Effects of daily workload on subsequent behavior during marital interaction: the roles of social withdrawal and spouse support.
This article examines daily variability in 2 marital behaviors, social withdrawal and the expression of anger, as a function of daily taskload at work. Thirty-three air traffic controllers (ATCs) and 27 wives completed surveys on 3 consecutive days. Subjective and objective indicators of daily workload (air traffic volume and visibility at the airport) were related to the couples' descriptions of the ATCs' behavior after work. Despite a positive association between withdrawal and anger, workload seemed to influence these 2 behaviors in opposite ways. On high spouse-support evenings, work overload was associated with increased social withdrawal and less expression of anger. Social withdrawal may help an aroused individual return to a baseline emotional and physiological state. By facilitating their stressed partner's social withdrawal, supportive spouses may buffer the effects of minor daily stressors.
Repetti
R L
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University of Pennsylvania.
D000786:Anger; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000523:psychology*; D012931:Social Environment; D012934:Social Isolation; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D014937:Work