Marital stability : a qualitative psychological study of Mexican American couples

Thesis advisor: Bernard O'BrienThis study investigated factors which influenced stable marriages among twelve Mexican American, working class, Catholic couples from central Texas who had been married at least twenty years, spoke English, and whose youngest child was a minimum of 18 years of age. Each participant was interviewed separately in a retrospective, semi-structured interview that covered selected factors from three different marital stages: 1) initial attraction, early marriage and birth of first child, 2) child-rearing years, and 3) post child-rearing years. The influences of culture, religion, values, finances, and the family of origin were explored to determine their impact on marital stability.Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 1994.Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.Discipline: Education