The impact of daily stressors on women's adjustment to marital separation.
The relationship between stressful life events and the onset of various forms of illness has been well documented. One aspect of the relationship that has been overlooked, however, is that a major stressful life event frequently creates lifestyle changes that may increase susceptibility to illness. The purpose of the present study was to examine the hypothesis that daily stressors mediate the relationship between the stressful life event of marital separation and psychological distress. Seventy-nine women separated or divorced for less than three years completed measures of daily stressors and psychological distress on two occasions approximately ten weeks apart. The results confirmed the hypothesis that frequency of daily stressors is a better predictor of psychological distress than time since the life event of marital separation. The results also indicated that frequency of daily stressors maintains distress over time. These findings suggest that physicians should focus attention on evaluating the frequency and impact of ordinary stressors in daily life following a major life event.
D000328:Adult; D004243:Divorce; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008393:Marriage; D008875:Middle Aged; D012917:Social Adjustment; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology*; D013997:Time Factors