict between religious beliefs and the necessity to provide the aforementioned services, the issue regarding the company’s needs v.its duty to […]
Marriage and Crime Reduction: Is There a Relationship? It is clear that marriage plays an integral role in reducing crime through a shift of priorities that are family centered and the transition to adulthood.
Effects of Mastectomy on Marriage This is because the husband has to deal with the fact that his wife has one breast. The husband is affected by his wife’s condition of a missing breast.
California’s Proposition 8 on Same-Sex Marriages However, in other states, obtaining the right for same sex marriages is only one of a series of the issues that have arisen since much controversy as the U.S.same sex marriages movement rose in the […]
“Why Marriages Succeed or Fail”: The “Bang” or “Whimper?” As mentioned above, it is common for people to assume that if something is wrong in a close relationship between a wife and a husband, there is a profound and apparent conflict to blame.
The Role of Marriage on the Example of Two Plays The plays Waiting for Godot and A Long Day’s Journey into Night indirectly imply the topic of the marriage’s role and how it impacts the individuals.
Stephanie Doe: Misyar Marriage as Human Trafficking in Saudi Arabia In this article, the author seeks to highlight how the practice of temporary marriages by the wealthy in Saudi Arabia, commonly known as misyar, is a form of human trafficking.
The Opinion of Americans on Whether Gay Marriage Should Be Allowed or Not Based on the political nature of the population, 43% of the democrats think, American society supports gay marriages and only 18% of the republicans hold the same view.
Millennials Say Marriage Ideal but Parenthood the Priority However, it is still believed that the joy of giving birth to a child is one of the greatest joys in life.
Doomed Marriage in “The Girls in Their Summer Dresses” by Irwin Shaw The most common answer to this question is that these people love each other. The article The Girls in Their Summer Dresses testifies to the fact that marriage is doomed.
Sexuality, Marriage, Gay Rights The supremacy of law and protection of people right lie in the heart of the protection of the freedom of personality.”Part of the basis of democratic government in the United States is a system of […]
Cross-Border Marriages Between Japan and China: Reasons and Results Besides, the statistics of Japanese men and women dissatisfied with their marriages is humbling; consequently, determined to find a more gratifying alternative, men are engaged in cross-border marriage enterprise.
Same-Sex Marriage Policy & Social Impact Reflection Creation of public policies and laws are significantly influenced by the diversity in culture forcing the government to engage with the society when developing policies.
Same‐Sex Couples, Families, and Marriage The article under consideration is a systematic review of the recent scientific literature that addresses the range of issues that same-sex couples face and the peculiarities of their inner structure.
Marriage Premium for Professional Athletes Researchers in the sphere of the labor economy agree that there is a connection between marital status and the number of wages earned by men.
“How I Met Your Mother”: Ideas of Marriage The central relationship throughout the series is Marshall and Lily’s marriage, with its ups and downs, individual quirks, and their influence on each other.
Woman’s Position in Marriage: Similarities in History With time she began to see the creeping figures in the pattern of the wallpapers in the room; with an absence of any physical and mental activity, her anxiety began to increase and resulted in […]
For Richer (Not for Poorer): The Inequality Crisis of Marriage An example of a factual claim made by the writer is where she states that the number of marriages in the United States dropped by 5% from the year 2009 to 2010.
In Defense of Marriage Act 1996 As the editorial holds, the power of the law is lower than that of the congress and therefore its application on the subject of marriage is like depriving the congress of its powers of regulating […]
Effect of Same-Sex Marriage on the Legal Structure of Gender in All Marriages Despite the fact that the current article does not address the gender roles in the family, parallels can be drawn showing that in no way the institutionalization of same-sex marriage can have an effect on […]
Gender, Love and Sexuality: Healthy Marriage Formation Parties in marriage must have trust in each other because it is a basis for the growth of their union. Parties in a marriage need to be romantic as it harnesses love and loyalty.
Same Sex Marriages: Definition and Main Problems In essence, the opposition of same sex marriages practically comes out of the use of the word “marriage”; such that, same sex couples enjoy the same rights as partners from contemporary marriages.
Emotionally Focused Therapy Effectiveness in the Instituion of Marriage The suitability of the elements of the methodology determines the appropriateness. They indicate the main themes of the study and provide a beginning for the reader to understand the problem that is being researched and […]
Marriage and Mothering Challenges In the modern world, the institution of marriage and the issue of motherhood have experienced challenges due to changes in perception.
Interventions in Institution of Marriage Analysis This paper helps to understand the principles of evaluation research, the effectiveness of the intervention selected for settling marital discord and the use of evidence elicited in the research analysis for the purpose of enhancing […]
The Case Against Gay Marriage The Constitutional protection to equal rights under the law has been invoked over and over again to try and afford homosexuals “equal right” to the social institution of marriage and to social security when one […]
Conflict and Marriage Satisfaction To manage solving differences effectively, individuals in a marriage relationship should learn the thinking and positive and negative behaviors of their partners and have a positive perception towards these partners. This leads to unresolved conflicts […]
Marriage and Physical Well-Being The dissolution of a marriage combined with the poor quality of the marriage leading up to the divorce is associated with the decline of both mental and physical health resulting in the increased use of […]
Cohabitation Before Marriage One of the many disadvantages of cohabiting is that in this condition, you are never sure of your partner’s next move.
Irony of Marriages in an Indian Set Up On the contrary, it is a belief, which can well be attributed to the rigidity of an Indian cultural norm that forces its followers to believe that the institution of marriage is indeed a handiwork […]
Marriage and Family Systems: Western Society and Kadara of Nigeria The institution of marriage in the modern culture holds a distinct development over the years. In these cultures, marriage is negotiated by the parents of the betrothed.
Re-Thinking Homosexual Marriage in Rational and Ethical Fashion We demonstrate that the way out of the hysterical debate is to consider soberly the basis for supporting the ordinary family as the basic unit of society and protector of the next generation.
Gay Marriage and Bible: Differences From Heterosexual Practice When respected the bonds of marriage leads to the good not only of the couple and their children, but also to the good of society as a whole.
Gay Marriage: Evaluation Argument The basic theme of the article was to present advocacy of gay marriage and a thorough presentation of arguments in favor of the legalization of gay marriages.
Same Sex Marriage Morality: Discussion Patterson further concluded that as long as the homosexual parents could let their children understand the real scenario, there is a strong indication that children could very well accept and love their parents even though […]
Do Young Couples Marriages Always End in Divorce? The reasons for the failure of the marriage is supposed to stem from the immaturity of the parties involved and the ill preparedness of the couple to deal with the changes that married life brings […]
The Concept of Marriage: Discussion They control their language and behavior and this is a prime example of symbolic interactionism that is instrumental in the institution of marriage.
Marriage Rates in Oklahoma and Illinois This essay dwells much in the states of Illinois and Oklahoma and the differences and the reasons for this differences will make up the body of this discussion. Marriage rate differs a lot in the […]
Interracial Marriage: History and Future Developments Sigler in- “Civil rights in America: 1500 to the present” is of the opinion that the civil rights of the citizens of America is helpful to make and end to the racial segregation in America.”Politics […]
Civil Union: Legal Recognition of Same-Sex Couples’ Marriages Once the readers are influenced by the argument it is assumed that they would move a social memorandum in favor of the argument and insist the authority to grant the gay couples the status of […]
How Is Marriage Related to Health? We can only surmise how marriage is related to health, but those who have been through a lot of problems and hassles as a result of bad marriages, literally know what marriage can bring to […]
Marriage and Family: Women as Love Experts and Victims As evidenced in the case of Roberta, it is essential for women to continually reiterate emotions of love at regular intervals, in the absence of which she begins to lose faith in the very basics […]
Views on Marriage and Family Throughout Chinese History in Relation to Religion The cost of having a kid in China is going up tremendously; especially since about a few years back due to the rapid development in China as they have only recently opened their market to […]
Successful Marriage Conditions Research indicates that the success of long-term relationships is related both to intrinsic aspects of the relationship, such as liking one’s partner as a person, and to factors that are extrinsic to the relationship, such […]
The Definition of Marriage The Sexual Revolution that took place in the 1960s caused sex to brazenly slip out of the boundaries of marriage. S, same-sex marriage is legal only in the states of Iowa and Massachusetts.
Advocacy Plan for Forced Marriage in Sudanese Tradition This situation is a violation of human rights, and its high rate denotes that it is necessary to take specific actions to solve the problem. The information above means that it is necessary to address […]
The Effects of Social Media on Marriage in the UAE This paper will explore the effects of social media in its relation to marriage, highlighting both the positive and the negative effects on the individuals and society as a whole.
Marriage in Contemporary America
Marriage Lawsuit in the State of Florida
Gender Role Attitudes and Expectations for Marriage
First and Second Marriages: Psychological Perspective
Happiness: Health, Marriage, and Success
Gay Marriage: Societal Suicide
Early Arranged Marriages in Indonesia
Child Marriage in Egypt: Changing Public Attitudes
Same-Sex Marriage Discriminatory Law in Alabama
Family, Marriage, and Parenting Concepts Nowadays
Marriage and Divorce Statistics in the United States
“The Case For Same Sex Marriage” Video by Savino
The Rejection of Marriage and Social Stability
Family Life Cycle: The Institution of Marriage
Marriage Expectations in Newlyweds
Marriage Stages: Mother and Daughter’s Interview
Marriage Process in Saudi Culture
Advices for a Happy Marriage Life
Marriage: The Good, the Bad, and the Greedy
Same-Sex Marriage Legalization and Public Attitude
Same-Sex Marriage National Legalization
Long-Lasting Marriage and Its Psychology
Marriage: Economic, Social and Political Meanings
Interfaith Marriages in Islamic Views
Child Marriage in Egypt as a Social Problem
Arranged Marriage and Its Ethical Dilemma
The Smart Stepfamily Marriage
Gay Marriage and Its Social Acceptance in the US
Relations and Social Distance in Kinship and Marriage
Infidelity in Sexual Relationships and Marriage
Five Filters of Communication in Marriage
American Marriage Trends and Government Measures
Same-Sex Marriage Representation in American Media
Relationship and Marriage Coaching
Marriage and Family Class Ideas
Marriage and Politics in 3500 BC-1600 AD
Marriage Peculiarities in the United Arab Emirates
Marriage Life in the Film “The World of Apu”
Does Marriage and Relationship Education Work?
High Marriage Costs in the United Arab Emirates
Marriage in the New Millennium
Homosexual Marriage: Causes of Debates
Interpersonal Communication Issues in the Marriage
Marriage in the Films: The Mirror Has Two Faces and Sunrise
Weddings, Marriage, and Money in the UAE
Physical Health Problems in Marriage
Marriage in the United Arab Emirates
Tthe Defense of Marriage
Sociology: Marriage and Reasons Why People Get Married
The Changing Landscape of Love and Marriage
Asian American Women and Marriage
Biblical Marriage and Divorce – Religious Studies
Legalizing Gay Marriage in the US
The Miseries of Enforced Marriage
“Gay Marriages” by Michael Nava and Robert Dawidoff
Social Issues: Arranged Marriages
Fairy Tale Marriages Are Not Real
Marriage as Depicted in Soloveitchik’s Typology of Human Nature
Why Do Conservatives Disagree on the Topic of Marriage Equality?
Same-Sex Marriage in the United States of America
Legalization of Same-Sex Marriage in San Francisco
Family and Marriage Therapy
Genograms Role in Family and Marriage
Boundaries in Marriage: A Healthy Marital Association
Gay Marriage’s Social and Religious Debates
Interracial Marriages in the US
Marriage and Family Therapy in Connecticut
Interview of a Marriage and Family Therapist
Gay Marriage in The UK
Marriage and Love are Incompatible
Marriage & Family Therapy
Legalization of the Same Sex Marriage in California
Constitutional Amendment that Allows Same-sex Marriage
Gay Marriage: Debating the Ethics, Religion, and Culture Analytical
Marriage and Family Counselling
The Problems of Marriage and Divorce
The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)
Homosexuals’ Right to Marry
Conservative Views on Same-Sex Marriage Campaigns
The Effectiveness of Marriage Conflict Resolution Programs in the USA
Self-Expansion and Marriage
The Government Should Sanction Marriages of Same Sex Couples
Millennials Say Marriage is Ideal but Parenthood is the Priority
The Effect of Marriage on Crime Rate
Current Trends Affecting Marriage and Family Formation in Asia
Gay Marriages and US Constitution
The Issue of Gay Marriages: Meaning, Importance and Cons
Legalizing Gay Marriage
Incest – How Did Society’s View on Consanguineous Marriage Change Throughout History and Science Development and Why
Naked Marriage and Chinese Society Research
Marriage in Early Modern Europe
Gay Marriage, Same-Sex Parenting, And America’s Children
The Nature of Aristocratic Marriage and Family in the Mid-Heian Period
Gay Couples’ Right to Marriage
Human Behavior: How Five General Perspectives Affect Marriage
Marriage and the Limits of Contract
Defending Gay Marriage
Relation of Gay Marriage to the Definition of Marriage
Marriage Concerns in Al-Khobar City
Concepts of Gay Marriage
The Idea of Marriage: Why So Eager?
Effects of the Social, Economic and Technological Change on Marriage
Marriage and Alternative Family Arrangements
Defense of Marriage Act
Medieval Introduction to the Basic Principles of Marriage Sovereignty
The Ethics of Early Marriages in the American Society
Gay Marriage: Culture, Religion, and Society
Gay Marriages in New York
Should Same Sex Marriage Be Legal?
Why Gay Marriages Should Not Be Legalized?
Interracial Marriage in the U.S.
Concept of Representation of Marriage
Gay Marriage as a Civil Rights Issue
Low Income Marriage and Divorce VS. High Level of Income Marriage and Divorce
Role of Marriage/Family & Singlehood
Anti-same-sex Marriage Laws and Amendments Violate the Constitutional Guarantees of Equality for all Citizens of the United States
Arguments for Supporting Same-Sex Marriage
Interracial Marriages and Relationships in Asian American Communities in the US
Same-sex Couples and Marriage: Causes and Claims
Children in Interracial Marriages
Gay Marriage and Parenting
Feelings about Marriage and Family Life
The Women’s Career Role in the Institution of Marriage
Should Gay Marriages Be Allowed?
Reasons of the High Homosexual Marriage Rate
Marriage systems of the Gikuyu and San Communities
Gay Marriage and Decision Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
Cohabitation: Is It Wrong?
Arguments for Gay Marriages
Opposition to the Legalization of Same Sex Marriage
Marriage and Family Imagery in the Cinematography
Religious, Governmental and Social Views on Same-Sex Marriage
The Changes that has Occurred in Transpacific Vietnamese Marriages
Gay Marriages: Why Not Legalize Them?
19th Century Norms of Marriage
Should We Allow Gay Marriages as Civil Unions?
Same-Sex Marriage: Sociopolitical
Cohabitation vs. Marriage
Marriage Equality: Same-Sex Marriage
Monogamy as an Acceptable System of Marriage in America
Must gay marriage to be legal?
Gay Marriage in the U.S.
Marriage as a Basic and Universal Social Institute
Concepts why marriage matters
Gay marriage and homosexuality
Problems in Marriage – The Weakening of Families
Pre Marriage Counseling: One Year Before Getting Married
Same Sex Marriages Impact on the Children Social Growth
Gay Marriage Legalization
The Effect of Divorce on a Person After Long Marriage
Rebuilding Families and Marriage in America’s Society
Problems in Marriage: Is Divorce the Only Option?
American vs. Asian Marriages
Sex Marriage: Personal Opinion
What Are Factors Aid Determining Societal Norms Marriage Family?
Who Did First Love Marriage in the World?
How Does Marriage Affect Physical and Psychological Health?
How Has Same-Sex Marriage Decision of Supreme Court Impacted Lives?
What Are the Stages of Marriage?
How Does the Perspective of Gay Marriage?
Why Should Couples Not Live Together Before Marriage?
How Do Cohabitation and Marriage Effects Childhood Well?
What Are the Types of Marriage?
How Do Legal Constraints Affect Marriage and Family Formations?
How Has Marriage Changed Over the Last 30 Years?
Can a Marriage Survive Different Political Views?
Why Do People Stop Fighting for Their Marriage?
How Does Same-Sex Marriage Affect Decreasing Population Growth?
Why Do Men Change After Marriage?
Why Married Couples Drift Apart After Marriage?
Why Was Marriage Originally Created?
How Does Same-Sex Marriage Affects Society?
What Does the Bible Say About Marriage?
What Do the Parental Pressures Affect Your Own Desire for Marriage?
How Did the Utopian Communities Challenge Existing Ideas About Property and Marriage?
How Does Infidelity Affect the Marriage and Family?
How Was Marriage Back in the 1800s?
Why Should Couples Live Together Before Marriage?
How Does Infertility Effects Marriage?
How Does Interracial Marriage Affect Children?
How Similar Are Cohabitation and Marriage?
How Far Would You Agree That Marriage Is Based on Social Class?
When Marriage Loses Its Value?
What Benefits Are There of Marriage Today?
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Family Titles
Relationship Research Ideas
Friendship Essay Ideas
Wedding Research Topics
Arranged Marriage Questions
Bisexual Essay Titles
Adultery Essay Ideas
Demography Paper Topics
Constitution Research Ideas
Divorce Research Ideas
Family Problems Questions
Gender Discrimination Research Topics
Happiness Research Ideas
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Topic: Marriage and Family: Suggested Topics

Finding Articles in Library Databases
Citing Sources
Suggested Topics

Narrowing Your Topic

Before you can start your research, you must focus on one aspect of the larger topic of marriage and family. Ask yourself these questions:

What do I want to know about marriage?
What do I want to know about family?
What is an argument that I'd like to present to my professor and class?

Here are some suggestions for narrowing this broad topic:

Do couples marry for love, to procreate, or for another reason?
What is the history of arranged marriages or what are the current practices of arranged marriages?
Do prenuptial agreements work?
What effects does divorce have on the couple, their children, etc.?
Should same-sex couples be allowed the same marital rights as heterosexual couples?
How does the new trend of "cohabiting" change the institution of marriage?
Do women in abusive relationships stay married to the abuser?
Should mothers work outside the home or care for their children?
How have family values evolved throughout history?
What are the issues involved with single parents?
Should same-sex couples be allowed to adopt children?
What is the place of the elderly within the family? Should they live with their families or reside in an assisted living facility?
How does child abuse affect those children psychologically? What happens to children if they see their mothers or fathers being abused?
How are household chores handled by males vs females?

Family Topics

Family / Families / Family life Parenting Children Mothers Fathers Siblings Grandparents Birth order Family values Single parenting Stepfamilies / Stepparents Teen parents Same-sex parenting Parenting styles Parenting stress Elderly Aging Retirement Multigenerational families Family violence Child abuse Children with disabilities Working parents Stay-at-home parents Child care Adoption Household labor and chores Family planning Infertility Childlessness Maternity / paternity / parental leave Child development and stages: Infancy, toddlerhood, preschool, middle childhood, adolescence Family rituals Family roles Family values Religion Discipline Military families

Marriage & Relationship Topics

Marriage Military marriages Divorce Custody Remarriage Stepfamilies Same-sex marriage Adoption Arranged marriages Cohabitation Household chores / tasks Work / Careers Prenuptial agreements Widowhood Gender roles Love Dating Relationships Infidelity Communication Dating or Domestic violence Marriage customs around the world and in specific cultures

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Marriage and Couples

Home » Our Mission » Research » Marriage and Couples

The infographic below highlights some of Dr. John Gottman’s most notable research findings on marriage and couple relationships. For a more in-depth review of the three phases of Gottman’s research with marriage and couples, continue reading.

Research findings from Dr. John Gottman.

Phase 1: The Discovery of Reliable Patterns of Interaction Discriminating the “Masters” From the “Disasters” of Relationships

In 1976, Dr. Robert Levenson and Dr. John Gottman teamed up to combine the study of emotion with psycho-physiological measurement and a video-recall method that gave us rating dial measures (still applying game theory) of how people felt during conflict. This was the new way of getting the “talk table” numbers. The research also became longitudinal. They made no predictions in the first study, but they were interested in a measure of “physiological linkage,” because a prior study showed that the skin conductance of two nurses was correlated only if they disliked one another. They thought that might be linked to negative affect in couples. Indeed it was.

They were also amazed that in their first study with 30 couples they were able to “predict” the change in marital satisfaction almost perfectly with their physiological measures. The results revealed that the more physiologically aroused couples were (in all channels, including heart rate, skin conductance, gross motor activity, and blood velocity), the more their marriages deteriorated in happiness over a three-year period, even controlling the initial level of marital satisfaction.

The rating dial and their observational coding of the interaction also “predicted” changes in relationship satisfaction. Such large correlations in the data were unprecedented. Furthermore, Gottman and Levenson had preceded the conflict conversation with a reunion conversation (in which couples talked about the events of their day before the conflict discussion), and they had followed the conflict discussion with a positive topic. Gottman and Levenson were amazed to discover that harsh startup by women in the conflict discussion was predictable by the male partner’s disinterest or irritability in the events of the day discussion. They found that the quality of the couple’s friendship, especially as maintained by men, was critical in understanding conflict. Furthermore, the ability to rebound from, or “repair” , conflict to the positive conversation became a marker of emotion regulation ability of couples.

Both Levenson and Gottman had discovered Dr. Paul Ekman and Dr. Wallace Friesen’s Facial Affect Coding System (FACS), and Gottman subsequently developed the Specific Affect Coding System (SPAFF) , which was an integration of FACS and earlier systems in the Gottman lab.

The SPAFF became the main system that Gottman used to code couples’ interaction. At first, it took 25 hours to code 15 minutes of interaction, but later Gottman was able to get the same coding done in just 45 minutes, with no loss of reliability. Gottman also began applying time-series analysis to the analysis of interaction data. He wrote, Time-Series Analysis: A Comprehensive Introduction for Social Scientists , a book on time-series analysis to explain these methods to psychologists, and developed some new methods for analyzing dominance and bi-directionality with James Ringland.

Phase 2: Prediction and the Replication of the Prediction

Soon after, Gottman and Levenson received their first grant together and began attempting to replicate their observations from the first study. The subsequent studies they conducted in their labs with colleagues eventually spanned the entire life course — with the longest of the studies following couples for 20 years, in Levenson’s Berkeley lab.

The Gottman lab at the University of Illinois also studied the linkages between marital interaction, parenting, and children’s social development with Dr. Lynn Katz, and later at the University of Washington involved studying these linkages with infants with Dr. Alyson Shapiro. Gottman developed the concept of “meta-emotion” , which is how people feel about emotion (such as specific emotions like anger), emotional expression, and emotional understanding in general. Meta-emotion mismatches between parents in that study predicted divorce with 80% accuracy.

Gottman and Levenson discovered that couples interaction had enormous stability over time (about 80% stability in conflict discussions separated by 3 years). They also discovered that most relationship problems (69%) never get resolved but are “perpetual problems” based on personality differences between partners.

In seven longitudinal studies, one with violent couples (with Neil Jacobson), the predictions replicated. Gottman could predict whether a couple would divorce with an average of over 90% accuracy, across studies using the ratio of positive to negative SPAFF codes, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (Criticism, Defensiveness, Contempt, and Stonewalling), physiology, the rating dial, and an interview they devised, the Oral History Interview , as coded by Kim Buehlman’s coding system.

Gottman could predict whether or not their stable couples would be happy or unhappy using measures of positive affect during conflict. With Dr. Jim Coan, he discovered that positive affect was used not randomly, but to physiologically soothe the partner. Gottman also discovered that in heterosexual relationships, men accepting influence from their wives was predictive of happy and stable marriages. Bob Levenson also discovered that humor was physiologically soothing and that empathy had a physiological substrate (in research with Dr. Anna Ruef), using the rating dial.

Phase 3: Theory Building, Understanding, and Prevention & Intervention

The third phase of Gottman’s research program was devoted to trying to understand the empirical predictions, and thus building and then testing theory. Ultimately, Gottman aimed to build a theory that was testable or disconfirmable.

Testing theory in the psychological field requires clinical interventions. In 1996, the Gottman lab returned to intervention research with Dr. Julie Schwartz Gottman. John and Julie Gottman designed both proximal and distal change studies. In a proximal change study, one intervenes briefly with interventions designed only to make the second of two conflict discussions less divorce-prone. In one of these studies, they discovered that a 20-minute break, in which couples stopped talking and just read magazines (as their heart rates returned to baseline), dramatically changed the discussion, so that people had access to their sense of humor and affection.

Together with Julie, John Gottman started building the Sound Relationship House Theory . That theory became the basis of the design of clinical interventions for couples in John Gottman’s book, The Marriage Clinic , and Julie Gottman’s book, The Marriage Clinic Casebook . In August of 1996, they founded The Gottman Institute to continue to develop evidence-based approaches to improving couples therapy outcomes.

Read more about The Gottman Institute’s mission here .

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Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation

The Effects of Marriage on Health: A Synthesis of Recent Research Evidence. Research Brief

Married people are generally healthier than unmarried people, as measured by numerous health outcomes. (1) To investigate the complex relationship between marriage and health, this review scrutinizes recent research, focusing on studies that use rigorous statistical methods to examine whether marriage is a cause of these better health outcomes.

A focus on the most rigorous recent evidence reveals that marriage has positive effects on certain health-related outcomes. These studies find, for example, that marriage improves certain mental health outcomes, reduces the use of some high-cost health services (such as nursing home care), and increases the likelihood of having health insurance coverage. In addition, an emerging literature suggests that growing up with married parents is associated with better health as an adult. Marriage has mixed effects on health behaviors — leading to healthier behaviors in some cases (reduced heavy drinking) and less healthy behaviors in others (weight gain). For other key health outcomes — in particular, measures of specific physical health conditions-the effects of marriage remain largely unaddressed by rigorous research.

Understanding the Marriage-Health Connection

Measuring the effects of marriage.

Because marriage is likely to be both a cause and a consequence of health outcomes, research must disentangle the influence of selection from the true causal influence of marriage. Distinguishing between these two factors requires careful analysis and advanced statistical methods that have been absent from many studies. This review focuses on studies that provide the most reliable evidence on whether marriage has a causal influence on health outcomes.

The studies providing the strongest evidence use longitudinal data and examine the association between changes in health outcomes and transitions into and out of marriage. Studies of this type provide more convincing evidence of a causal relationship between marriage and health because sample members serve as their own control group, and the effect of marriage is measured by comparing their outcomes before and after marriage. This method avoids comparing two groups that may have different background characteristics — in particular, people who marry and people who do not — which may lead to misleading and inaccurate results.

Some health outcomes are not well suited for this type of analysis, however. For example, many physical health outcomes cannot be examined in this way, because changes can unfold over a long time and may not be apparent immediately after a marital transition. For this reason, the evidence on the effects of marriage on physical health is more limited and somewhat more speculative than evidence on the effects of marriage on other health outcomes examined in this review.

What Is Currently Known?

Effects on Health Behaviors. Marriage may influence health through its effect on behaviors such as alcohol consumption, drug use, cigarette smoking, diet, and exercise. Recent research suggests that marriage has significant effects on the health behaviors of both men and women, but the pattern is mixed — marriage is associated with healthier behaviors in some cases and less healthy behaviors in others. Studies consistently indicate that marriage reduces heavy drinking and overall alcohol consumption, and that effects are similar for young men and young women, and for both African Americans and whites. ( 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ) Although the research is less extensive, marriage is also associated with reduced marijuana use for young men, but less so for women. ( 8 , 11 ) Less is known about the effects of marriage on the substance use of older adults. Studies of marriage and smoking reveal no consistent pattern of results, suggesting that marriage may have little or no influence on this behavior. ( 8 , 11 , 12 , 13 )

In contrast to studies of alcohol and drug use, studies of the effect of marriage on weight and physical activity suggest that marriage may have negative effects on healthy behaviors and may encourage a more sedentary lifestyle. Several rigorous studies find that marriage leads to modest weight increases for both men and women — typically averaging less than five pounds. ( 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 13 , 12 ) The research on the effects of marriage on physical activity is less conclusive because it is not based on longitudinal analysis and does not fully adjust for differences between those who marry and those who do not. The evidence that is available suggests marriage may lead to reductions in physical activity, particularly for men. (18)

For certain health behaviors — in particular, substance use among younger adults and weight gain among all adults — the influence of marriage has been well studied and is well understood. For other behaviors, less is known and additional research is needed before stronger conclusions can be drawn. One useful area for future research is to examine the effects of marriage on the alcohol use of older adults to determine whether the effects observed for young adults exist in older populations. Additional research using longitudinal data is also needed to examine the effects of marriage on physical activity to determine whether the relationship between marriage and physical activity observed in cross-sectional analyses remains when more rigorous estimation techniques are used.

