Adjustment to Separation and Divorce, 1977

The purpose of this study was to examine the diversity of experience following the breakup of a marriage. The social, psychological, economic, and legal aspects of marital separation were addressed. The sample comprised 205 respondents. Fifty were separated and 155 were already divorced. Ninety-one men and 114 women participated. The participants' ages ranged from 20 to 67 with a mean age of 33. All respondents were White. Of the divorces granted, 96% were uncontested. The participants had been separated between one and 26 months; and the average marriage lasted nine years, with a range of four months to 45 years.
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A face-to-face structured interview was employed. The interview was divided into the following sections: background information about the marital interaction, relationship with spouse since separation, social network, legal matters, mental and physical health, sexual relationships, and economics. A follow-up study was conducted two years later (see related studies).

本研究旨在探讨婚姻破裂后的体验多样性。研究涵盖了婚姻分居的社会、心理、经济与法律层面。本次研究的有效样本共205名受访者，其中50名处于分居状态，155名已完成离婚程序；参与者包括91名男性与114名女性，年龄区间为20至67岁，平均年龄33岁，且所有受访者均为白人。在已获批的离婚案件中，96%为无争议离婚。参与者的分居时长介于1至26个月之间，既往婚姻时长平均为9年，跨度范围为4个月至45年。

本研究采用面对面结构化访谈法，访谈内容分为以下模块：婚姻互动背景信息、分居后与配偶的关系、社会网络、法律事务、身心健康状况、两性关系以及经济状况。研究于两年后开展了追踪调查（详见相关研究文献）。