By Denise H. Horton

Longitudinal research on marriage as well as the impact of drinking in early marriage will be discussed at an April 18 conference here sponsored by the Family Research Center.

Thomas Bradbury, a psychology professor at the University of California at Los Angeles, and Kenneth Leonard, of the Research Institute on Addictions in Buffalo, N.Y., will discuss their research, according to Gene Brody, director of the Family Research Center.

The conference, open to the public, is from 2 to 5 p.m. in the Institute of Ecology auditorium.

Bradbury--who has won awards for his research from the National Council on Family Relations, the American Psychological Association and the International Network on Personal Relationships--will discuss how longitudinal research on marriage might be used to predict and prevent marital dysfunction.

Leonard, a research scientist at the Research Institute on Addictions since 1986, will discuss his research on the impact of drinking in early marriage and the implications of his findings for alcohol-prevention and intervention efforts.

The conference is co-sponsored by the Institute for Behavioral Research, the School of Social Work, the school of professional studies in the College of Education, the child and family development department in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences and the psychology and sociology departments in the College of Arts and Sciences.