title: Physicians' wives evaluate their marriages, their husbands, and life in medicine: results of the AMA-Alliance Medical Marriage Survey.
abstract: This largest-ever investigation of the attitudes, lifestyles, and marital adjustment of physicians' wives disputes many stereotypes of medical marriage. Responses of 603 members of the American Medical Association Alliance to standardized and subjective measures indicated high levels of marital adjustment and overall satisfaction with work/life balance. Wives' marital adjustment was affected by age of oldest child, husbands' work hours, and wives' work outside the home. It is proposed that, more than hours worked, it is how a couple treats each other when they are not working that most powerfully determines the quality of a contemporary medical marriage. Wives' advice on marital and work/life issues is summarized.
authors.affiliation: Wake Forest University, Cardiac Rehabilitation Program, 1396 Old Mill Circle, Winston-Salem, NC 27103, USA. wsotile@attglobal.net
authors.forename: Wayne M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Sotile
authors.forename: Mary O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Sotile
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001290:Attitude; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010820:Physicians; D012917:Social Adjustment; D018454:Spouses; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires