Additional Resources:

• 10 Marriage Mistakes
• Susceptibility to Infidelity in the First Year of Marriage David M. Buss & Todd K. Shackelford. Which individuals are most susceptible to infidelity based on personality factors, context of the relationship and “relative mate value”.
• Should we Live Together before we say “I do?” – National Healthy Marriage Resource Center (PDF - 34 KB) This resource walks individuals and couples through things to consider before making a decision to live together before marriage.
• “Consider Expectations Before Marriage” This article explains the importance of understanding your partner’s goals, values, family history, and expectations in a relationship before making the decision to get married to the level of marital success.
• “Finding Strengths and Weaknesses Before Marriage” This article describes the Relationship Evaluation (RELATE) Survey/Questionnaire available to couples considering marriage. This survey helps couples answer important questions regarding their family history, personal characteristics, common values, communication ability, and conflict management skills.
• “Should We Live Together?” Social science research suggests that despite the popularity of cohabitation among young couples, living together before marriage is detrimental to a relationship in several ways.
• Premarital Education, Marital Quality, and Marital Stability : Findings From a Large, Random Household Survey. Journal of family psychology. Using a large random survey of 4 middle American states, the authors found that participation in premarital education was associated with higher levels of satisfaction and commitment in marriage and lower levels of conflict-and also reduced odds of divorce.
• Altering the Course of Marriage : the Effect of PREP Communication Skills Acquisition on Couples’ Risk of Becoming Maritally Distressed. Journal of family psychology. This longitudinal study predicted marital outcome from communication skills gained from participation in the Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program (PREP; H. J. Markman, S. L. Blumberg & S. M. Stanley, 1989; Stanley et al., 2001) by 39 women and 38 men.
• Why marriage matters : twenty-one conclusions from the social sciences. Center of the American Experiment. This article summarizes key social sciences research findings on marriage in the areas of family, economics, physical health and longevity, mental health and emotional well-being, and crime and domestic violence.
• Are we Compatible? - Part of the Marriage Matters Series, this fact sheet explores the issue of exploring compatibility during courtship. (Ohio State University Extension, 2003)
• “Before You Say I Do” - A fact sheet by the Ohio State University Cooperative Extension
• Excerpt from Susan Pivers’ Book “Questions: 100 Questions to Ask Before Marriage”
• “Questions Couples Should Ask (Or Wish They Had) Before Marrying” - New York Times
• Twenty-Six Conclusions from the Social Sciences

10 Marriage Mistakes

by Mark Goulston, M.D.
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Why Marriage Matters

Twenty-Six Conclusions from the Social Sciences
full conclusions

December 29th, 2007