This fact sheet from the National Healthy Marriage Resource Center focuses on the increasing body of evidence on the protective effects of healthy, higher-quality marriages as well as on the health hazards of lower-quality marriages, especially as adults grow older. To this end, it presents research findings on the relationship between marriage and physical health for various populations across the life span. (Author abstract modified)
Brief
It is widely accepted that, over recent decades, fathers' roles have changed to include more care of infants and young children. It is now normal, for example, for fathers to attend the birth of their first child, and in many areas antenatal classes include special topics or discussions for fathers. More fathers are also noticeably pushing strollers, dropping off toddlers at child care and volunteering for literacy tutoring in schools.It is not surprising then to find that health, education and welfare services are looking for ways to recruit and involve fathers, alongside mothers and other…
This fact sheet explores some common features of emotional cheating and offer strategies to avoid emotional cheating. It begins by defining emotional cheating as an intimacy between two people who are in a committed relationship to other persons and does not immediately include a physical relationship. Strategies for avoiding emotional cheating are then explained and include: save emotionally intimate conversation for your partner; set rules and expectations for your platonic friendship; be careful of online relationships and office relationships; and do not discuss intimate details about…
With over 100,000 military members currently deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, many military couples continue to face the prospect of additional deployments. Keeping your marriage strong while you are apart takes dedication, patience, trust and commitment. The following tips can help you work towards building and strengthening your own healthy marriage. (Author abstract)
Training Materials, Other, Fact Sheet
As many as 700,000 children under the age of five have a parent in the military. Recognizing the need for first-rate media-based resources to support military families, in fall 2006, Sesame Workshop launched the bilingual (English/Spanish), multimedia outreach initiative Talk, Listen, Connect: Helping Families During Military Deployment (TLC). This critical outreach tool helped military families and their young children cope with the challenges of deployment and build resilience in times of separation and change. The overwhelming response to this program revealed a need for additional…
Brief
Divorce is a powerful force in contemporary American family life. Current estimates suggest that between 43 and 50 percent of first-time marriages will end in divorce. Consequently, more than one million U.S. children experience parental divorce each year. The growing number of divorces has profound implications for children, mothers, fathers, and society. The consequences of these family changes for children and society are hotly debated. To bring clarity to this debate, this brief reviews current research about divorce and its consequences for children. (Author abstract)
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Brief
The evidence is in and it is clear that fathers do matter for the lives of children. Hundreds of studies over the past two decades have consistently demonstrated that fathers have a measureable impact on children. Studies show that infants are positively affected by the interactions and care given by their fathers. Research has also established the importance of fathers for older children's well-being. Good studies have found that the quality of parenting exhibited by the father as well as the resources fathers bring or don't bring to their families predict children's behavior problems,…
