Attitudes toward marriage of the chronically mentally il

This study examined the expressed attitudes toward traditional marriage of the chronically mentally ill (CMI) compared to the normal population. Participants from an outpatient facility and medical clinic completed the Marriage and Family Attitude Survey (Martin, 1981). One hypothesis was that the CMI view marriage less favorably than the normal. Another hypothesis was that females in both groups view marriage less favorably than males. Results indicated that the CMI view marriage less favorably than the normal. However, the normal have distanced from traditional marriage. No significant difference was found between females and males. Although not a hypothesis of this study, when the two groups were combined, a significant difference between the attitudes toward marriage of females and males was noted.