Chapter 13 Stress and Context -> 137C

What did the study with newlyweds show about the effects of stress on couple interactions?

- contacted newlyweds eery 6 mons for first 3 yrs of marriage - eat each contact-> spouses did a questionnaire to imagine if partner behaved insensitively - also described stressed experienced outside relationship since last assessment - explanations of partners behavior varied based on stress in relationship - couples with low relationship stress: - did not blame partners for negativity and excused as response to demands outside relationship - outside stress was high same couples blamed partner for negative behaviors - ability to see broader context of neg behavior decreases when partners need it the most (stress=high)

Social ecological model and context

- context can be organized on a continuum of how close and removed they are to the couple - proximal to distal contexts on the continuum

What does it mean to say a relationship is shaped by its context?

- context is everything that affects a relationship and interaction that is a external factor - physical surroundings - social involvements - culture - historical period -

chronic conditions

- context that are relatively stable and enduring - if couples does move a lot then neighborhood will be a chronic condition of relationship - same with money they earn, general health, and strength of social networks - these things can change overtime but they do slowly - these conditions form background of couples lives - accepted parts of daily experiences->

What did the survey that examined external stressors of newlyweds show for how demands are always impacting relationship?

- 1,010 newlyweds husband and wives about problematic areas of marriage - frequent problems came from the outside - paying of debts, balancing demands of jobs, and relationship - at the start of marriage when it is fulfilling outside world brings demands - have to address them - lack of shared leisure time is predictor fo divorce

What are ways that social networks in couples can be advantage? (no social network cannot meet anyone)

- 1. no social network cannot meet anyone to form a relationship with - college students report meeting romantic partner through mutual friend - social network overlaps for giving context to new relationship - social network determines types of people available to that person - people who have diverse social networks will have experiences interracial relationship that those with social networks that lack diversity

Study on awareness and stress crossover in couples (Thompson and Bolger)

- 68 couples one partner studying for stressful event-> NY state bar exam - stress crossover from test taker to other partner changes as the weeks get to exam day - couples reported mood every day for 35 days - 4 weeks before the exam and 1 week after - test takers mood on one day and partner mood on the next day had strong association - got weaker as days got closer dropped to zero on day of exam - when got closer to exam day test-takers more anxious and partners understood - mood was unaffected - partners of test takers could make correction but they could not make it when exam was far away and less aware of how stressful it would be - noticing external stressors impacts can minimize spillover and crossover effects - awareness can patch up troubled relationship especially when extreme stressful events occur - but recognizing context of relationship can help them correct of it and behaviors

How do we understand the contradictory responses to the same stressful event in hurricane hugo?

- ABC-X model - impact of crisis depends on nature of stressor and resources to respond to it - interaction of chronic conditions and acute events - acute stress that overwhelms resources the relationship is neg impacted - couples with adequate resources the stressful event and bring them together Example: - poor couple and rich couple react differently to car accident - wealthy couple had good insurance and has second car - might find accident to be a inconvience but nothing else - poor couple less finacially stable - not have good insurance - not have flexible hours to get car fixed if they can pay for it - could be a major stressor that impacts all family members -couples with less chronic stress and more resources have less change in marital satisfaction when acute events arise

How can couples do more to deal with demands than just noticing stress levels?

- ABC-X model: - coping skills determines influence stressor would have - couples w/o effective coping skills-> stress will predict declines in closeness and intimacy - couples with skills-> came stress can lead to growth in relationship - lays foundation for resilience when facing challenges in future

proximal context

- affect couple directly - these are factors in the immediate environment - examples: - time of day an interaction occurs - living conditions - friends and family they interact with

stressor

- aspect of environment that demands something - leave couple with lower capacity to maintain relationship ex. losing a job, having a child, or recovering from illness - could drain resources from relationship due to being stressors

network overlap

- couples network overlap a lot both partners feel close to same people - likely to share friends and draw on same social support - enjoy each others families - when network does not overlap: - partner have own friends and separate support Research: - overlap in predicting health and duration of relationships - more partners know each others friends and share connections= happy/ stay together longer Cross-cultural research: - 62 societies around world - divorce rates are low in communities where people marry in social networks - in comparison to that marry out of social networks

Can facing extreme stress really benefit an intimate relationship?

