Recession sex? Unlikely, if you’re living in the U.S.A. A recent international poll finds economic woes are hammering marriages and relationships all over the world, but Americans’ love lives are hardest hit, Reuters reports.

Nearly 30 percent of American say the recession has stressed, strained or damaged their relationship or marriage, compared with 23 percent of Canadians, 24 percent of the French and 12 percent of Germans, Reuters reports.

If your marriage is feeling out of whack, or if the kids are driving you and your spouse nuts, it helps to escape for an hour or two to yourselves. Last Saturday, my husband and I treated ourselves to Thai dining out while the kids had pizza at home. We came home in a better mood to deal with life, kids and everything else because we were able to sit and have a grown-up discussion. As Oscar Wilde once observed: Ultimately the bond of all companionship, whether in marriage or in friendship, is conversation.

But if you’re dealing with a layoff in the family, eating out may not be an option. One stay-at-home mom tells how difficult things got in her house and offers practical tips that worked to keep her marriage together. Layoffs Demand Flexibility from Spouses to make marriage grow, as I've discovered myself.

If you’re thinking that intimacy with your spouse is a luxury that’s detracting from time with the kids, think again. It’s part of the cement that holds your marriage together. In Nurturing Your Relationship, local psychologist Susan Orenstein, Ph.D., says having an intimate relationship is a gift that parents can give their offspring.

“It is important for the intimacy of the couple to be healthy, not only for the sake of the marriage, but also for the children,” she says, adding, “The parents need to model a good relationship to instruct the children, and also need to be a team separated from and in charge of the children.” In that article, Triangle parents also offer their time-proven tips for strengthening marital relationships, such as giving your spouse a compliment during everyday interaction. After all, who doesn’t like to feel appreciated?

In other marriage-related Reuters news, researchers at the Wharton School of Finance and Northwestern University have made a startling discovery: Big spenders tend to marry big savers. Now there’s a recipe for conflict.

I can tell you that in my house, my spouse and I definitely fit into that marital mold. But I’m not saying who’s who. Some facts are best left private, for the sake of love and marriage.