Effects on Health Care Access, Use, and Costs. Marriage may influence physical health through its effects on health care access and use. Studies of the link between marriage and health insurance suggest that — by offering access to coverage through a spouse's policy — marriage increases the likelihood of having insurance and reduces the likelihood of becoming uninsured after a job loss or other major life event. (19) This effect is larger for women. Recent research also finds a link between marriage and health care use. Marriage is associated with shorter average hospital stays, fewer doctor visits, and reduced risk of nursing home admission. ( 20 , 21 , 22 ) Limited evidence also suggests that marriage may increase the use of preventive care such as cancer screenings. (12)

Because of its effects on health care use, marriage is also associated with lower health care costs among older adults. For example, studies show that, because marriage reduces the risk of nursing home admission, marriage may also lead to reduced nursing home costs. (22) The effect of marriage in shortening hospital stays may also lead to reductions in health care costs. Research indicates that the effect of marriage on health care costs exists independent of the effect of marriage on physical health. (22) Specifically, many married people rely on their spouses for informal care, and thus require fewer long hospital stays and nursing home admissions, resulting in lower health care costs — even if married and unmarried older adults are equally likely to get sick. ( 20 , 21 ) These studies find that wives are especially likely to provide informal care for their husbands at home, so the effect of marriage on health care costs may be larger for men.

The link between marriage and health care costs needs further study, because most previous research provides only indirect evidence based on examination of effects on high-cost health services, such as nursing home care. Other outcomes ripe for future research include quality of care, use of prescription medications, receipt of high-tech exams and treatments, patient adherence to prescribed treatment regimens, and use of preventive health services other than cancer screenings.

Effects on Mental Health. Marriage may affect many aspects of mental health. This review focuses on the prevalence of depressive symptoms. The most recent rigorous research suggests that marriage reduces depressive symptoms for both men and women. ( 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ) In particular, these studies find that getting married decreases depressive symptoms, while getting divorced increases them. Research has also documented that increases in depressive symptoms after divorce are long-lasting and that the prevalence of these symptoms remains elevated years after the marital breakup. (27 , 28 ) In addition, studies comparing the mental health of stably married adults to those who remain unmarried find that those who are stably married have fewer depressive symptoms (and smaller increases in these symptoms as they grow older), even after controlling for baseline mental health. ( 23 , 25 , 26 )

Although research consistently shows that being married reduces depression, the existing evidence has limitations that future research should address. In particular, the most rigorous research typically estimates the effect of marriage and marital transitions by comparing the prevalence of depressive symptoms in the period just before a marital transition to the prevalence in the period just after the transition. This method adjusts for background differences between those who marry and those who do not. However, it may introduce other sources of bias into the estimates, and the direction of this bias is uncertain.

For example, people may experience fewer depressive symptoms in the period leading up to marriage in anticipation of this transition. Similarly, people may experience more depressive symptoms in the period leading up to a divorce, as the quality of their marriage declines. If so, comparing someone's depressive symptoms during the period just before a marital transition to the period immediately after may underestimate the effect of this transition. Conversely, if depressive symptoms are reduced for only a short time after marriage or are elevated for only a short time after a marital dissolution before returning to their pre-transition levels, comparisons of depressive symptoms just before and just after the transition would overestimate the long-term effect. To address these limitations and to obtain a more precise understanding of the relationship between marriage and depression, longitudinal data sets are needed that offer more detailed mental health histories and more information on changes in mental health status than are currently available.

Effects on Physical Health and Longevity. Many studies have documented that people who marry live longer and enjoy better physical health than those who do not marry. ( 29 , 30 ) However, methodological issues require caution in interpreting this pattern, because most of the research in this area relies on descriptive methods that do not adequately control for the possible selection of healthier people into marriage. Although central to the overall assessment of the link between marriage and health, rigorous research evidence concerning the effect of marriage on specific physical health outcomes is limited, and few solid conclusions can be drawn.

The rigorous research currently available provides limited evidence of an effect of marriage on physical health. Recent research finds a significant positive effect of marriage on how men rate their overall physical health status; however, it finds no such effect for women. ( 30 ) Researchers find a positive effect on women's physical health, as measured by the prevalence of specific health conditions and illnesses. (31) However, no recent rigorous studies based on U.S. samples have examined whether a similar marriage effect on the frequency of health conditions or illnesses exists among men. Similarly, little evidence exists on the links between marriage and specific health conditions or diseases. One exception is a recent study that suggests a possible link between marriage and the risk of cardiovascular disease for women; however, the study finds no such effect for men. (32) Overall, the existing research evidence on the links between marriage and physical health is limited to a narrow range of health measures and does not offer a complete picture of the influence of marriage on physical health.

Many studies have pointed to a strong relationship between marriage and longevity, (33 , 29 , 34 ) but this research also has limitations. In particular, these studies are typically limited to simple descriptive comparisons of married and unmarried adults that do not adequately distinguish the effect of marriage from the possible effects of healthier people selecting into marriage. As noted, the most reliable studies of links between marriage and health examine measures directly before and after marital transitions. However, because longevity is determined only at the end of life, it is not possible to observe how a marital transition changes longevity. Some researchers have attempted to address selection using other statistical techniques, (5) but these studies provide less convincing evidence than do studies of marital transitions. For this reason, the strongest evidence of a positive effect of marriage on longevity comes more from the robustness of this relationship across many studies than from the particular strengths of any single study.

A more definitive test of the effect of marriage on physical health and longevity will require very long-term longitudinal data that afford the opportunity to control for differences in initial health status measured before sample members begin to marry. With data of this type, researchers can examine how differing marital histories affect physical health, controlling for any initial health differences that exist between those who marry and remain married and those who do not.

Intergenerational Health Effects. An emerging literature on the possible intergenerational health effects of marriage suggests that marriage also has potential long-term consequences for the physical health of a couple's children. In particular, studies show that growing up with married parents is associated with better physical health in adulthood and increased longevity. (35 , 36 , 37 ) Research suggests that such intergenerational health effects are especially strong for men and operate equally for African American and white men. ( 38 , 39 , 40 ) There is less evidence examining possible differences in this relationship for African American and white women.

There are many possible reasons why parental marital status may have long-term health consequences for children. However, existing research provides limited evidence on the pathways by which childhood family structure affects adult physical health and longevity. Several studies suggest that the effects work mostly through the role of childhood family structure in shaping children's future socioeconomic attainment, and through adult health risk behaviors, such as smoking and heavy drinking. ( 35 , 39 ) On average, children raised in two-parent families obtain more education and exhibit healthier adult behaviors than children from other types of families. These differences, in turn, have consequences for adult health and longevity.

Research on intergenerational health effects has focused on trends for people born in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a period when patterns of marriage, divorce, and single parenthood were much different from today. It is possible that the apparent benefits of marriage for children's health have weakened as single parenthood and divorce have become more common and less stigmatizing. In addition, much of the research is limited to data for small nonrepresentative samples. The available nationally representative evidence is based on data sets that began tracking sample members as adults, which limits the ability to control for differences in the background characteristics of those who grew up in a two-parent family and those who did not.

Future research is needed to

Replicate the results of existing research with nationally representative data following sample members from childhood into adulthood,
Distinguish more clearly the effect of parental marital status from the effects of other related family characteristics,
Identify more precise mechanisms by which childhood family structure might influence adult physical health, and
Examine whether the relationships observed in earlier generations also apply to a younger cohort of children coming of age in a period when divorce and single parenthood are increasingly common.

Marriage, Health, and Policy

Recent research suggests that marriage improves certain health outcomes. However, the picture of marriage's overall effect on health is not yet complete. Future research could more fully explore the effects of marriage on health care costs; the health effects of marriage for different racial, ethnic, and socio-economic groups; the role that marital quality might play; and the intergenerational health effects of marriage. Moreover, little rigorous research has been conducted concerning the central question of whether marriage affects physical health. Additional research in these and other areas could help clarify the breadth of the health effects of marriage. Better information about how marriage affects health can contribute to discussions about the role and purposes of public policy in supporting marriage — and possibly give a new meaning to the phrase “healthy marriage.”

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PMC10401551

STRENGTHENING CLINICAL RESEARCH IN MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPY: CHALLENGES AND MULTILEVEL SOLUTIONS

Andrea k. wittenborn.

Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI; Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI

Adrian J. Blow

Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI

Kendal Holtrop

José r. parra-cardona.

Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI; Steve Hicks School of Social Work, University of Texas, Austin, TX

There is a critical need for high-quality and accessible treatments to improve mental health. Yet, there are indications that the research being conducted by contemporary marriage and family therapy (MFT) scholars focuses less on advancing and disseminating clinical interventions than in previous decades. In this article, we describe challenges to increasing rigorous clinical research in MFT. We use systems mapping and the intervention-level framework to identify strategic goals designed to drive innovation in clinical research in the field. It is our hope this article encourages dialog and action among MFT stakeholder groups to support clinical science that will improve the health and functioning of families.

Marriage and family therapy (MFT) has played an important role in advancing treatments that improve the mental health and functioning of individuals and families. In the 1950s and 1960s, when psychoanalytic interventions were common, novel theoretical approaches such as strategic, intergenerational, experiential, structural, and others were developed ( Shields, Wynne, McDaniel, & Gawinski, 1994 ). Additional models such as cognitive behavioral ( Baucom & Epstein, 1990 ; Jacobson, 1981 ), emotionally focused ( Greenberg & Johnson, 1988 ; Johnson, 1996 ), solution focused ( de Shazer, 1991 ), and narrative ( White & Epston, 1990 ) therapy surfaced in the 1980s and 1990s. Since 2000, major contributions have included new iterations of early approaches (e.g., Dattilio, 2009 ; Henggeler, Clingepeel, Brondino, & Pickerel, 2002 ; Szapocznik & Hervis, 2005 ), and the dissemination and adaptation of existing approaches (e.g., Johnson & Wittenborn, 2012 ; Monson et al., 2012 ). While this body of work is impressive, there are indications that current research conducted by contemporary MFT scholars focuses less on advancing and disseminating clinical interventions than in previous decades. For example, the majority of rigorous clinical research in couple and family therapy during the past few decades has not involved investigators within the discipline of MFT ( Sprenkle, 2002 , 2012 ). In doctoral programs, it is common for students to complete dissertation research on nonclinical questions answered with existing datasets, leaving the next generation of scholars without the critical skillset needed to advance family therapy.

Over the past several decades, the landscape of health care has changed dramatically to prioritize evidence-based practices. Breakthrough science has led to substantial declines in rates of mortality from conditions such as AIDS, heart disease, and certain cancers (e.g., leukemia; Bray, Ren, Masuyer, & Ferlay, 2012 ; Insel, 2013 ), and suicide has been prioritized as the next condition in dire need of improved treatment ( National Institute of Mental Health, 2018 ). There is no doubt that clinical research, including the development and dissemination of treatments, must be prioritized to meet the demand for mental health services. Unfortunately, it is not evident that MFT scholars will play an active role at the cutting edge of the clinical research enterprise. If the discipline of MFT is going to contribute to resolving the crisis in mental health care, more investigators must commit to leading programs of clinical research, and MFT organizations, such as the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT), must provide the structural support necessary for investigators to be successful. Otherwise, the future relevance of the discipline is in question.

In this article, we describe the need for a collective effort in MFT to develop and disseminate effective interventions to improve the mental health and functioning of families. The primary goal of this article is to describe challenges and propose strategies for producing more impactful clinical research in the field of MFT. We discuss challenges and solutions from a systemic perspective and recognize the shared responsibility required to make meaningful change. We hope this article will ignite conversation and spawn collaborative initiatives to strengthen family-based clinical research that will ultimately increase the development and dissemination of interventions that improve the lives of individuals and families.

UNDERSTANDING THE PROBLEM AND IDENTIFYING SOLUTIONS

To better understand how to accelerate innovation in MFT clinical research in order to create more potent and widely available interventions, we turn to an approach called system dynamics. System dynamics is a method for examining complex and persistent problems ( Sterman, 2006 ). One useful tool for understanding problems through this paradigm is causal loop diagramming. Such a diagram maps out the variables and related feedback loops that give rise to specific behaviors in a system. Causal loop diagrams can be informed by a variety of sources, including the empirical literature or interviews that reveal participants’ mental models of a system. Once a causal map is developed, useful intervention strategies can be discovered. According to Meadows (2009) , “We change paradigms by building a model of the system, which takes us outside the system and forces us to see it whole” (p. 164). In that spirit, through discussions with one another, and informed by the empirical literature, we created a causal loop diagram that maps out the variables and feedback loops that identify paths to improvements in the quality and accessibility of family interventions. The causal loop diagram ( Figure 1 ) is provided to illustrate our conceptualization of how clinical research can be increased in MFT and to offer a rationale for our suggested path forward. In other words, we provide the diagram to “show our work” and illustrate the worldview that informed our recommended solutions. To interpret the model, it is important to note a few basic ideas. While the model may appear static, it portrays dynamics that occur over time; it also represents causal processes, not correlations. The mapping of variables indicates the mechanisms by which one variable affects another, though each variable ultimately has an influence on all other variables in the systemic model. Of course, all models are simplifications of real-world processes, and this model is no different. Other exogenous processes exist outside the boundary of this model.

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Causal loop diagram of the dynamics of clinical research in MFT.

The model provided a method for identifying leverage points, or key strategies that can stimulate innovations in clinical research in MFT. To gain insights from the model, we used the Intervention-Level Framework (ILF; Johnston, Matteson, & Finegood, 2014 ), which provides a structure for estimating the potential impact of a given strategy within a system. The ILF focuses on several levels of intervention, two of which pertain directly to the current discussion. One level involves shifts in the fundamental organization of the structure of a system; change at this level is highly effective but is often the most difficult to implement. The second involves changes to the structural elements, such as the actions of individual investigators. While change at this level is easier to execute, it tends to make less of an overall impact. The ILF framework is a valuable tool because it requires one to consider the rules that govern the system, in addition to the individual players in a system, since change at both levels is needed to create meaningful and sustainable (i.e., second-order) change ( Meadows, 2009 ). We used the causal loop diagram and ILF to systematically consider barriers and strategies to increase rigorous clinical research in the field of MFT. This approach kept us focused on the processes relevant to the change we seek and prevented us from straying into a more general critique of the field. The strategies developed through this process are described next, beginning with the most potent.