- depends on whether couple is aware of how stress affects them and if they have resources to manage it effectively -

How do researchers distinguish chronic conditions?

- both influence relationships in different ways - chronic events are relatively stable - effect of them tends to be stable overtime - as couples adapt to chronic aspects of environment the impact of those conditions are enduring parts of relationship - research on chronic conditions-> differences between couples in more or less stressful environments - ex. african american couples-> marital quality depended on how poor or rich the neighborhood was/ how better it was - neighborhood is a chronic feature of relationship context

Psychological and interactive network

- both overlap somewhat - interact with some peeps regularly and still do not play big role in life - we interact with others less but they do play a big role Research: - couples with more network connections= strong relationship than those with a few - ties are close= happy marriage= less likely for divorce - involved in sports organization and clubs= stronger/longer relationships that married couples not in that - religious events are a community activity to engage since there is a decline in sports organization and club attending - attending regular service= stable marriage than those that do not

Do poor value marriage less?

- break down of marriage can be attribited to lack of value of stable, healthy marriages, and failure to teach this to new generation - low income communities especially lack this - surveys in the U.S attitudes have remained pos for marriage - young adults 20-24 value marriage - 83% of men and women in age range say it is important to get married some day - 90% of young adults expect that they will be married by 40 years old - 80% of gays and lesbians want to be married

What is one reason social networks can be a challenge?

- can provide possible alternatives to current partner - substitutability-> degree to which different members of social network fulfill the same needs for a person - dating couples: - partners that are closer to best friend more likely to end relationship - best friend can give similar companionship and emotional support - less dependence on romantic partner for those needs Less threat: - when partner social networks overlap - members will consider both partners as apart of a couple More threat: - separate social networks - members of two networks can be alternative sources of companionship

socioeconomic status (SES)

- indicator of the ways people differ in their ranking within a social structure - in the U.S SES is measured as a composite variable that accounts household income, level of education, and occupation - SES and intimate relationships are linked most focused on marriage - SES does affect health of these relationship

How do couples avoid negative interaction when misunderstanding arises?

- difference between simple misunderstanding and long negative interaction - ability of one parter to resist urge to behave negatively in response to the other - stress-induced physiological arousal - determines when partners can do this and when they cannot Observational research: - physiological arousal during marital interaction= increased neg reciprocity between partners - more aroused couples are when they communicate= more likely to reciprocate neg behavior - leads to decline in relationship satisfaction

How can social networks be a challenge for intimate relationships directly?

- drawback to family and friends approving relationship - when partner share social network when they break up may have to break common ties - increases the cost of leaving relationship - shared network gives a barrier to leaving relationship even when they do not want to stay - fear of disapproval from social networks can keep couples together in distressed or abusive relationship - these relationships could end if the partners did not feel stigmatized

What is research to support the idea that social networks can give alternatives to relationship?

- drew from census data - quantified the effects of social networks on divorce - neighborhood with many singles - mobility was common - women are employed outside home - divorce rates are significantly higher

stress spillover

- effects of stress in one area of person's life are felt in other areas - stress outside relationship= stress in relationship, which can lead to less satisfaction, more neg emotions, and more conflict -relationship problems can spill into outside areas - hard to know the direction of the spill-> use daily dairy approach - report on aspects of life at regular intervals - respond to brief survey questions - individuals act as own controls (within subjects) - changes in one area of life are associated with changes in other areas

Why are relationship outcomes hard to predict?

- even if a couple has a lot of good things there is a chance an unexpected stressor will arise - overwhelm ability to respond - in long term events bad things are likely to happen and be unpredictable as well as beyond couples control - newlyweds have optimism but they underestimate that bad things can happen

What makes the context of a relationship so complex?

- every level of the context so proximal and distal can both contain more emerging stressors and resources ( double ABCX- model) - relationship will be impacted by the combo of supports (resources) and demands (stressors external factors) that act on it

How does the perspective that experience with stress early in relationship allows couples to practice skills for healthy and long lasting commitment?

- exposure to manageable stress allows couples to form relational immunity to protect from threating problems later - newlywed couples report on stressful episodes - observed couples talking about areas of disagreement in marriage - couples that discussed problems well and had moderate stress experiences less stress spillover in next 2-3 years - compared to similarily skilled couples that lives had been free from stress

distal context

- external factors that are removed from the couple - no direct contact examples: - economic - cultural - historical conditions

How does stress impact relationships with a double dilemma?

