Based on in-depth interviews by skilled clinicians with husbands and wives who have been married more than 20 years, Mackey and O'Brien explore how spouses adapt to each other from the early years of marriage, through the parenting years, and into the post-parenting or empty-nest years. Purposively selected for inclusion were spouses representing religious, ethnic, racial, and educational diversity. Given increased life expectancies, couples who stay together will remain together for longer periods of time. As longevity extends into the seventies, eighties, and beyond, it is critical to...

The voices in this book come from the stories of gay and lesbian partners who talk about their struggles over the years in building a life together. The stories reach beyond the obvious realities of sexual orientation to speak to the joys, sorrows, hopes, and fears of human beings who are committed to making their relationships work. Based on a life-span perspective, in-depth interviews of people whose relationships have lasted more than 15 years explored how partners adapted over the years. Each interview consisted of questions that focused upon dimensions of these relationships over time...

Based on in-depth interviews by skilled clinicians with husbands and wives who have been married more than 20 years, Mackey and O'Brien explore how spouses adapt to each other from the early years of marriage, through the parenting years, and into the post-parenting or empty-nest years. Purposively selected for inclusion were spouses representing religious, ethnic, racial, and educational diversity. Given increased life expectancies, couples who stay together will remain together for longer periods of time. As longevity extends into the seventies, eighties, and beyond, it is critical to...