CHANGE AT THE LEVEL OF SYSTEM STRUCTURE

The structure of a system or paradigm is one of the most difficult, yet powerful, points of intervention ( Johnston et al., 2014 ); these deeply held beliefs serve to maintain the structure of systems. To identify and understand the fundamental values of a system, it is useful to consider its historical context. The field of MFT was conceived by interdisciplinary clinical scholars in reaction to the prevailing views on the family’s role, or lack thereof, in mental health care at the time ( Shields et al., 1994 ). Resources for developing and maintaining the new discipline were directed toward gaining credibility, and indicators of the success of these initiatives included the existence of rigorous degree programs and the right to licensure in every state. Maintaining an unwavering focus on the expansion of the practice of MFT has undoubtedly benefited the discipline, yet it could be argued that doing so has impeded progress in the science of MFT. We argue that the resources being invested in the science of MFT are inadequate to support clinical innovations in family therapy. Resources must become better balanced within two key areas: the national organization and doctoral education. We refer to AAMFT specifically, though we recognize that other MFT organizations could be valuable contributors to the MFT research agenda.

Transforming the Goals of the AAMFT

Professional organizations have a variety of goals. A primary goal of the AAMFT has been to establish and promote the profession of marriage and family therapy. If the field is to flourish, however, future initiatives must support the expansion of the science of MFT, particularly clinical research. These goals are not at cross-purposes. Instead, better MFT clinical research will benefit the profession. For example, while developing and documenting effective MFT treatments can help to strengthen the quality of care, this empirical evidence also strengthens advocacy efforts and further contributes to the business case for third-party payers. In this way, investing in MFT clinical research promotes both the science and profession of marriage and family therapy. In the following section, we propose five areas in which AAMFT could make a positive impact on MFT clinical research, which includes supporting: (a) scholarly communities, (b) seed funding, (c) dissemination initiatives, (d) advocating for federal funding, and (e) research with ethnic and racial minorities.

Scholarly communities.

The general empirical literature overwhelmingly shows that belonging to a community of scientists is associated with greater scientific impact. In a study of 19.9 million scientific articles over five decades, research produced by teams received significantly more citations—the preferred proxy for scientific impact—than solo authored publications ( Wuchty, Jones, & Uzzi, 2007 ). Increased collaboration also leads to more opportunities to secure funding for research. One study found that collaborative networks have a stronger influence on scholars’ chances for securing research funding than the publications they produce or the citation rates of their publications ( Edabi & Schiffauerova, 2015 ). Collaborations are also known to promote scientific breakthroughs. In an analysis of more than half a million patent inventions, findings showed that individuals working alone were more likely to have poor outcomes and less likely to have breakthrough inventions when compared with collaborative teams ( Singh & Fleming, 2010 ). Still other research found a significant relationship between collaboration and scientific productivity ( Lee & Bozeman, 2005 ).

One way to support the scientific collaborations investigators need to be successful is through organizational infrastructure that establishes connections among scholars. A review of other professional organizations shows that they often play a key role in connecting scholars and building communities of scientists through task forces or other similar groups. Task forces have successfully been used to define the field, review the state of research and identify gaps, strategically plan future research, and develop clinical practice guidelines ( Ritvo et al., 1999 ; U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, 2017 ). Other methods of support include special interest groups, networking opportunities, and extensive opportunities to present and discuss research at national conferences (e.g., research symposiums, roundtables). While AAMFT provides some support for connecting researchers, current resources are limited. The AAMFT Research and Education Foundation has organized research conferences in the past for active researchers to connect, but the events have not occurred consistently enough to make an impact.

One change that recently passed through an AAMFT membership vote—the introduction of topical interest networks—could provide a new method for engaging and connecting scholars. AAMFT’s topical interest networks have the potential to resemble what other organizations often term special interest groups. A special interest group (SIG) is a valuable mechanism for connecting scholars interested in a specific problem. SIGs promote networks that give investigators a competitive advantage in grant funding and scholarship, reduce the burden of locating collaborators for new projects, and provide an opportunity for the exchange of new ideas. For example, the first author belongs to several SIGs focused on depression and/or suicide that are composed of psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and National Institutes of Health (NIH) officials. These groups aim to connect researchers, identify knowledge gaps and funding priorities, and develop new collaborative projects. The fourth author is involved in a similar group focused on global mental health.

We envision an AAMFT topical interest network focused on clinical research as a valuable tool; such a group would need three key elements to be successful. First, the group would require a sustainable organizational structure. This would include a governance and funding mechanism to ensure the group is able to sustain itself. Too often, these efforts have not succeeded due to lack of a clear organizational structure to secure its future. Second, such a group would need to be attractive to senior funded intervention scholars interested in MFT clinical research in order to engage them into the group to provide leadership. Third, a clinical research interest group would need to provide significant opportunities for members to interact with each other in meaningful and intellectually stimulating ways. Such stimulation would be a strong force for creativity and could generate significant ideas and opportunities for future clinical studies.

Seed funding for research.

Seed funding plays an instrumental role in establishing a leading program of research. In order to be competitive for federal awards, it is essential that investigators have pilot data to support their proposed research. It is also advantageous for academics to seek funding that will provide additional time for research (e.g., course reduction), in order to dedicate time to writing a competitive grant proposal. Other ways in which seed money could promote clinical research is through support for grant editing and expert reviews of grant applications from external investigators. Seed money does not need to be a large amount, but enough to gather pilot data or to assist faculty in securing a course release to write a competitive proposal. The second author, for example, received over two million dollars in federal grant funding based on pilot data collected using two small pots of seed money ($5,000 and $25,000), and the first author was awarded a grant from the NIH as a result of a small grant that reduced her teaching load one semester to allow time to prepare a successful application. The American Psychological Association and the Society for Psychotherapy Research are examples of organizations that offer such funding opportunities to members. AAMFT could play a significant role in the future of clinical research by allocating resources for this purpose.

Disseminate research findings.

Marriage and family therapy interventions have a large body of literature supporting their effectiveness (see Sprenkle, 2012 ). However, evidence-based MFT practices have not been widely adopted and sustained by individual clinicians or supported by policy makers ( Dattilio, Piercy, & Davis, 2014 ); thus, there is a pressing need for AAMFT to offer ongoing dissemination and implementation support for effective MFT interventions. It is alarming that medical interventions (i.e., drugs) continue to be widely used as the first treatment of choice for many mental health conditions despite evidence and clinical guidelines for the safety and effectiveness of psychotherapy ( American Psychiatric Association, 2010 ; National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2009 ). Consider children with ADHD, for example. Parent-administered behavioral therapy is the evidence-based first line of treatment recommended for young children and should be strongly considered instead of, or in some cases in addition to, ADHD medications for children through the elementary school years ( American Academy of Pediatrics, 2011 ). Yet, medications such as Adderall or Ritalin are often relied on exclusively. This is just one example where AAMFT could help to address this situation by actively disseminating the findings of MFT clinical research studies.

Marriage and family therapies are in a unique position to contribute to and benefit from dissemination initiatives (e.g., Withers, Reynolds, Reed, & Holtrop, 2017 ). An ideal location to begin the dissemination of findings from clinical research is at professional meetings. It is important to note that discussion resulting from presentations feeds back into the research through improvements made as a result of colleagues’ recommendations. A highly effective method to share cutting-edge clinical findings is through brief presentations in research symposia selected by scholars with expertise in the field. Unfortunately, the current 2- to 3-hr format of AAMFT conference workshops is not conducive to this process, and the selection of workshops by AAMFT staff has resulted in a lack of focus on cutting-edge science. The current “research discussion” format also falls short of this purpose, because scheduling these presentations at inconvenient times or in congested spaces leads to poor attendance and a noisy atmosphere that is not conducive to scientific discussion. Two strategies to improve this would be to create an AAMFT scientific review committee, consisting of MFT scholars, to help select deserving scientific abstracts, and to incorporate brief research symposia workshops (e.g., 1 hr) in which several researchers would present their individual findings on a related topic.

Critical dissemination initiatives must also take place outside of professional meetings. To begin, AAMFT could help convene a task force of scholars to develop empirically based practice guidelines; guidelines should be posted online for consumers, clinicians, and policymakers. Second, AAMFT has been very successful in advocating for reimbursement for services provided by licensed marriage and family therapists (LMFTs), and these advocacy efforts must be expanded to fully benefit the integration of science into practice. More on advocacy is discussed in the next section. Third, AAMFT could spearhead an advertising campaign that informs consumers about the MFT interventions available for treating common problems. Drug companies have reaped huge profits from well-crafted marketing strategies, yet behavioral interventions are rarely advertised. For example, what if an advertisement for couple therapy targeted Facebook users after they changed their relationship status to “it’s complicated”? Implementing these solutions would involve some challenges, as funding and resources would need to be re-allocated. Yet concerted, strategic efforts to better disseminate MFT-relevant interventions could ultimately have a meaningful, positive impact on the field.

Advocating for federal funding.

American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy actively advocates to fund the practice of MFT (e.g., to support reimbursement for LMFTs). We argue that it is equally as critical for AAMFT to advocate to fund the science of MFT by interfacing with government organizations (e.g., Administration for Children and Families, National Institutes of Health), insurance companies (e.g., Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation grants program), and other funding sources. The American Psychological Association (APA) has a long history of advocating for federal funding in support of research in behavioral and social sciences ( Kaplan, Bennet Johnson, & Clem Kobor, 2017 ). We are unaware of similar campaigns in AAMFT’s history. Of course, APA is better poised to advocate given its larger membership and financial resources, but there are still meaningful actions that AAMFT could take. One area of research in which funding is particularly scarce is clinical research involving couples. The lack of federal funding available for research in this area is surprising when you consider the substantial impact of one’s partner on key health behaviors linked to morbidity and mortality, such as smoking, physical inactivity, poor nutrition, and social support ( Kaplan et al., 2017 ; Lewis & Butterfield, 2007 ; Oxford Health Alliance, 2017 ). If federal funding allocations for clinical research in MFT are to increase, it will require well-coordinated campaigns in partnership with other organizations with similar interests. Identifying and developing relationships with well-positioned advocates could support this process, building on AAMFT’s success in securing a legislator and advocate for mental health care as a plenary speaker for the 2014 annual conference. In addition to persuading Congress and directors of federal agencies, strategies that raise awareness of the effects of relationships on health among the public may also be useful. Op-Eds in the New York Times or other outlets could play a major role in engaging the public to put pressure on federal agencies and foundations to support the development and implementation of novel interventions.

Support for research addressing mental health disparities among racial/ethnic minorities.

A final way we suggest in which AAMFT can help strengthen MFT clinical science is through support for research addressing mental health disparities among racial/ethnic minorities. AAMFT has made great strides in recent years promoting culturally competent practice. These advances must dovetail with a commitment to MFT clinical research focused on racial/ethnic minorities to ensure an appropriate body of research to support effective practice with diverse populations.

The efforts undertaken by AAMFT through the Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) are essential for the future of the MFT field because the ultimate goal of this initiative is to prepare the next generation of MFT practitioners and scholars committed to offering clinical services and conducting research with ethnic minorities and diverse populations. Once these professionals graduate, however, there is concern they will not transition into a context that offers the resources and mentoring required to maintain an active focus on minority populations. Currently, if an early career MFT scholar wants to commit to a program of applied research with minority populations, the best resources for formal training and ongoing support can only be found outside our primary organization. There is a need for AAMFT to expand programs and organizational resources to nurture and support early career scholars focused on minority populations through active programs of mentoring, networking, and funding support.

The efforts of peer organizations can provide ideas for feasible and effective initiatives. For example, Family Process Institute and the American Psychological Association offer annual funding competitions to support students and early career professionals with a commitment to serve underrepresented populations. These funds also serve as seed money that allows researchers to establish reputations, gather pilot data, and obtain publications, all of which are essential in the further acquisition of larger funding. The Society for Prevention Research has permanent standing committees focused on mentoring early career scholars and professionals focused on ethnic minority populations. In addition to having an active presence in the annual meeting of the organization through a series of social and scholarly events (e.g., symposia, poster sessions), these committees have infrastructure focused on providing continuous networking and mentoring opportunities to their members throughout the year. The AAMFT Research and Education Foundation may provide a means for supporting such initiatives for MFT clinical researchers, but its trustees will need to carefully consider strategic dispersion of funds that results in impactful results for racial/ethnic minorities.

Rigorous Clinical Research Training in MFT Doctoral Degree Programs

In addition to transforming the goals of our national organization, advancing MFT clinical research at the level of system structure will also require changes to MFT doctoral education. In the past, various factors played a role in de-emphasizing education in clinical research in doctoral degree programs. For instance, postmodern epistemology made important contributions to MFT, but the theoretical tension between postmodern thinking and positivistic science created an era in which empirical findings were less valued by some. This influenced the design of degree programs, dissertations, and instruction provided in courses.

Current COAMFTE accreditation standards provide a structure in which individual programs have vast flexibility in adapting curricula to incorporate the advanced clinical and methods training needed by the next generation to develop robust expertise in clinical research. We propose several strategies for preparing MFT clinical scholars. First, doctoral programs need to attract and inspire talented students who are motivated to conduct clinical research. While an excellent group of students are found in COAMFTE accredited training programs, it is our experience that high-quality applicants oriented toward research are often lost to other fields of study or select nonclinical research topics. It will be important to inspire interest in MFT among students early in their academic trajectories—an approach that has been successful for STEM disciplines ( Yilmaz, Ren, Custer, & Coleman, 2010 ), and then to translate this inspiration into conducting clinical studies. MFT training programs or organizations may consider hosting a “relationship science week” for undergraduate students or at local high schools where they facilitate activities and offer educational materials to students about the science of healthy relationships. AAMFT could engage MFT scholars to help create a relationship week curricula that could be disseminated by MFT programs. MFT faculty could also work to increase representation of their discipline at job fairs and graduate recruiting activities by liaising with advising offices within their universities or local high schools. The first author attends job fairs sponsored by local schools for student recruitment purposes.

