Couples’ Communication About Financial Uncertainty Following the Great Recession and its Association with Stress, Mental Health and Divorce Proneness

Tamara D. Afifi (), Sharde Davis, Anne F. Merrill, Samantha Coveleski, Amanda Denes and Ariana F. Shahnazi
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Tamara D. Afifi: University of California
Sharde Davis: University of Connecticut
Anne F. Merrill: Citrix
Samantha Coveleski: University of California
Amanda Denes: University of Connecticut
Ariana F. Shahnazi: University of Iowa

Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 2018, vol. 39, issue 2, No 3, 205-219

Abstract: Abstract Economic uncertainty is typically stressful and conflict-inducing for couples. The findings from the current study, however, suggest that economic uncertainty can also strengthen marriages. The sample included 82 Latino and Caucasian married couples. The couples engaged in a stressful conversation about their economic uncertainty in the wake of the Great Recession. Many of the couples were resilient and even grew from their experiences with the recession. The couples’ resilience and risk when talking about financial uncertainty and stress were revealed in four communicative pathways: unifying, thriving, pragmatic and at-risk. These communicative patterns predicted self-reported and physiological stress, mental health indices and divorce proneness. In general, unified/thriving couples had higher levels of psychological well-being and less self-reported stress, anxiety, and divorce proneness compared to pragmatic and at-risk couples.

Keywords: Resilience; Stress; Finances; Cortisol; Mental health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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DOI: 10.1007/s10834-017-9560-5

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