Empirical studies related to divorce therapy are reviewed both substantively and methodologically. There is strong evidence for the superiority of mediation to traditional adversary methods for custody and visitation disputes. Conciliation counseling appears to increase the number of reconciliations in the short-term. Other conclusions must remain very tentative. Overall, the methodologies of the 22 studies are weak; however, there are wide variations in quality. Investigations of divorce mediation utilized the best designs and studies of separation techniques the worst. What we know and what we need to know about divorce therapy is answered critically and suggestions are made for future research and practice.

Divorce therapy outcome research: a substantive and methodological review

Newfindingsfrom research, leading to new insights, have in the past ten years revealed that effective couple communication is a vital key to effective marital interaction. Some of these insights are listed and described, and the new concepts which have emerged-such as awareness, self-disclosure, esteem-building, and symmetry in husband-wife input-are discussed. In conclusion, the reader is urged not to regard training in communication as a panacea.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/582277.pdf

Recent progress in understanding and facilitating marital communication

Systematic training in interpersonal communication skills was conducted with partners in deteriorated marriages who acknowledged a low level of communication as a major problem. The results indicated that the trained couples improved significantly in their interpersonal skills and in their ability to elicit self-exploration from their spouse. Further, it was found that the trained couples' interpersonal skills were at a significantly higher level than those of traditionally treated couples. The implications for training as a preferred mode of treatment are discussed.

Training in Interpersonal Communication Skills with the Partners of Deteriorated Marriages.

Group Approaches to Treating Marital Problems

A cursory review of popular literature on romantic relationships and marriage reveals the term communication as a pivotal concept. Popular authors with backgrounds in psychology, sociology, and counseling applaud communication skills as the answer to most, if not all, relational problems. Although theoretical commentaries (e.g., Parks, 1982) and empirical work (Katriel & Philipsen, 1981) have cautioned that these unqualified prescriptions are based on cultural values rather than objective reality, the underlying theme—that communicative behavior is associated with relational satisfaction—seems to have a great deal of validity. James and Wilson (1986) note that “implicit in much of the literature is the central importance of effective communication between partners” (p. 57). Fitzpatrick (1983) similarly states that “interaction is . . . a major predictor of marital success or failure” (p. 49). Longitudinal data collected by Huston (unpublished manuscript) demonstrates that of several indices of satisfaction, communication is the best predictor of overall relational happiness.

Communication Problems in Committed Relationships: An Attributional Analysis

Thirty couples referred to Conciliation Court because of marital problems were randomly assigned to three groups: (a) a control group receiving no treatment; (b) a group receiving eight hours of programmed instruction on communication in marriage; and (c) a group receiving eight hours of counseling emphasizing marital communication. Total Semantic Differential scores were obtained from each couple pretest and posttest, as well as reconciliation decisions following treatments. Between groups comparisons revealed significant diferences between control and counseled groups on both criterion variables. Compared to the control group, the programmed text group changed positively on these variables, but not significantly. Results were discussed.

Margaret E. Hickman

Papers

Use of Programmed Instruction to Improve Communication in Marriage.