relationships, interpersonal skills & social support

main components of the journey knowledge, facts, underlying research clarifying how we want to be in our relationships supporting each other in initiating and sustaining changes

Veroff J et al The inner American happiness & marriage % saying they are “very happy” this graph averages figures from two US national surveys it shows percentages of single, married and divorced people who rate themselves as “very happy” Veroff J et al The inner American New York: Basic Books, 1981

marital state & mental disorder increased risk when unmarried this graph is of rather dated US statistics it shows the ratio of never married, divorced, & widowed people with mental disorder compared with the married Gove WR The relationship between sex roles, marital status, & mental illness Social Forces 1972;51:34-44 never married divorced widowed

adult relationships can heal high quality relationships in adulthood can heal the negative effects on mood of earlier poor quality parenting conversely poor quality adult relation-ships can damage mood despite high quality parenting during childhood there is a danger too that poor parenting is a bit more likely to be associated with poor adult relationships because of damage to interpersonal competence Hickie I et al Perceived dysfunctional intimate relationships: a specific association with non-melancholic depressive subtype J Affect Disord 1990;19:99-107 Palosaari UK et al Parental divorce, self-esteem & depression: an intimate relation- ship as a protective factor in young adulthood J Affect Disord 1995;35:91-6

marital satisfaction & the life cycle Argyle M The psychology of happiness London: Routledge, 1987 Rollins-Feldman Locke-Wallace satisfaction Blood-Wolfe British study married without children child- bearing pre-school children, oldest 5 school children, oldest 5-12 teenagers, oldest 12-16 first child gone to last leaving empty nest to retirement empty nest to death of 1st spouse