The Presence of Children and Blended Family Marital Intimacy

This study is an effort to add to the understanding of spousal dynamics in blended families. The survey of 88 couples investigated the effects of family configuration, residence of chil- dren, and birth of a mutual child on husbands' and wives' self-re- ported marital intimacy. Significant interaction effects were found for residence of children on spouses' marital intimacy and for birth of a mutual child on wives' marital intimacy.