Women’s Multiple Role Stress: Testing Neuman’s Flexible Line of Defense

Abstract

Women who are both mothers and students are at high risk for experiencing multiple role stress. In this exploratory study guided by Neuman's conceptual model, the conditions under which role stress develops in these women were examined. Specifically, the moderating capabilities of the psychological and sociocultural variables in the flexible line of defense, psychological role involvement and perceived social support, were investigated. It was found that these two variables interacted to explain role stress only in the presence of the developmental variable, maternal age. Recommendations concerning conceptual and empirical specification of Neuman's model are presented.

Types and Sources of Social Support and Maternal-Student Role Stress in Married Associate Degree Nursing Students

“…It is important to consider the relation between MSRS and total functional support (all types of support from all sources), as well as the relation between MSRS and (a) individual types of support; (b) individual sources of support and; (c) individual types of support from individual sources. However, to date, only the relation between total functional support and MSRS has been reported (Gigliotti, 1999(Gigliotti, , 2004. The purpose of this study is to examine the relation between specific types and sources of social support and MSRS using a secondary analysis of Gigliotti's (2004) data.…”

“…As part of a larger hierarchical multiple regression analysis, one of Gigliotti's (1999Gigliotti's ( , 2004 propositions was that high total functional support would have both main and interaction effects in decreasing MSRS. Though no bivariate relations were proposed, a statistically significant bivariate inverse correlation between total functional support and MSRS (r = −.28, p = .03) was reported for women aged 37 years and older; there was no statistically significant correlation for women under 37 years (Gigliotti, 2004).…”

Improving External and Internal Validity of a Model of Midlife Women's Maternal-Student Role Stress

“…However concerning credit load's influence on SRI and the resulting increase in explained MSRS, it is notable that the mean number of enrolled credits in previous studies (Gigliotti, 1999(Gigliotti, , 2004a) ranged from 9 to 10 (SD = 2.2-2.39); thus, there was little variance in credit load due to sample homogeneity. That is, all were associate degree nursing majors in the clinical sequence and were taking similar credit loads.…”

“…Also, most had children who were preadolescents or adolescents. In fact, mean ages of the youngest children were 8.89 (Gigliotti, 1999) and 10.12 (Gigliotti, 2004a).…”

“…Gigliotti (1999) initially reasoned that psychological involvement in both the maternal and student roles and low social support moderated MSRS. She found that main and interaction effects of these variables explained 24% of the variance in MSRS.…”