Second, doctoral programs must offer more opportunities for students to engage in rigorous clinical research. This means MFT investigators need to carry out clinical research through which students can gain hands-on learning experiences. Training programs that do not provide these opportunities will be less likely to produce effective clinical researchers. This is not an easy task, of course, since federal funding to support rigorous family therapy research has become increasingly competitive. However, family clinical scholars in other fields are successfully competing for awards. Receiving structural support from AAMFT could result in more opportunities for MFT faculty that could then provide additional hands-on learning opportunities for students and could help faculty to gather the pilot data needed to complete competitive federal grant applications.

Third, students need opportunities to gain expertise in evidence-based interventions. While more attention is being paid to evidence-based practice in graduate education, this is typically limited to learning about evidence-based interventions and falls short of providing training in the intervention necessary to lead a program of clinical research ( Dattilio et al., 2014 ). Decreasing seminar and practicum time spent on foundational MFT approaches that lack empirical evidence to focus on the most current evidence-based interventions will be essential to the future success of the field. Within practice settings, this process is called de-implementation. De-implementation is a process of replacing interventions without empirical support or with findings that indicate an intervention is ineffective or harmful with modern evidence-based interventions, and it is gaining increasing support across clinical disciplines ( Prasad & Ioannidis, 2014 ). To support this shift in MFT, it may be useful to engage in a train-the-trainer approach by providing opportunities for graduate faculty and supervisors to receive training in an evidence-based model. The train-the-trainer approach has been effective in other efforts to train psychotherapy educators, but would require faculty buy-in and financial support from institutions ( Nakamura et al., 2014 ). In addition, doctoral educators could explore developing hybrid courses that combine students and faculty from multiple programs and allow them to receive training in an evidence-based intervention from off-site experts ( Withers et al., 2017 ).

Fourth, students need to receive advanced methods training that is relevant to clinical research. To meet this goal, at our university, we require MFT students to enroll in an advanced intervention research methods course in which students gain methods instruction pertinent to clinical research, and then apply those skills in class by developing, implementing, and evaluating a brief intervention. Students then disseminate the findings in a publishable manuscript. This course is part of a series of advanced methods and statistics courses.

Finally, after providing the requisite education, MFT doctoral programs must encourage students to pursue clinical research for the dissertation requirement. Similar to accounts from others (e.g., Stith, 2014 ), it is our experience that a sizable proportion of dissertations do not examine clinical interventions, but instead tend to align with family studies research or focus on examinations of ourselves—such as studies on MFT training processes (e.g., Sprenkle, 2010 ). Dissertation research provides an intensive learning experience and a bridge to early scholarship as an independent investigator. Increasing students’ engagement in clinical research is a critical method for increasing the likelihood that graduates will continue to engage in and contribute to MFT clinical research.

CHANGE AT THE LEVEL OF INDIVIDUAL INVESTIGATORS

Up to this point, our focus has been on strategies for enhancing clinical research in MFT that focus on change at the level of system structure. This is because change at one level is generally not feasible without concurrent change at another level, and it is immensely challenging for an individual investigator to become a productive clinical research scholar unless the shift is supported within broader contexts. We now turn to ideas for increasing novel clinical research at the level of individual investigators. Our discussion will focus on the following strategies for individual investigators: (a) engage in and sustain rigorous programs of clinical research, (b) study problems of global and national priority, (c) seek interdisciplinary collaborations, and (d) develop advanced methods expertise.

Engage in Rigorous and Sustained Programs of Intervention Research

The most obvious method for advancing clinical research in MFT is for more independent investigators to orient their programs of research toward clinical interventions. There are several promising areas of research that need attention. To begin, it remains important for future research to experiment with novel intervention approaches. For example, a common psychotherapy treatment paradigm involves a 50-min weekly meeting in a clinician’s office, but this type of structure has more to do with current insurance reimbursement and business models than empirical evidence. There are many research questions related to the structure, timing, and dosing of interventions that beg answers ( Kazdin & Rabbitt, 2013 ). Technology also offers opportunities for advancing conventional MFT clinical practice. An exemplar of one emerging treatment for substance use uses smartphone technology to reduce rates of drug use and risk of relapse ( Gustafson et al., 2014 ). Through a creative use of a smartphone application, clinicians and patients work together to implement strategies for reducing risk factors, increasing supports, and targeting environmental triggers that may lead to relapse. When the smartphone senses that a patient is physically close to an area in which he or she used or bought drugs, the phone implements a series of steps to persuade the patient to leave (e.g., an image of the patient’s daughter may appear or a mental health specialist may call). While the use of technology to intervene is not new, the fastpaced development of affordable technologies makes it a prime area for future innovation in MFT clinical research.

Of course, developing and manualizing a new intervention requires extensive time and effort to become familiar with the relevant basic science, understand the current body of existing interventions for a problem, design and refine treatment protocols through ongoing trials, and address important dimensions related to efficacy, effectiveness, dissemination, and implementation ( Czajkowski et al., 2015 ). Needless to say, clinical research is a challenging endeavor. To be successful, researchers need considerable institutional support, a sustained stream of funding, and an array of collaborators—including access to strong research mentors and co-investigators within their discipline as well as willing interdisciplinary collaborators. One success story in clinical research on family therapy comes from the body of work on brief strategic family therapy (e.g., Horigian, Anderson, & Szapocznik, 2016 ). Decades of research, from pilot to implementation, have resulted in an effective family-based treatment for youth with behavior problems that is widely available in the community.

In addition, dissemination and implementation science provides a promising avenue for MFT clinical research (see Withers et al., 2017 ). Engaging in this area of research would allow MFTs to contribute toward finding solutions to better integrate evidence-based practices into real-world clinical settings. This research-practice gap remains a problem across many disciplines. In biomedical research, for example, basic science rarely translates into clinical practice. In a review of leading journals (e.g., Science, Nature, Journal of Experimental Medicine ), the authors found that of articles clearly indicating a promising clinical therapeutic application, only one in four articles resulted in a published trial of the intervention and only one in ten is used in routine clinical practice ( Contopoulos-Ioannidis, Ntzani, & Ioannidis, 2003 ). Important opportunities, therefore, exist for MFTs to develop a program of research in this area. MFT has a long history of investing in community-based research, and more recently, the funding priorities of the NIH and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) established by Congress in 2010 has brought increased attention to this focus. In particular, agencies have responded to the gaps between public health, research, and clinical practice by making a significant investment in dissemination and implementation science. NIH-sponsored conferences and training programs, as well as several current NIH funding announcements focus on addressing this gap.

Study Problems of National and Global Priority

To strengthen MFT clinical research, it is important to remain attentive to addressing problems of national and global priority. Health disparities research represents one critical area of focus ( Merikangas et al., 2011 ). Yet while our MFT training curricula strongly emphasize issues of diversity, we currently play an insular role with regard to the generation of cutting-edge scholarship and research related to health and mental health disparities. A recent review of leading MFT journals concluded that only 28% of articles addressed at least one aspect of diversity as a primary issue ( Seedall, Holtrop, & Parra-Cardona, 2014 ). Findings also indicated that “the vast majority of scholarly work being published in the field of MFT is still focused on majority groups, rather than those most at risk for experiencing stigma, social inequality, and marginalization” ( Seedall et al., 2014 , pp. 145–146). Thus, MFT tends to lag behind other fields in our research contributions to these areas. Moreover, MFT investigators maintain only a marginal presence in terms of membership and active participation with national and international research organizations leading the way in the field of health and mental health disparities research (e.g., Global Mental Health Summit, Society for Prevention Research, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities). Through increased engagement with organizations that offer training programs on disparities issues and a sustained commitment to building capacity in this area, there is great opportunity for MFTs to make critical contributions to the health disparities field through clinical intervention research.

A second priority area is global health problems. Systemic thinkers have important skills for reducing the burden of some of the most complex and challenging problems across the globe ( Sprenkle, 2012 ). It is helpful for researchers to closely follow epidemiological findings and the prioritization of major public health problems among key agencies (e.g., NIH). For example, the World Health Organization website provides an up-to-date list of major global health problems ( World Health Organization, 2017 ). Of the global problems ranked highly among those most burdensome today, such as conflict, suicide, depression, inequality, relational disharmony, trauma, and heart disease ( World Health Organization, 2017 ), MFT researchers have the potential to make valuable contributions.

Consider hepatitis and HIV as two examples of global public health problems flagged by the World Health Organization. Infection from hepatitis results in approximately 1.45 million deaths each year, and 37 million people are infected with HIV ( World Health Organization, 2017 ). Both hepatitis and HIV can be spread by contact with blood or bodily fluids, unsafe injections or transfusions, mother to child transmission, or sexual contact. In addition, hepatitis can be spread through contaminated water and food. Now, consider how MFTs could play an instrumental role in preventing these routes of transmission by supporting protective family processes that facilitate safe health practices including safe sexual health, allow for obtaining and adhering to medications, and protect children through effective parenting (e.g., Pequegnat & Bray, 2012 ).

A quick review of NIH Reporter ( NIH Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools, 2017 ) results using the search terms “family-based” and “HIV” indicates that funding to evaluate family-based interventions for HIV has mostly been awarded to investigators in other disciplines. Such projects include: behavioral family therapy for substance abuse and HIV risk; HIV prevention interventions that promote couple communication, intimacy, and trust; and a family group intervention for adolescents living with HIV. These NIH funded studies use couple and family approaches to intervene in one of the largest health crises in history, yet few MFT researchers are involved in these advances (e.g., Serovich & Mosack, 2003 ). The field of MFT will continue to miss opportunities to contribute if we remain inattentive to global health issues.

Collaborate Across Disciplines

Marriage and family therapy originated as a multidisciplinary field that was informed by thinkers from diverse disciplines ( Shields et al., 1994 ). However, like many other fields, MFT has been challenged by siloed thinking which can stifle innovation and lessen the impact of findings. Understanding diverse literatures and working with investigators and community partners from divergent fields can lead to mutual enrichment and novel ideas for strengthening the development and evaluation of interventions. Increased collaboration also expands opportunities to secure funding for research. One study found that collaborative networks have a stronger influence on a scholar’s chances for securing research funding than the publications they produce or the citation rates of their publications ( Edabi & Schiffauerova, 2015 ). While team science is not without challenges ( Hall et al., 2012 ), the level of complexity that is feasible for research endeavors with collaborative teams is beyond that of single investigators or siloed teams ( Wuchty et al., 2007 ).

Engaging in multidisciplinary research is a strategy that could increase the impact of MFT investigators’ programs of research. One example of a multidisciplinary partnership comes from the first author’s work modeling the dynamics of adult depression. This line of research is focused on developing a method for personalizing treatment, a current need in clinical research. The project included a multidisciplinary team of academics with expertise in couple and family therapy, psychology, management, engineering, public health, and economics. The team developed a system dynamics simulation model that was used to determine optimal treatments for a given patient profile ( Hosseinichimeh, Rahmandad, Jalali, & Wittenborn, 2016 ; Wittenborn, Rahmandad, Rick, & Hosseinichimeh, 2016 ). For an example of an effective cross-disciplinary partnership involving the second author, see Dalack et al. (2010).

Develop Advanced Research Methods and Statistics Expertise

Developing advanced methodological skills is instrumental to engaging in rigorous MFT clinical research. Historically, however, a desire to engage in patient-centered care and an inclination to favor postmodern epistemologies have led many to erroneously conclude that scientific research cannot be used to appropriately guide clinical practice. It is also true that in the past, methodologies did not exist for effectively examining complex, system processes, but this is no longer the case. While perspectives on science have slowly changed across decades, the damage caused by de-valuing science continues to be felt today. There is a critical need to develop a new generation of methodologists in MFT.

To build capacity among MFT investigators in advanced methodological skills, we recommend the following actions as initial steps. First, a train-the-trainer model could help train educators in advanced methods and statistics. Such an approach could be carried out at a system-wide or individual level. AAMFT, or other MFT national organizations, could incorporate a methods track at national conferences or offer weeklong intensive sessions. Over the course of multiple days, attendees could either get refreshed on common topics or learn about new techniques in research methods. An initial strategy might be to support faculty to attend MFP statistics and methods workshops at AAMFT, or to offer a preconference institute on advanced statistics for MFT research. In addition, individual investigators could attend some of the short course offerings across the country to refresh and build on skills. Workshops through Mplus, Todd Little’s Stats Camp, Statistical Horizons, and the inter-university consortium for political and social research (ICPSR) are good places to begin. Doctoral programs could consider joining forces and hiring an expert to offer online training and consultation to MFT graduate educators. To supplement these efforts, investigators would also need access to colleagues or statistical consultants to provide consultation on an as-needed basis. It is common to encounter obstacles when engaging in advanced analyses and having supportive resources in place to troubleshoot problems when they arise is vital to success.

While we acknowledge challenges facing the field of MFT, we recognize we are not alone in these struggles and that many other disciplines are facing similar issues. Indeed, we are quite hopeful for the future. We recognize that our suggested path forward requires significant commitment and resources shared across stakeholders, and that some of our ideas suggest unexplored territories for creating change within the discipline. It is our hope this article begins a new dialog for advancing the next era of clinical research in MFT. But, more than dialog, we hope it ignites action—action among MFT stakeholder groups to support and engage in science that will improve care for the millions of people suffering from mental illness.

Contributor Information

Andrea K. Wittenborn, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI; Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI.

Adrian J. Blow, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI.

Kendal Holtrop, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI.

José R. Parra-Cardona, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI; Steve Hicks School of Social Work, University of Texas, Austin, TX.

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Marriage Today covers current trends and research pertaining to marriage and family life in today's world.

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The past shapes the present when it comes to Southern roots, race, and marriage trends

Family Tree Branches and Southern Roots: Contemporary Racial Differences in Marriage in Intergenerational and Contextual Perspective . Deirdre Bloome and Garrett T. Pace. American Journal of Sociology 2024 129:4, 1084-1135.

Faculty Authors

Deirdre Bloome

What’s the issue.

Black and white people with Southern lineages are more likely to marry, compared to people with lineages elsewhere in the United States. Understanding intergenerational and place-based patterns could help address racial inequality.

