Marital adjustment in families of young children with disabilities: associations with daily hassles and problem-focused coping.
A family systems framework was used to examine associations between stressors/hassles, problem-focused coping, and marital adjustment in 67 families of young children with disabilities. Most of the couples were experiencing average to above average marital adjustment. When daily stressors/hassles were higher, husbands and wives viewed their marriages more negatively. After variance contributed by stressors/hassles was statistically controlled, fathers who employed more problem-focused coping strategies were more positive about their marriages. For wives (but not husbands), a cross-spousal partner effect was found; women reported higher marital adjustment when their husbands employed more problem-focused coping strategies. We reaffirmed the systemic nature of family processes and highlighted the role of parent gender in understanding the relationships among stressors, coping, and marital well-being.
Gavidia-Payne
Susana
S
University of Georgia, Institute on Human Development and Disability, GA 30602-4806, USA. zo@ihdd.uga.edu
Stoneman
Zolinda
Z
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003710:Demography; D019988:Children with Disabilities; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011340:Problem Solving; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires