The purpose of this article is to present the conceptual model underlying RELATE, a relationship evaluation instrument, and to describe how this instrument can be used by instructors, clinicians, and therapists. The RELATE model contains measures of the 4 primary contexts of a couple's experience: the individual, the family, the culture, and the couple. The model includes some of the primary variables in Gottman's marital cascade and has been evaluated for reliability and validity. Examples of how to use the instrument and model are illustrated for couples, educators, and clinicians. I t is challenging to capture the dynamics of couple relationships. Scholars have used interviews, observations, surveys, tasks, and even physiological measures to attempt to understand the quality of relationships. One group of scholars, the RELATE Institute (RI, previously the Marriage Study Consortium), was formed in 1979 by a diverse group of researchers, clinicians, and educators, dedicated to the dual goals of strengthening and understanding premarital and marital relationships.Over the last 20 years, members of the RI have grappled with trying to measure the complexities of adult romantic relationships from a variety of different angles. In addition, the RI has searched for ways to present data in a manner that is useful to couples and the family professionals who work with them. Through this endeavor, three versions of a comprehensive instrument and accompanying feedback tool have been published. The most recent version of the instrument is the RELATionship Evaluation Questionnaire (RELATE; Holman, Busby, Doxey, Klein, & Loyer-Carlson, 1997). This article describes the development of the conceptual model from which RELATE was derived and discusses how the model and instrument can be used by educators, clinicians, and researchers. The Development of the RELATE ModelThe RELATE model was developed by reviewing over 50 years of research that delineated the important premarital predictors of later marital quality and stability. The comprehensive

This study investigates the utility of the family of origin parachute model in predicting longitudinal outcomes for couples in romantic relationships. This conceptual model contains common family variables that are theoretically and empirically related to later adult functioning and are believed to influence attitudes that adult children develop regarding romantic relationships as well as self-esteem. Data from two samples were used to analyze this model. The results support the model and demonstrate its ability to predict membership in relationship satisfaction groups. Suggestions are presented for integrating the family of origin in applied work.Almost all family scholars would argue that the family of origin (FOO) is tremendously important in launching children into adult life with the attitudes, behaviors, and skills that facilitate success in adult romantic relationships. The evidence to support this argument is provided by the abundance of literature on the influence of parental marriage quality, attachment, family structure, abuse, parenting, and other attributes of the FOO on the social functioning and the marital quality of adult children (Amato &

Drawing on ambivalent sexism and Chicana feminist theories, the purpose of the study was to explore ambivalent sexism and traditional relational scripts among a regional sample of 141 Hispanic young adults. Data derived from self-report questionnaires indicated that men scored higher on hostile sexism and traditional relational scripts but not on benevolent sexism. Structural equation modeling with maximum likelihood procedure was applied and path analyses indicated that, for both men and women, higher endorsement of benevolent and hostile sexism predicted higher traditional dating scripts and family roles. Gender made a difference only in relation to hostile sexism on traditional dating scripts, with men having a stronger association than women. Women's strongest path was between hostile sexism and family scripts. We discuss these nuanced gendered differences between dating and family relationships as well as stereotypical gendered and cultural notions of Hispanic values. Implications are considered.

This study explored the effects of spousal and self-disclosure on perceived marital satisfaction among Greek and Singaporean couples. The sample included 77 Singaporean couples and 116 Greek couples. APIM and multi-group modeling techniques were applied simultaneously. Results indicated that wife’s and husband’s self-disclosure were similarly able to predict their own marital satisfaction for both countries. Partner effects were different within and between the groups. With Singaporean couples, wife’s self-disclosure was significantly related to husband’s marital satisfaction, but husband’s self-disclosure did not influence wife’s satisfaction. Interestingly, the opposite pattern was revealed with Greek couples. Gender differences in self-disclosure were also examined.

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