The economy has affected everything from purchasing groceries to going on vacation, buying gas to paying for college, so it comes as no surprise that relationships are being challenged by the fiscal downturn as well. In a recent survey, the Caron Breakthrough Poll, commissioned by Caron Treatment Centers and conducted by Harris Interactive; more than 1300 adult women in the United States 18 years or older were asked a series of questions and sure enough - the mighty buck was found to impact marital dynamics. This certainly is something that this clinician has seen in his practice. Women may come to resent that they are still doing the bulk of the household chores and child-rearing responsibilities and paying for an evening out on the town. Certainly, I have had male patients who have relapsed over a sense that their wallets were tied to the bedroom. Folks have different ways of dealing with problems when they are in relationships, which are based upon lifelong styles of coping. Some discuss their problems and become closer, while others get bitter and are ready to rumble - all of which the Caron Breakthrough survey speaks to from a number of perspectives. Breakthrough's Executive Director, Ann W. Smith notes that stress can rearrange a relationship and has to be dealt with - sometimes through the intervention of professionals. This clinician likes to remind couples that there are many spokes in a relationship but they are all connected by the hub of communication.