- external stress leads them to spend resources on coping - could have been used for more rewarding activities - when they really need to interact effectively stress leaves then incapable to do that - couples under more stress experience more relationship problems than couples not under stress even when it is external - external stressors like employment insecurity, child w/ illness, and partner with illness on average satisfaction declines and risk for breakup increases - after exposed to external stressor

How can stress have physiological effects on the body?

- get into car accident - get hit from behind - not injuried but still experience shock of the incident= internal physical changes - before conscious mind process what happened the sympathetic adrenal medullary (SAM) system is activated-> makes adrenal glands pump adrenaline and other hormones - other system is activated- hypothalamic pituitary adrenocortical (HPA) axis-> adds steroids like hydrocortisone to the mix - hormones make body increase heart rate and blood pressure - sweat glands are triggered and pores open - cells process oxygen and other nutrients more effectively - you are transformed from a moment ago - go into flight or flight response - stress can make us work better and remember adverse events to avoid them

How do these stressful contexts of low income couples effect their well-being of couple?

- married women with children work nights - chance of divorce is three times higher than women who work nights compared to women who work same number of hours during day - married men with children work nights chance of divorce is 6 times higher - makes sense as to what makes marriage fulfilling and intimate - poor couples more likley to work double shifts to keep food - when they do have time it is to discuss difficult things - low income couples cite divorce due to poor communication at heart of problems

Where does the sense of a declining appreciation for marriage come from?

- more acceptance to divorce, premarital sex, unmarried cohabitation, remaining single, and choose to be childless

Study that compared more and less affluent respondents on phone survey?

- n= 6,012 people in florida, california, and new york - paint similar picture-> poorer men and women report pos attitudes to marriage and less approval for divorce - wealthy couples agreed that divorce is good for unhappy couple - poor people agreed with statement that stayed partners should remain married for the children - looked at same items for women relying assistance from public - high levels with statements that were pos to marriage and had strong desire to get married - for low income people no evidence that marriage lost its value - marriage has developed into one of status and prestige more true for low income that affluent -

How does not being able to choose how to spend free time in low income couples impact them?

- national longitudinal survey of youth: - working poor families have less paid sick leave, vacation leave, or flexible work hours - less control over free time harder for them to set time aside of caring for children, attending school meetings, or catching up with each others lives

What programs might be most effective in helping families and couples in poor communities?

- need to see the real challenges these couples face - programs in the four bible states has had little effects to making low income relationships stable or satisfying - programs need to benefit their lives ex. Norway - couples that did not use gov run day care services were offered financial aid - policy did not mention marriage - before and after policy dropped significantly the divorce rates as couples accepted the aid - allowing couples to spend more time together strengthen the relationships

When partners experience stress spillover and crossover do they know it is happening?

- no most likely - not noticing the stressful event is what leads to stress spillover - even low levels of stress when we do not notice can put us in bad mood and impact how we evaluate relationships/anything - stress is the high cause is more clear and we can compensate for effects ex. mild bad day at work could be irritable at home - may get impatient with partner - spouse has cancer could be in bad mood but not let it influence the relationship - when people are aware of the effect moo can have they make a correction and adjust for it in judgements

Research to support the idea that coping skills during stress event determines impact on relationship

- observed greater financial strain predicts decreased relationship satisfaction - couples with effective problem solving skills stay strong - newlyweds research: - supportive husband protects wife from effects of external stress in first 3 years of marriage - couples where one parter has cancer the more effective problem solving and mutual support= better relationship satisfaction

How are the resources that couples use limited?

- only so much time in a day and money in the bank - external demands can drain resources -> time, energy, and money - leaves less resources to make relationship satisfying and fulfilling - ex. both partners have more demands at work - more time at work means despite rewarding/fulfilling interactions they will have less mutually good interactions

How can the effects of stress impact you after a car accident when you see partner?