To address racial inequality today, it is important for policymakers to understand its historical sources. One aspect of racial inequality that is very historically contingent is how people form their families, including whether and when they marry. By investigating historical and social factors that influence marriage, researchers may contribute valuable evidence for social policy.

What does the research say?

Professor Deirdre Bloome and coauthor Garrett Pace from the University of Nevada have studied how southern family lineages contribute to marriage trends. They find that Black and white people whose grandparents grew up in the southern United States are more likely to marry than people with geographic lineages elsewhere in the United States. This is true for a number of reasons, including religiosity. More Black people than white people have southern roots. This is because of how slavery and Jim Crow impacted where Black families lived in the past. As a result, more Black people than white people are exposed to the intergenerational marriage pressures that come from southern lineages. However, over the course of the 20th century, millions of Black families moved out of the South to other parts of the country, through what became known as the Great Migration. This migration reduced people's exposure to intergenerational marriage pressures.

The authors write, “policies can be adopted to help people flourish across family forms. These policies can foster inclusion and citizenship by recognizing the legitimacy of many family forms and by helping people achieve their personal family goals. Policies may be especially effective if they recognize that people’s present actions reflect their family lineages. Our results suggest that even when circumstances change across historical time, the past shapes the present through intergenerational legacies.”

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Home > Family, Home, and Social Sciences > Family Life > Marriage and Family Therapy > Theses and Dissertations

Marriage and Family Therapy Theses and Dissertations

Theses/dissertations from 2019 2019.

Attachment and Relationship Quality: A Longitudinal Cross-Lagged Panel Model Examining the Association of Attachment Styles and Relationship Quality in Married Couples , Meagan Cahoon Alder

Coding Rupture Indicators in Couple Therapy (CRICT): An Observational Coding Scheme , AnnaLisa Ward Carr

We Shall Overcome: The Association Between Family of Origin Adversity, Coming to Terms, and Relationship Quality for African Americans , Kylee Marshall

Sri Lankan Widows' Mental Health: Does Type of Spousal Loss Matter? , Katrina Nicole Nelson

The Role of the Autonomic Nervous System in the Relationship Between Emotion Regulation and Conflict Tactics in Couples , Natalie Gold Orr

A Content Analysis of Ethnic Minorities in the Professional Discipline of Clinical Psychology , Pedro L. Perez Aquino

Sleep, Stress, and Sweat: Implications for Client Physiology Prior to Couple Therapy , Christina Michelle Rosa

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

A Content Analysis of the Journal of Adolescent Health: Using Past Literature to Guide Healthcare Research of US Ethnic Minority Adolescents , Kate Amanda Handy

Stress of Trying Daily Therapy Interventions , Emily Kathryn Hansen

U.S. Racial/Ethnic/Cultural Groups in Counseling Psychology Literature: A Content Analysis , Jared Mark Hawkins

Can Attachment Behaviors Moderate the Influence of Conflict Styles on Relationship Quality? , Cameron W. Hee

Therapist Behaviors That Predict the Therapeutic Alliance in Couple Therapy , Bryan C. Kubricht

Insider Perspectives of Mate Selection in Modern Chinese Society , Szu-Yu Lin

The Development of a Reliable Change Index and Cutoff for the SCORE-15 , Cara Ann Nebeker Adams

Difference in Therapeutic Alliance: High-Conflict Co-Parents vs Regular Couples , Andrea Mae Parady

Effects of Exercise on Clinical Couple Interactions , Samantha Karma-Jean Simpson

The Effect of Common Factor Therapist Behaviors on Change in Marital Satisfaction , Li Ping Su

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

Physiological Attunement and Influence in Couples Therapy: Examining the Roots of Therapeutic Presence , Julia Campbell Bernards

Youth Disclosure: Examining Measurement Invariance Across Time and Reporter , Robb E. Clawson

A Pilot Study Examining the Role of Treatment Type and Gender in Cortisol Functioning , Stephanie Young Davis

Longitudinal Relations Between Interparental Conflict and Adolescent Self-Regulation: The Moderating Role of Attachment to Parents , Lisa Tensmeyer Hansen

Cost Outcomes for Major Depressive Disorder and Bipolar Disorder Across Professional License Types and Modalities , Julia H. Jones

The Relationship Between Relational Aggression and Sexual Satisfaction: Investigating the Mediating Role of Attachment Behaviors , Melece Vida Meservy

The Effects of Family Stressors on Depression in Latino Adolescents as Mediated by Interparental Conflict , Jenny Carolina Mondragon

A Longitudinal Examination of Parental Psychological Control and Externalizing Behavior in Adolescents with Adolescent Internalized Shame as a Mediating Variable , Iesha Renee Nuttall

Multiculturalism and Social Work: A Content Analysis of the Past 25 Years of Research , Lauren Christine Smithee

Implicit Family Process Rules Specific to Eating-Disordered Families , Mallory Rebecca Wolfgramm

The Impact of Timing of Pornography Exposure on Mental Health, Life Satisfaction, and Sexual Behavior , Bonnie Young

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

The Relationship Between the Poor Parenting in Childhood and Current Adult Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression: Attachment as a Mediator , Kayla Lynn Burningham

Longitudinal Examination of Observed Family Hostility and Adolescent Anxiety and Depression as Mediated by Adolescent Perspective Taking and Empathic Concern , Trevor Dennis Dahle

The Influence of Client General Anxiety and Attachment Anxiety onAlliance Development in Couple Therapy , Erica Leigh Delgado

U.S. Ethnic Groups in the Journal of Family Psychology : A Content Analysis , Jessica Croft Gilliland

Passion and Sexuality in Committed Relationships , Emilie Iliff

Does Self-Esteem Mediate the Effect of Attachment on Relationship Quality , Alexis Lee

A Content Analysis and Status Report of Adolescent Development Journals: How Are We Doing in terms of Ethnicity and Diversity? , Jason Bernard Lefrandt

The Effect of Marital Therapy on Physical Affection , Tiffany Ann Migdat

Predicting Externalizing Behaviors in Latino Adolescents Using Parenting and EducationalFactors , Sergio Benjamin Pereyra

Pathways to Marriage: Relationship History and Emotional Health as Individual Predictors of Romantic Relationship Formation , Garret Tyler Roundy

Examining the Link Between Exercise and Marital Arguments in Clinical Couples , Bailey Alexandra Selland

Cost-Effectiveness of Psychotherapy and Dementia: A Comparison by Treatment Modality and Healthcare Provider , Megan Ruth Story

Childhood Abuse Types and Adult Relational Violence Mediated by Adult Attachment Behaviors and Romantic Relational Aggression in Couples , Tabitha Nicole Webster

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

The Effects of Marital Attachment and Family-of-Origin Stressors on Body Mass Index , Merle Natasha Bates

Shame, Relational Aggression, and Sexual Satisfaction: A Longitudinal Study , Austin Ray Beck

Parent and Adolescent Attachment and Adolescent Shame and Hope with Psychological Control as a Mediator , Natasha K. Bell

The Relationship Among Male Pornography Use, Attachment, and Aggression in Romantic Relationships , Andrew P. Brown

The Moderating Effect of Attachment Behaviors on the Association Between Video Game Use, Time Together as a Problem, and Relationship Quality , Stella Christine Dobry

Attachment Behaviors as a Moderator of the Relationship Between Disapproval and Relationship Satisfaction , Lauren Drean

Effects of Interparental Conflict on Taiwanese Adolescents’ Depression and Externalizing Problem Behavior: A Longitudinal Study , Chih Han Hsieh

The Cost Effectiveness of Psychotherapy for Treating Adults with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder , Micah LaVar Ingalls

Effects of Positive and Negative Events on Daily Relationship Effect for Clinical Couples: A Daily Diary Study , Kayla Dawn Mennenga

A Longitudinal Study of Therapist Emotion Focused Therapy Interventions Predicting In-Session Positive Couple Behavior , Josh Novak

Facilitative Implicit Rules and Adolescent Emotional Regulation , Lexie Y. Pfeifer

Avoidant Parental and Self Conflict-Resolution Styles and Marital Relationship Self-Regulation: Do Perceived Partner Attachment BehaviorsPlay a Moderating Role? , Erin L. Rackham

Individual Personality and Emotional Readiness Characteristics Associated with Marriage Preparation Outcomes of Perceived Helpfulness and Change , Megan Ann Rogers

Interactions Between Race, Gender, and Income in Relationship Education Outcomes , Andrew K. Thompson

Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014

Partner Attachment and the Parental Alliance , Ashley B. Bell

A Glimmer of Hope? Assessing Hope as a Moderator of the Relationship Between Parenting and Adolescent Depressive Symptoms , Lisa D. Bishop

Father Influence on Adolescent Sexual Debut , Daniel Joseph Blocker

Stable Conflict Resolution Styles and Commitment: Their Roles in Marital Relationship Self-Regulation , Rebecca Suzanne Boyd

Me, You, and Porn: A Common-Fate Analysis of Pornography Use and Sexual Satisfaction Among Married Couples , Cameron C. Brown

The Relationship Between Partner Perceptions of Marital Power and Sexual Satisfaction as Mediated by Observed Hostile Interaction , Amanda Claire Christenson

The Impact of Parentification on Depression Moderated by Self-Care: A Multiple Group Analysis by Gender for South Korea and the U.S. , Sunnie Giles

Romantic Relational Aggression in Parents and Adolescent Child Outcomes , Jennifer Nicole Hawkley

Cost-Effectiveness of Treating Oppositional Defiant Disorder: A Comparison by Treatment Modality and Mental Health Provider Type , Julie Denise Malloy

Constructive vs. Destructive Anger: A Model and Three Pathways for the Expression of Anger , Kierea Chanelle Meloy

Treatment Outcomes for Mood Disorders with Concurrent Partner Relational Distress: A Comparison by Treatment Modality and Profession , Holly Pack

Cost Effectiveness of Treating Generalized Anxiety Disorder in Adolescence: A Comparison by Provider Type and Therapy Modality , Kathryn Evelyn Reynolds

Commitment, Forgiveness, and Relationship Self-Regulation: An Actor-Partner Interdependence Model , Heather Michele Smith

A Comparison of Contemporary Filial Piety in Rural and Non-Rural China and Taiwan , Li Ping Su

A Dyadic Analysis of Couple Attachment Behaviors as Predictors of Dietary Habits and Physical Activity Levels , Stephanie Young

Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013

Cost-Effectiveness of Treating Pervasive Developmental Disorders: A Comparison by Treatment Modality , Jaime Elizabeth Ballard

Couples' Experience of Attachment-Related Change in Context of Couple-Centered, Enactment-Based Therapy Process and Therapist-Centered Therapy Process: A Qualitative Study , James Waid Ballard

Links between High Economic Distress and School Engagement as Mediated through Negative Marital Interaction and Parental Involvement , Lauren Alyssa Bone Barnes

The Relationship Between Frequency of Incest and Relational Outcomes with Family-of-Origin Characteristics as a Potential Moderating Variable , Kathleen Diane Baxter

Parental Involvement, Parent-Child Warmth and School Engagement as Mediated by Self-Regulation , Jeffrey James Bentley

The Effect of Attachment on the Therapeutic Alliance in Couples Therapy , Shawn A. Bills

Intrinsic Religiosity and Adolescent Depression and Anxiety: The Mediating Role of Components of Self-Regulation , Brent Charles Black

The Relationship Between Romantic Relationship Initiation Processes of Single LDS Emerging Adults and Change in Attachment Working Models with Implications for Practice , Matthew Lloyd Call

Attachment and Covert Relational Aggression in Marriagewith Shame as a Potential Moderating Variable: A Two Wave Panel Study , Charity Elaine Clifford

Family Implicit Rules, Shame, and Adolescent Prosocial and Antisocial Behaviors , Jeffrey Paul Crane

Infidelity and Forgiveness: Therapists' Views on Reconciliation and Restoration of Trust Following Disclosure of Infidelity , Miranda Mae Goldie

Power of Shame: The Moderating Effects of Parental and Peer Connection on the Relationship Between Adolescent Shame and Depression, Self-Esteem, and Hope , Alexander L. Hsieh

Couple Attachment and Sexual Desire Discrepancy: A Longitudinal Study of Non-Clinical Married Couples at Mid-Life , Anthony Allen Hughes

Factors Relating to Romantic Relationship Experiences for Emerging Adults , Sabra Elyse Johnson

Attachment Behaviors as Mediators Between Family-of-Origin Quality and Couple Communication Quality in Marriage: Implications for Couples Therapy , Darin Justin Knapp

Division of Labor and Marital Satisfaction in China and Taiwan , Bryan C. Kubricht

Stability and Change in Women's Personality Across the Life Course , Carly D. LeBaron

The Cost Effectiveness of Collaborative Mental Health Services In Outpatient Psychotherapy Care , Ashley Ann Maag

The Relationship Between Insecure Attachment and Premarital Sexual Timing , Carly Ostler

A Longitudinal View of the Association Between Therapist Behaviors and Couples' In-Session Process: An Observational Pilot Study of Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy , Lori Kay Schade

Conflict Resolution Styles as Mediators of Female Childhood Sexual Abuse Experience and Couple Relationship Satisfaction and Stability in Adulthood , Ashlee Elizabeth Sloan

The Relationship Between Video Game Use and Couple Attachment Behaviors in Committed Romantic Relationships , Jamie McClellan Smith

Psychological Control, Parental Support, Adolescent Grades and School Engagement , David Brian Thompson

Shame Not the Same for Different Styles of Blame: Shame as a Mediating Variable for Severity of Childhood Sexual Abuse and Trauma Symptoms in Three Attribution of Blame Groups , Tabitha Nicole Webster

Theses/Dissertations from 2012 2012

The Mediating Influence of Child Self-Regulation on the Relationship Between Couple Attachment Security in Parents and Anxiety in Their Children , David P. Adamusko

Couple Communication as a Mediator Between Work-Family Conflict and Marital Satisfaction , Sarah J. Carroll

The Role of Trait Forgiveness in Moderating the Relationship between Materialism and Relationship Instability in Couples , Lance J. Dome

Relationship Between Observed Parental Optimism and Adolescent Optimism with Parental Involvement as a Mediating Variable: Two Wave Panel Study , Allison Ellsworth

Mental Health Treatment for Children and Adolescents: Cost Effectiveness, Dropout, and Recidivism by Presenting Diagnosis and Therapy Modality , David Fawcett

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Americans' attitudes toward marriage are changing rapidly

More Americans are marrying later in life, if they marry at all. NPR's Michel Martin talks with sociology professor Susan Brown about shifting attitudes toward marriage in American society.

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Many people are used to thinking of marriage as the start of adult life. Get married, set up a house, have kids - in that order. But Americans attitudes toward marriage are changing. Today, more people are tying the knot in their 40s and older, and the share of people who never marry has doubled since 1960. So we asked some people over 40 to tell us their stories about marriage and relationships.

Bethany Phillips (ph) in Los Angeles told us she wed for the first time at age 43, after enduring years of unwelcome comments about her single status.

BETHANY PHILLIPS: It was definitely, like, oh, you're just going to be a spinster, I guess.

MARTIN: Steve Peterson (ph) is over 40 and single in Salt Lake City. He says marriage is not a panacea for life's problems.

STEVE PETERSON: If you are not happy by yourself, a relationship in and of itself is not going to make you happy.

MARTIN: And Kristi Riggs (ph) in Washington, D.C., says she likes being single in her 40s, partly because she doesn't have to share her bathroom.

KRISTI RIGGS: I have my towels on the rack situated a certain way and my perfume bottles and everything. And when they come over - like, the relationships I've had recently, I'll come into my bathroom after they've left, and it's like, what has happened in here? Like, why - the towel is on - my little Chanel towel is on the sink. And I'm like, oh, God.

MARTIN: So what does this shift in traditional ways of thinking about marriage mean for individuals and for society? And if you're over 40 and single, what are the chances you will eventually marry? I posed that question to sociology professor Susan Brown. She leads the Center for Family and Demographic Research at Bowling Green State University.

SUSAN BROWN: Well, I think this is really the million-dollar question for us and one that we've struggled with in the field for some time, which is, does marriage delayed really mean marriage forgone? That is, if you wait too long to get married, are you perhaps less likely to ever marry at all? Marriage overall in the United States continues to be in decline. Nonetheless, what we're finding is that for midlife adults, who we define as age - ages 40 to 59, we're actually seeing an uptick in first marriage entry.

MARTIN: What do people think about marriage or feel about marriage? Do people still want to be married?

BRIOWN: Well, absolutely. I think Americans are very much the marrying kind. We see high levels of support for marriage in most young adults. But at the same time, I think the bar for marriage has really ratcheted up such that now we would describe marriage as a capstone experience. It's something that people do after they have achieved a number of other accomplishments in life, whether that be completing their education, getting a real job, paying off or minimizing their debt and being ready to buy a house. And those are - buy - hurdles for a growing share of Americans. And I think that these factors are really contributing to this extended delay that we're seeing in marriage entry these days.

MARTIN: The growing number of people who are not married, are they kind of, in a way, disadvantaged by social policy?

BRIOWN: Yes. And we would describe marriage today as an engine of inequality, that, in fact, the gap between the married and the unmarried in terms of financial resources, health and well-being is growing. And part of this has to do with changing patterns of mate selection. So whereas in the past, individuals would have selected spouses more along those traditional religious lines, for example, now they're selecting them along the lines of education. And we're seeing the doctor marry the doctor, the lawyer marry the lawyer, as opposed to the doctor marry the nurse or the lawyer marry the secretary. And so marriage is actually contributing to widening economic inequality in the U.S. today.

MARTIN: Do we have any way to capture, though, whether - even if people aren't married in the traditional sense, that - you know, a formal ceremony recognized by the state - are there other forms of partnership that we're just not capturing?

BRIOWN: Yes. I mean, certainly there's cohabitation. People are familiar with that. And that has become quite common across the life course. We're seeing that at all stages of adulthood. But beyond that, we want to be mindful of partnerships that are non-coresidential. Living apart together, or LAT relationships, really represent what I think could be argued as the next frontier in partnership and relationship formation behaviors in the sense that, much like cohabitation was introducing more flexibility beyond marriage, now LAT partnerships provide still more independence and autonomy. And I think, particularly for those in the second half of life, this is a very appealing form of partnership, provided that one can afford to live independently.

MARTIN: If fewer people are getting married and if they're getting married later and presumably more mature, does this mean that marriages are more stable?

BRIOWN: Yes, marriages are much more stable today than they were a few decades ago. And, in fact, the divorce rate in the United States has been slowly but steadily decreasing since it peaked in 1979. But we're seeing a tremendous drop in divorce among young adults in their 20s and through their 30s. And this has to do in part with exactly what you're describing, that individuals are marrying at later ages these days. They're more mature. They're more economically secure. And this contributes to marital stability. Interestingly, where we're seeing a rise in divorce is actually in the second half of life, among people over the age of 50. We refer to this as gray divorce. And actually 1 in 10 people getting divorced today is over the age of 65.

MARTIN: Wow. That's so interesting. Now, I'm also interested in whether these patterns - these new patterns of living are a problem. I mean, is this something that we should worry about?

BRIOWN: I think that the research that's emerging, whether it's studies showing that midlife first marriage is on the rise or gray divorce is a growing phenomenon - shows us that perhaps what we need to do is shift our focus towards middle age and beyond, and that we're actually seeing a lot of family change in those demographics that tend to be overlooked. And so for me, that's what's been most eye-opening and exciting about this area of research is we're seeing a tremendous amount of flux in family formation and dissolution patterns for middle-aged adults and beyond.

MARTIN: Susan Brown is the director of the Center for Family and Demographic Research at Bowling Green State University. Professor Brown, thank you so much for being here.

BRIOWN: Thank you. My pleasure.

(SOUNDBITE OF DEAN BOWSER'S "THEORY")

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Nicholas Kristof

The Case for Saying ‘I Do’

A photograph of a circular mirror, hung on a wall with red and white wallpaper, showing a middle-age couple kissing.

By Nicholas Kristof

Opinion Columnist

With little notice, the United States may be crossing a historic milestone in family structure, one that may shape our health, wealth and happiness.

Historically, most American adults were married — more than two-thirds as recently as 1970. But the married share has crept downward , and today only about half of adults are married. Depending on the data source, we may already have entered an epoch in which a majority are not married.

“Our civilization is in the midst of an epochal shift, a shift away from marriage,” Brad Wilcox, a sociologist who directs the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia, writes in his new book, “ Get Married .” “In place of marriage, many Americans are remaining single or simply living together without wedding rings. And to be clear, it’s more of the former than the latter.”

Wilcox believes that perhaps a third of today’s young Americans will never marry. As a long-married romantic myself, I find that troubling, but it’s not just soggy sentimentality. Survey data indicates that married couples on average report more happiness, build more wealth, live longer and raise more successful children than single parents or cohabiting couples, though there are plenty of exceptions.

“Fixing what ails America starts with renewing marriage and family life, especially in poor and working-class communities where the fabric of family life is weakest,” Wilcox argues.

He’s up against a counter view that one should dodge family responsibilities, relish freedom and play hard. Many boys and men flock to the online rantings of Andrew Tate , the misogynistic influencer facing human trafficking charges, who has argued, “There is zero advantage to marriage in the Western world for a man.”

Some women have likewise celebrated freeing themselves from an institution that often shackled them to cooking, laundry and second-class status at a cost to their careers. As women have enjoyed more economic opportunities, they’re less often forced to marry some oaf who gets violent after a few drinks — and, anyway, what self-respecting woman with independent means would want to marry, say, a fan of Andrew Tate?

Yet even as marriage has receded, the evidence has grown that while it isn’t for everyone, in many cases it can improve our lives more than we may appreciate.

“Marriage predicts happiness better than education, work and money,” Wilcox writes. For example, survey data indicates that getting a college degree increases the odds of describing oneself as “very happy” by 64 percent. Earning a solid income lifts the odds by 88 percent. Being “very satisfied” with one’s job raises them by 145 percent. And marriage increases the odds of being very happy by 151 percent — while a “very happy” marriage boosts the odds by 545 percent.

I’ve long been interested in family structure for two reasons. First, I believe the left made a historic mistake by demonizing the Moynihan Report, which 59 years ago this month warned about the consequences of family breakdown. Daniel Patrick Moynihan was prescient, for we now know that households headed by single mothers are five times as likely to live in poverty as those with married couples.

Second, loneliness and social isolation are growing problems. One poignant example: Perhaps 100,000 or more dead bodies in America go unclaimed each year, often because there are no loved ones to say farewell. It’s a topic explored in another recent book, “The Unclaimed,” by sociologists Pamela Prickett and Stefan Timmermans.

Marriage doesn’t solve loneliness and social isolation, but it helps. And there is good news on the family front: The divorce rate has dropped to a 50-year low , and the share of children raised in an intact family with married parents has increased slightly in recent years. Today about 51 percent of American kids reach adulthood with the same two parents they started out with.

But it’s also true that the marriage rate has collapsed, particularly for working-class Americans. Of those without a high school diploma, more than two-thirds are unmarried.

Wilcox writes that “the American heart is closing,” but I wouldn’t put it that way. I think many Americans want to marry but don’t feel sufficiently financially stable, or they can’t find the right person.

I’m staggered by the interest in virtual boyfriends and virtual girlfriends. One virtual boyfriend app offers an assortment of possibilities such as “polite and intelligent Edward” or “romantic and cute Daniel.”

“Don’t be shy, he’ll definitely like you,” the app advises. “He knows how to cheer you up, so you won’t feel sad or lonely.”

Just reading that makes me achingly sad. Virtual mates feel like an elegy for civilization.

One reason for the decline in marriage in working-class communities may be a lack of economic opportunity, particularly for men, and another may be culture and changing norms. That’s worth pondering. In polls, majorities of college-educated liberals seem diffident about marriage, unwilling to criticize infidelity and disagreeing with the idea that children do better with two married parents. Perhaps this liberal lack of enthusiasm for marriage also accounts for the marriage penalties built into benefit programs like Medicaid, in turn disincentivizing marriage for low-income Americans.

Wilcox scolds elites for clinging to traditional values themselves — in the sense that they get married and have kids for the most part — even as they are reluctant to endorse marriage for fear of seeming judgmental or intolerant. Elites “talk left but walk right,” he says.

We are social animals, Aristotle noted more than two millenniums ago, and it’s still true. Spouses can be exasperating (as my wife can attest), but they also can cuddle, fill us with love and connect us to a purpose beyond ourselves. They are infinitely better, for us and for society, than virtual lovers on an app, and that seems worth celebrating openly.

Update: I have the final figures for my 2023 holiday giving guide , so I owe readers a follow-up and a “thank you.” More than 5,400 readers contributed a total of $7.2 million to the three nonprofits I recommended , and here’s what the donations will mean in practical terms: 12,150 girls in rural Africa will be supported for a year of high school through Camfed ; 1,645 young people in the United States will be supported for a year of instruction and mentoring to succeed in college or technical school through OneGoal ; and 4,218 low-income Americans will get free training in information technology through Per Scholas so that they can start better-paying careers in the tech world. All three organizations do excellent work. In addition, 671 readers volunteered to help refugees settle in the United States through my recommended volunteer opportunity, Welcome.US . Thanks so much to all who donated and volunteered: People are benefiting here and abroad from your generosity.

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here’s our email: [email protected] .

Follow the New York Times Opinion section on Facebook , Instagram , TikTok , WhatsApp , X and Threads .

Nicholas Kristof became a columnist for The Times Opinion desk in 2001. He has won two Pulitzer Prizes, for his coverage of China and of the genocide in Darfur. @ NickKristof

Some women are rethinking marriage. Here’s why

I have always had a lot of respect for New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof. His tireless work to get the world to pay attention to conflicts in places too often ignored — especially for women and girls — has made a great impact.

But I had to roll my eyes when I came across a post on Threads last week where Kristof wrote: “The reader comments on my column today about marriage are quite interesting, with lots of women pushing back at what I say; they suggest that marriage benefits men but not women. As a romantic, I disagree, but the comments are striking … ” He accompanied his post with a link to his NYT column titled “The Case for Saying ‘I Do,’” which laments the decline in marriage and argues married couples generally “report more happiness, build more wealth, live longer and raise more successful children” than single parents or cohabiting couples.

Instead of dismissing the column’s critics by saying, “As a romantic, I disagree,” it would have been so easy to say, “As a man, I didn’t take their perspective into consideration,” or “I am grateful these women took the time to educate me on what I missed.”

The post’s dismissiveness was quickly “ratioed,” which is social media parlance for when the number of likes is dramatically outnumbered by scathing replies.

One woman wrote: “Ignoring what women are saying about their experience isn’t being a ‘romantic’: it’s choosing not to listen to what they’re telling you.” And another, my personal favorite, wrote: “As a lesbian, I assure you that dismissing women’s own experiences is not what romantics do.”

They are right. And taken together, Kristof’s column and post unintentionally underlined what so many women were trying to say: In heterosexual marriages, women’s priorities and feelings are too often subsumed by the priorities and feelings of men.

That should not be surprising given the deeply inequitable foundation of modern marriage. Through a colonial practice known as “coverture,” wives were considered property of their husbands with no rights over their own bodies until the mid-19th century. At the same time, until the 1860s, most Black women were considered property, period. Having endured the brutal labor and sexual exploitation of slavery, they were not legally allowed to marry until 1866. It wasn’t until 1974 that women were assured the right to open their own bank accounts. It took until 1993 for marital rape to become illegal in all 50 states. This is not ancient history.

Despite Kristof and other writers’ scolding about the importance of preserving heterosexual marriage, women aren’t buying it.

If they get married at all, they are doing it later. Across the board, marriage rates have declined nearly 60% over the past 50 years, Axios reported last year. In Seattle, Seattle Times columnist Gene Balk recently reported an 83% jump in unmarried cohabitating couple households between 2010 and 2022.

While too few studies ask women why they do not find heterosexual marriage attractive, a 2023 Pew survey offers some clues.

In marriages Pew described as “egalitarian” — meaning women and men earned roughly the same amount — women still spent about five more hours a week on caregiving and housework while men spent about three and a half more hours on leisure activities.

In marriages where women earned more than their husbands, the man’s leisure time increased even further and his share of caregiving and housework did not.

As so many women futilely tried to point out to Kristof, even in 2024, marriage benefits men more than women.

And what about same-sex couples?

Not surprisingly, a 2015 survey found same-sex couples were more likely to share child care duties, with 74% sharing routine child care vs. 38% of heterosexual couples.

So as pundits wring their hands about the state of marriage, maybe they should put more of their energy into worrying about the state of heterosexual cisgender men.

If you believe marriage has such intrinsic value to society, what could men be doing to make themselves more desirable as partners? I would hazard to guess that listening when you are being told you are doing it wrong would be a good start.

The commenters on Kristof’s column had a lot of insightful things to say, such as a woman with the handle “AMinNC,” who wrote:

“Marriage is generally GREAT for men, who report being far happier in marriage than being single. Much research indicates the reverse is true for women. Single women report being happier, in general, than married women are.” She continued, “Literally every married female friend I have (and we love our husbands and have all been married for over 20 years) says ‘if something (God forbid) should happen to my husband I’d never marry again. Have men for companionship? Sure. Marriage? No way.’ None of the men feel this way.”

Regions & Countries

Majority of u.s. catholics express favorable view of pope francis, but his ratings have dipped since 2021 and become politically polarized over the past decade.

Pope Francis arrives at St. Peter's Square to lead his weekly general audience in Vatican City on March 6, 2024. (Alberto Pizzoli/AFP via Getty Images)

Pew Research Center conducted this survey to explore views on the Catholic Church and Pope Francis.

For this report, we surveyed 12,693 respondents from Feb. 13 to 25, 2024, including 2,019 Catholics. Most of the survey’s respondents (10,642) – including all of the survey’s Catholic respondents – are members of the American Trends Panel, an online survey panel recruited through national random sampling of residential addresses, which gives nearly all U.S. adults a chance of selection. The remaining respondents (2,051) are members of three other panels: the Ipsos KnowledgePanel, the NORC Amerispeak Panel and the SSRS Opinion Panel. All three are national survey panels recruited through random sampling (not “opt-in” polls). We used these additional panels to ensure that the survey would have enough Jewish and Muslim respondents to be able to report on their views. Jewish and Muslim respondents are not discussed in this particular report that focuses on Catholic topics, but they are discussed in other reports based on this survey .

The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education, religious affiliation and other categories.

For more, refer to the ATP’s Methodology and the Methodology for this report . Read the questions used in this report .

A new Pew Research Center survey finds that 75% of U.S. Catholics view Pope Francis favorably, down 8 percentage points since we last asked this question in 2021 and 15 points below his peak favorability rating, which was 90% in early 2015.

Since becoming pope in 2013, Francis often has received favorable ratings from 80% or more of U.S. Catholics. He generally has been viewed more positively than his immediate predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, but less positively than Benedict’s predecessor, Pope John Paul II.

A chart showing three-quarters of U.S. Catholics rate Pope Francis favorably

(Benedict’s favorability ratings varied between 67% and 83% during his pontificate. Upward of 90% of U.S. Catholics expressed favorable views of John Paul II on the three occasions that the Center asked about him in polls between 1987 and 1996.)

The partisan gap in views of Pope Francis is now as large as it’s ever been in our surveys. Roughly nine-in-ten Catholics who are Democrats or lean toward the Democratic Party hold a positive view of him, compared with 63% of Catholics who are Republicans or lean Republican.

Regardless of their partisan leanings, most U.S. Catholics regard Francis as an agent of change. Overall, about seven-in-ten say the current pope represents a change in direction for the church, including 42% who say he represents a major change.

A chart showing 4 in 10 U.S. Catholics see Pope Francis as major change for the church

Many U.S. Catholics would welcome more change. For example, the survey finds that:

83% of U.S. Catholics want the church to allow the use of contraception.
75% say the church should allow Catholics to take Communion even if they are unmarried and living with a romantic partner.
69% say priests should be allowed to get married.
64% say women should be allowed to become priests.
54% say the church should recognize the marriages of gay and lesbian couples.

But there are also many Catholics who say the church should not take these steps. A new analysis in this report compares U.S. Catholics who favor these changes with those who oppose them. It shows that:

The Catholics who mostly favor a variety of changes are largely Democrats or lean Democratic (57%), and many say they seldom or never attend Mass (56%).
The Catholics who mostly say the church should not take these steps are predominantly Republicans or lean Republican (72%), and many say they attend Mass at least once a week (59%).

We used simple, common phrases in the survey questions about some steps that Catholics would – or would not – like to see the church take. Our goal was to make the questions easy to understand for as many respondents as possible. In some cases, the wording of the questions involved a trade-off between broad understandability and theological nuance.

For example, one question asks whether the church should “allow priests to get married.” This would not, strictly speaking, be a change in doctrine. The Catholic Church already allows married priests under certain circumstances , such as if a man was married before being ordained in an Eastern Catholic Church . Technically, the church considers the rule of celibacy for priests to be a “discipline” rather than a doctrine . Nonetheless, allowing parish priests to get married and continue in their duties would represent a big change in the everyday life of the church in the United States.

Similarly, another question asks whether the church should allow unmarried Catholics who “are living with a romantic partner” to receive Communion. Actually, Catholicism has no rule against unmarried people living together. The church’s teaching is that sexual activity outside of marriage is a grave sin , and that anyone “conscious of a grave sin” should not take Communion unless they have been to confession.

Yet another example concerns contraception. The survey asks whether the church should allow Catholics to “use birth control.” But the church does not object to married couples using natural methods (i.e., abstaining from sex during fertile periods) to “space the births of their children.” Rather, the objection is to using methods that prevent the sexual act from resulting in conception, including “condoms, hormonal birth control pills and sterilization.”

These are among the key findings of a Pew Research Center survey conducted Feb. 13-25, 2024, among a nationally representative sample of 12,693 respondents, including 2,019 Catholic adults.

Click below to read more information about:

U.S. Catholics’ views of Pope Francis

Perceptions of Pope Francis as a source of change

Views on the priesthood, contraception, sexuality

Catholics’ views of Pope Francis

Bar chart showing views of Pope Francis among U.S. Catholics

The 75% favorability rating for Pope Francis by U.S. Catholics represents a decrease of 8 points from the last time we asked this question, in September 2021. Then, 83% said they viewed him mostly or very favorably.

The overall drop in favorability reflects growing dissatisfaction with the current pope among Catholics who identify as Republicans or independents who lean toward the Republican Party. Fully 35% of Catholic Republicans and Republican leaners now say they have an unfavorable view of Pope Francis, compared with just 7% of Catholic Democrats and Democratic leaners.

This survey marks the first time that more than 28% of Catholic Republicans have expressed unfavorable views of Francis in roughly a dozen times we have asked this question since his papacy began in 2013.

While Catholic Republicans have grown more negative toward Pope Francis, the views of Catholic Democrats have barely budged over the last decade. The 89% of Catholic Democrats who now express a favorable view of the pontiff is virtually identical to the 87% who said this in our February 2014 survey.

Catholics’ views on this question vary little by race, gender, age or Mass attendance.

As previously noted, about seven-in-ten Catholics see Pope Francis as representing either a major (42%) or minor (30%) change in the direction of the church.

The view that Francis represents a big change for the church is especially pronounced among Catholics who view him unfavorably.

Among those with an unfavorable view of the pope, 54% say he represents a major change in direction for the church, while 20% say he represents a minor change.

Those who view Francis favorably are less likely than those with unfavorable views to see him as a major change (41%), and more likely to say he represents a minor change (35%).

Views about the priesthood, contraception, sexuality

Big differences between mass-attending catholics and those who don’t go.

Catholics who attend Mass regularly (once a week or more) are far more inclined than those who go less often to say the church should take a traditional or conservative approach on questions about the priesthood and sexuality.

For instance, 65% of weekly Mass attenders say the church should not recognize the marriages of same-sex couples. And 56% say the church should not allow women to become priests.

By comparison, most Catholics who don’t attend Mass weekly say the church should recognize the marriages of same-sex couples (61%) and ordain women priests (71%).

There are similar differences in opinion on the survey’s questions about contraception, allowing priests to marry, and allowing Communion for Catholics living with a romantic partner outside of marriage. However, on all three questions, half of Catholics or more in both groups – those who attend regularly and those who don’t – say the church should take these steps.

The survey also shows that Catholic Democrats are more likely than Catholic Republicans to say they want the church to allow married priests, women priests, contraception, same-sex marriages and access to Communion for those living with a partner outside of marriage.

Older Catholics, White Catholics and Catholic women tend to be a bit more inclined than younger Catholics, Hispanic Catholics and Catholic men to say the church should make these changes, though differences by age, race and ethnicity, and gender are often modest and aren’t seen on every question.

Trends over time

Nevertheless, the data suggests there has been an increase over the last decade or so in the share of Catholics who favor allowing unmarried people who are living with a romantic partner to receive Communion. There also appears to be a slight increase in the share of Catholics who say the church should allow birth control.

The shares of Catholics who say the church should allow priests to get married, allow women to become priests and recognize the marriages of gay and lesbian couples are in the same ballpark as they were a decade ago.

Table showing trends in U.S. Catholics’ views about birth control, the priesthood and sexuality

Summing up views about the Catholic Church’s approach to priesthood, sexuality

We created a scale to summarize U.S. Catholics’ views about whether the church should or should not do the following things:

Allow Catholics to use birth control
Allow Catholics to take Communion even if they are unmarried and living with a romantic partner
Allow priests to get married
Allow women to become priests
Recognize the marriages of gay and lesbian couples

Weekly Mass attenders are much more likely than those who go less often to say the church should not do these things. Even among weekly Mass-goers, though, roughly one-third mostly say the church should allow contraception, marriage for priests, women’s ordination to the priesthood, Communion for couples living together outside of marriage, and recognition of same-sex marriages.

Catholic Democrats and Democratic leaners are much more likely than Catholic Republicans and Republican leaners to say the church mostly should bring about these changes. Meanwhile, Catholic Republicans are more likely than Catholic Democrats to say the church mostly should not take these steps.

Profile of Catholics by their views on whether the church should/should not allow contraception, marriage for priests, and more

Another way to analyze these findings is to flip the lens and analyze the data from the other direction – to ask: Who are the Catholics who mostly say the church should not allow contraception, marriage for priests, women’s ordination, Communion for cohabiting couples or recognition of same-sex marriages? And who are the Catholics who mostly say the church should do these things?

Among Catholics who mostly say the church should not do these things:

59% say they attend Mass at least once a week.
72% identify with or lean toward the Republican Party.

By contrast, among Catholics who mostly say the church should do these things:

56% say they seldom or never attend Mass.
57% identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party.

The share of White Catholics in the “mostly should not” category is modestly lower (at a 90% confidence level) than the share of White Catholics in the “mostly should” category.

And the share of men in the “mostly should not” category is modestly higher (at a 90% confidence level) than the share of men in the “mostly should” category.

Surveys conducted online versus on the phone sometimes produce different estimates resulting from the method in which the survey was conducted, a phenomenon called “mode effect.” One potential mode effect is that when speaking to a live interviewer over the telephone, respondents are more likely to offer responses that are socially desirable, or which paint them in a positive light. Additionally, in surveys conducted online, respondents may be less likely to decline to answer the question. For more on how differences in survey mode can effect responses to religion questions, read the Center’s 2021 report “Measuring Religion in Pew Research Center’s American Trends Panel.” ↩
The “Mostly say the Catholic Church should do these things” group includes Catholics who answer four or five of these questions by saying “should,” as well as those who answer “should” three times as long as they didn’t say “should not” to more than one of the questions. The “Mostly say the Catholic Church should NOT do these things” group includes Catholics who answer four or five of these questions by saying “should not,” as well as those who answer “should not” three times as long as they didn’t say “should” to more than one of the questions. Catholics who gave a more even mix of “should” and “should not” responses are coded as “Have mixed views.” People who declined to answer three or more of these five questions are excluded from the analysis. ↩

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About Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts .

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Communication is a key piece of a healthy relationship. Healthy couples make time to check in with one another on a regular basis. It's important to talk about more than just parenting and maintaining the household. Try to spend a few minutes each day discussing deeper or more personal subjects to stay connected to your partner over the long term.
Love and Marriage
Having a successful marriage is "one of the most important things" in life for 36% of adults, according to a 2011 Pew Research survey. An additional 48% said it is "very important but not the most" important. Being a good parent was seen as "one of the most important things" by a larger share of adults (53%). Men and women overall ...
Marriage and Family Therapy Theses and Dissertations
Multiculturalism and Social Work: A Content Analysis of the Past 25 Years of Research, Lauren Christine Smithee. PDF. Multiculturalism and Social Work: A Content Analysis of the Past 25 Years of Research, Lauren Christine Smithee. PDF. Implicit Family Process Rules Specific to Eating-Disordered Families, Mallory Rebecca Wolfgramm. PDF
Intermarriage
In U.S. metro areas, huge variation in intermarriage rates. One-in-six newlyweds (17%) were married to someone of a different race or ethnicity in 2015, representing a more than fivefold increase from 3% in 1967. report | May 18, 2017. Intermarriage in the U.S. 50 Years After Loving v.
Americans' attitudes toward marriage are changing rapidly
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST: Many people are used to thinking of marriage as the start of adult life. Get married, set up a house, have kids - in that order. But Americans attitudes toward marriage are ...
Opinion
Earning a solid income lifts the odds by 88 percent. Being "very satisfied" with one's job raises them by 145 percent. And marriage increases the odds of being very happy by 151 percent ...
7 Vital 'Ground Rules' For Married Couples, From A Psychologist
Make a conscious commitment to your relationship, dedicating yourself to its growth and well-being. Set aside time to nurture your love for your spouse and address any challenges that arise with ...
Some women are rethinking marriage. Here's why
Across the board, marriage rates have declined nearly 60% over the past 50 years, Axios reported last year. In Seattle, Seattle Times columnist Gene Balk recently reported an 83% jump in unmarried ...
Public Views on Marriage
At a time when norms and values around marriage are changing, the public is divided over the role marriage plays in society. In a recent Pew Research Center survey, respondents were asked which of the following statements came closer to their own views: Society is better off if people make marriage and having children a priority, or society is just as well off if people have priorities other ...
75% of U.S. Catholics See Pope Francis Favorably
How we did this. A new Pew Research Center survey finds that 75% of U.S. Catholics view Pope Francis favorably, down 8 percentage points since we last asked this question in 2021 and 15 points below his peak favorability rating, which was 90% in early 2015. Since becoming pope in 2013, Francis often has received favorable ratings from 80% or ...