Adapting to Socio -Economic Change: The Perspective of Couples From Ukraine and Moldova
Several studies have investigated the influence of economic strain on marriage (e.g., Conger, Rueter, & Elder, 1999). However, few have examined the family stress process under macrosocial change or integrated resilience and coping strategies. The purpose of the current study was to (1) replicate the family stress model in the former Soviet countries of Ukraine and Moldova, (2) examine the role of positive coping in the stress process, and (3) examine the buffering effects of support and mastery. Both self report and interview data was collected from 48 married couples living in Ukraine and Moldova between 2001-2002. Results are generally consistent with prior findings and offer support for the mediating role of depression in explaining the effect of economic strain on marital satisfaction. For wives, conflict and abuse further explained the association between depression and marital satisfaction. Both specific positive and negative coping strategies were identified. Couple's positive reappraisal and negative appraisal of their situation mediated the association between economic strain and marital satisfaction. Finally mastery was found to moderate or buffer the effect of economic strain on marital satisfaction, whereas social support exerted a main effect on marital satisfaction. Implications for working with economically strained couples and for future research are discussed.
Sociology, Individual and Family Studies
University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign