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Using the National Survey of Families and Households, logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify factors that are significant predictors of dating for persons aged 60 years and older. Stepwise regressions were also conducted to determine the effects of dating on the psychological well-being of older daters. The strongest predictor of the propensity to date in later life is gender, with men significantly more likely to engage in dating. A number of gender differences were noted as they relate to the likelihood of dating. In particular, age and social role involvement tend to influence older men's likelihood of dating, while health and mobility were significantly associated with dating among older women.

Studies of marital conflict have concluded that the frequency of disagreements between spouses declines over time in a marital relationship. Using cross-sectional and longitudinal data from the National Survey of Families and Households, the authors examine the frequency of marital disagreements concerning household tasks, money, sex, and spending time together reported by married women and men age 20 to 79. The study results refute a developmental explanation for marital disagreement, which posits that disagreements decline as marital partners accommodate themselves to one another over time. The results indicate, however, that increased marital duration may bring increased marital disagreements, depending on family life course stage (particularly, the presence of children in the home), and potentially also depending on spouses' ages and birth cohorts. The results also suggest a limited role of selective attrition in explaining the frequency of marital disagreements, in that couples who disagree more frequently are more likely to divorce or separate, particularly respondents of younger ages/birth cohorts, who have been married for relatively briefer periods of time.

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We examined the demographic profiles of older wards and their guardians in Ohio and Washington states. The adjudication process, as experienced by older persons placed in legal guardianship, was also explored. Findings suggest that current state statutes of guardianship as they pertain to elders may not be feasible or fair. In particular, standardized and reliable assessments of competency are lacking; a family member's petition for guardianship is seldom challenged by the older person; and the primary goal of most guardianship cases to preserve the estate of the older individual.