United and Divided by Stress: How Stressors Differentially Influence Social Support in African American Couples Over Time

Abstract

The factors that allow people to be good support providers in relationships are not fully understood. We examined how support providers' stressful experiences (financial strain and racial discrimination) differentially influence their supportiveness, using longitudinal data from two samples of African American couples. Among couples that provided observational data ( N = 163 couples), providers who experienced high chronic financial strain behaved less supportively toward their partners, while those who experienced frequent racial discrimination behaved more supportively over a 2-year period. In a second sample of 213 couples over a 3-year period, support providers who experienced financial strain were perceived by their partners as slightly less supportive, while providers who experienced frequent racial discrimination were perceived by their partners as more supportive. Findings suggest that supportiveness in relationships may be differentially shaped by the specific stresses and strains that partners face.

The longitudinal and bidirectional association between parenting stress and couples' relationship quality

“…The positive association between parenting stress and supportive relationship quality and the differences between mothers and fathers in the timing of the association may indicate two interrelated familial processes. First, the positive association may reflect the idea that intimate partners can be united by stress (Clavél, Cutrona, & Russell, ) whereby parenting stress may prompt couples to increase their support of one another. Second, the differences between mothers and fathers in the timing of the associations may reflect gendered processes in heterosexual relationships.…”

Economic strain and support in couple: The mediating role of positive emotions

“…On the basis of the aforementioned negative associations of economic strain with positive emotions (Gallo et al, 2005;Jeon & Neppl, 2016) and positive coping behaviours in couple (Clavél et al, 2017;Karademas & Roussi, 2016), we first hypothesized that economic strain at the dyadic level will be negatively related to male and female positive emotions (joy, contentment, and pride; H1a) and to male and female SDC behaviours (H1b). Further, according to the broadenand-build theory of positive emotions (Fredrickson, 2001) and given prior empirical research regarding the interpersonal benefits of positive emotions (Fredrickson et al, 2008;Gable et al, 2006), we predicted that positive emotions experienced by each partner (joy, contentment, and pride) would be positively associated with own and partner SDC (H2).…”

“…In addition, the influence of stress on emotions might be dependent not only on the level of stress but also on the type of stress. One recent longitudinal study examined how stressors differentially influence social support in couples and found that participants who experienced financial strain were perceived as being less supportive to their partners (Clavél et al, ). However, there remains a need for further understanding of the effect of economic strain on positive outcomes in couples, and the current study will examine the influence of economic strain on SDC through positive emotions.…”

“…However, stressful contexts affect relationship well-being not only by creating additional problems and negative changes but also by depleting spouses' positive resources to cope with external stressors and to engage in positive relationship behaviours (Neff & Karney, 2017). Supporting this model, recent studies showed that economic strain was associated with a decrease in supportive dyadic coping (SDC) in couples over time (Clavél, Cutrona, & Russell, 2017;Johnson, Horne, & Galovan, 2016). Moreover, there is longitudinal research indicating that lack of employment was more strongly related to a decrease in positive emotions than to an increase in negative emotions and psychological symptoms such as depression and anxiety (Huppert & Whittington, 2003).…”

Mental and Physical Health Correlates of Financial Difficulties Among African-American Older Adults in Low-Income Areas of Los Angeles

“…Even though research from a nationally representative sample indicates married people are less likely to declare bankruptcy than divorced or separated people, never-married people were the least likely (48). While marital status may be protective against some forms of financial stress, financial difficulties can also take a toll on relationship quality and increase risk of divorce (49). Among AA samples, couples who experience financial difficulties are less likely to act supportively toward their partners (50) and are at higher risk for decreased effective communication, relationship satisfaction, and relationship confidence (51).…”