This fact sheet explores marital challenges adults may face when their adult children leave the home, including feelings of depression, sadness, and grief. Symptoms of Empty Nest Syndrome are described, as well as the challenges faced by the Sandwich Generation that is taking care of their own children while taking care of their aging parents, challenges related to boomerang kids, and the challenge of forced retirement. The impact of these challenges on marriage is noted and the need for couples to feel connected to overcome the challenges is emphasized. 9 references.
Infertility can negatively impact couple relationships. This fact sheet provides statistics related to the incidence of infertility and the available treatment options. In addition, the impacts of infertility on marriages and couple dynamics are briefly discussed. (Author abstract)
"Gatekeeping" is the term used in this infosheet to describe the mother's behaviors that act as a gate to open or close the door to father involvement. Gatekeeping is not always a bad thing. It can occur for positive reasons (to protect the safety of the child, for example) but it may also happen for reasons unrelated to the child (to punish a father after a break-up, for example).This infosheet is intended to help professionals engage mothers to engage the fathers of their children in healthy ways. This document provides ideas for working with families to recognize and eliminate or reduce…
This infosheet is intended to help professionals engage mothers to engage the fathers of theirchildren in healthy ways. It focuses on the active role professionals can take in talking with mothers about fathers and includes suggestions on the language we use to talk about fathers. The focus here on the mother's role in father involvement is not intended to diminish the father's responsibility to participate in the child's upbringing. Nor are we suggesting thatprofessionals limit attempts to engage fathersdirectly. Here, we are recognizing that professionals who work with mothers have a…
It is exciting to get married. Marriage offers the opportunity to create a new family and new traditions. However, getting married when there are children involved can bring with it a new set of challenges and anxieties about making your relationship work successfully for a lifetime. Stepfamilies are very common, but creating one can be challenging. In the United States, more than 1,300 stepfamilies are formed every day. It is a great responsibility to model healthy relationships for your children, and now is the perfect time to show them your best stuff! This tip sheet is designed to help…
When one person in a couple is affected by a chronic illness, the other person lives with it as well--chronic illness is a family affair. The challenge lies in finding ways to address the illness as a team so that neither of you feels as if you are alone. Here are some tips to help you strengthen your teamwork. (Author abstract)
This fact sheet explores unique stepfamily characteristics and stepfamily dynamics. Data is shared on the number of stepfamilies, different types of stepfamilies, and nonresidential and cohabiting stepfamilies. It is estimated that between 10 and 20% of U.S. children reside in stepfamilies, and data is reported that indicates between 1997 and 2002, the percentage of stepfamilies did not increase significantly for any racial group except for Hispanics. Compared to children living with both biological parents, the fact sheet states children in stepfamilies tend to have more struggles with…
Fact Sheet, Brief
This fact sheet summarizes research showing that children from military families experience above-average levels of emotional and behavioral difficulties and that longer parental deployments are associated with greater difficulties. (Author abstract) Superceded: See http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9568.html Money can be the number one source of frustration in relationships. These frustrations ring true for couples regardless of the length of their courtship or the number of years they have been married. This Tip Sheet offers tips to help couples handle the financial strain that often accompanies a long-term relationship. (Author abstract)