- partner is annoyed had to wait for you they do not know u were in a accident - you could adopt her perspective - understanding broader context is not a skill that comes easily to most people - distracted from shock of accident you will ignore peripheral details - hard to see from their perspective - rely on stereotypical judgement - might give critical comment

Long-distance relationships (box 13.1)

- physical distance= significant source of stress - restricts face-to face interaction-> no shared activties for closeness and intimacy - limit disappointment - increase cost to maintain relationship - leave near each other can interact regularly - closeness confirmed with touch, gesture, or look - expend more effort to keep in contact - in stressful periods have hard time finding time and resources to reinforce connection - spend time in company of others - could lead to jealousy and infidelity - can work out since they will idealize each other - comparable levels of relationship satisfaction and stability than those that live together - less satisfied couples confronted with distance go separate ways - those that choose to stay committed with distance work out - online platforms and video chat to bridge distance

efforts that have pos benefits for low income couples ?

- program that gave healthy drinking water in eastern kenya improved family relationships - anti-poverty programs offer job training and cash assistance lower divorce rates - programs that make life easier are effective at helping poor couples and address relationship problems directly

How can the absence of approval from network member make couples life miserable?

- ranges for subtle to obvious - partners do not accept intimate partner they can: - ignore partner - treat partner bad - refuse to recognize the couple as a relationship partners - friends who disagree with romantic partner can bring alternatives - when conflict occurs turn to friends and family - when friends and family validate the partners side of argument this leads to the involvement of friends outside the relationship - can intensify the problems - even when relationship is healthy family and friends compete for time - relationship can suffer when they spend too much time with friends or relatives

acute events

- relatively clear start and the possibility of an end point ex. car accident, illness, or unemployment - death of a child is a acute event can have major impact.

How do chronic and acute contextual elements interact?

- some conditions appear stable but then they have rapid change - ex. close family or safe neigborhood - acute conditions can be enduring - ex. hurricane harvey - disaster= acute event - still caused relationship problems - have to put lives into order - crisis could also bring couples together for mutual support - relationships that survived hurricane would be stronger

What as the aspects of context factors?

- some factors that make it a stressor-> harder - some factors that make it easier-> resources

How does the context of low income couples contain more demands than resources?

- start out with poor financies - poor areas have more social disorder-> crime, drug use, and delinquency - homes of low income families tend to crowded, noisier, and worse condition - low income couples may benefit from extended families, and will developed social and religious networks - networks can also drain couples - working poor spend more time caring for disabled and elderly family members than rich groups - poor working mothers have a child with chronic health condition - low income couples have hard time surviving and caring for those depend on them - this is within context that do not provide support

What is an example of the implications of socioeconomic status?

- states in the bible belt: alabama, arkansas, oklahoma, and tennesse had the highest divorce rates - not expected pretty traditional states - governor of oklahoma stated that young people needed education on relationship communication - real issue was low socioeconomic status - lowest in employment rate, annual pay, household-income, and health insurance - highest rates of murder, infant mortality, and poverty - marriages cannot really thrive in places with unstable employment, unsafe neighborhoods, and unstable working conditions

stress crossover

- stress from one member is transmitted to other members - stress experiences by one partner in relationship affects the other partner study: - interviewed 1, 383 wives about stress husbands at at work and own symptoms of depression/emotional problems - symptoms of wives not associated with paretning, work demands, or support from husbands - associated with husbands having more stress at work - association stronger for those in satisfying marriages than weak ones - need to have strong bond for stress crossover to have effect - less invested partners are less impacted by each others stress

Hurricane Hugo study to look at acute events and its impacts on relationships?

- studied effects of Hurricane Hugo - happened in South Carolina - 4th worst natural disaster in U.s - used public records to find rated marriage, childbirth, and divorce from 1975-1997 - this was 14 years before and 8 years after the hurricane (interrupted time series) - if the storm did impact families then we would expect to see: - increase in divorce in areas hit the hardest - if hurricane brought couples together we expect: - increase in marriage and childbirth after the storm - strengthen commitment - after the storm, there was the a increase in marriage, childbirth, and divorce rates - this was only in couples impacted by the storm - after a few years impacts of the storm faded away - prior trends returned - the storm led some couples to strengthen commitment and other to break up

Network composition

- studies: - 70% of people couples name as close network member are own and each others family - family members are turned to during stress and support - individuals are healthier when they have a range of relationships - these relationships can fulfill certain needs

How do researchers distinguish acute conditions?

- sudden change in relationship context - acute events can be: - reversible - fade away has people adapt and lives return to normal (COVID-19) - Research: German Study - tested 1,000 people for 15 years - asked about events prior to last assessment - rated life statisfaction - acute events predicted life satisfaction - people got happier on average= married - people got less happy on average= widowed - over time people adapted and life satisfaction returned to where it was before transition - measuring acute events is a way to account for ups and downs people have in relationship - ex. when environment had high demands relationship suffers, but when circumstance improve relationship recovers

resource

- support outside the couple - contributes to ability to interact effectively ex. - close extended family - satisfactory income - safe neighborhood - these are all resources-> aspects of environment that give time for couple to devote to each other - good income and secure living= stronger relationships - do not need to worry about safety - spend more time together and energy on each other

Why is stress problematic in the context intimate relationships?

- tasks that keep partners connected or satisfied are not automatic - stress enhances ability to simple and reflexive tasks - weakens ability to do complex and deliberative tasks - stress increases ability to do what comes naturally but not what is difficult and new - people who are physiologically aroused will use stereotypes to characterize people - longer to solve complicated thought problems - poor memory of peripheral details-> they have tunnel vision can remember central details

How is time a factor in low income couples that neg impacts?

- time is low - demand out of home is high - less time to spend together - study: - documented work patterns of working families - members of low income couples are more likely to have nonstandard hours than middle and high income couples - during evenings and weekends they are working - this time that could be used for communicating, being intimate, shared activities - low income couples more likely to be working at those times

what did the study that used to daily diary approach show about stress spillover?

-stress at work impacts home life of air traffic controllers - stress can be quanitifed by looking at traffic volume - each day for 3 days-> gained data on traffic conditions - had controllers and spouse report on partners behaviors during interactions in evening - night time behaviors cannot affect work stress during that day - the spill goes on one direction work stress to home stress - when work was more stressful controller was more withdrawn - coping strategy to unwind without encountering stress from families

How do researchers describe how social networks influence couples with the three attributes?

1. psychological network-> people who play important roles - interactive network-> person interacts regularly 2. network composition-> kinds of relationships and connections that makeup each partners social networks 3. network overlap-> partners in relationship consider the same people to be in social network

What are four examples of how SES impacts intimate relationships?

1. divorce fall for women with 4 year college degrees or more - increase for women without college degree - women with less than high school diploma are half as likely to have marriage that lasts 20 years than women who completed college 2. rates are twice as high for women in low income areas than those in high income areas - marriages end faster in low income areas than high income areas 3. low income couples 4X likely to have first child before getting married and have more children after marriage 4. marriages that remain intact low income spouses report more marital distress than middle/higher income spouses - low income couples have more flucutations in relation satisfacttion and physical abuse and domestic violence

What are the challenges that low income couples face?

1. health problems - income si associated with education - poor couples have less formal education than rich partners - for personal history likely to be raised by single parent and physical and sexual abuse occur in childhood - rates of psychopathology, criminal behavior, and substance abuse are high in low income areas - people in low income areas have more personal challenges than just trying to maintian relationship

What are ways that social networks in couples can be advantage? (shared networks= incentive for staying in relationship)

1. overlap in networks= staying in relationship - way people are treated by social networks impacts the way they feel about intimate relationship - research: - parents will be accepting of partner their college kid dates - approve of relationship - results in environment that makes it easy for intimacy and commitment to form - more satisfied with approving social networks and committed - less likely to break up

What are two components needed for social networks to have beneficial impacts?

1. social networks should overlap of the two partners 2. people in both networks should approve of and support relationship - when couples have independent networks or those that fail to support relationship - close ties can damage relationship

What are ways that social networks in couples can be advantage? (social network can be a resource)

2. social networks can be a resource like financial and material resources - social capital-> advantages people get from relationship with others - some are tangible-> people can give support and help put - some are intangible-> surrounded by people you know means easier for you to be understood and make needs known - for couples helps t have supportive networks for stress or crisis - low income couples: - lack other resources - strong social network can be the difference between successful coping and life of struggle

How do stable contexts and quickly changing contexts influence relationships?

Stable contexts: - historical period impacts how the relationship plays out - ex differences in American marriages from the 1940s-1950s compared to 2000s Rapid changing contexts: - constant flux - ex.-> changing jobs, friends/families moving closer or far/economy booms and declines - stability of the various contexts will influence the relationship - researchers organize resources and stressors on how much they change overtime

social networks

intimate relationships is more than the two people - families, friendships, neighborhoods, clubs, and institutions connect the two individuals