This proposal seeks support to study 400 men and women (200 couples) for nine weeks using a daily diary methodology to assess fluctuations in stress, coping, and mood. Respondents will be drawn from a sample of 1,000 couples who will participate in the 1984-85 Detroit Area Study (DAS), a yearly survey carried out by the University of Michigan. Face-to-face interview and questionnaire data concerning life stress, social support, role strains, self-concept, health, and psychological distress will be available from the DAS archives to augment the daily diary data. The primary research aim is to understand the determinants of sex differences in psychological distress among married adults, with a particular focus on the role of daily stress and coping processes. The differential implications that variations in the source and level of stress have for well-being will be examined. In addition, the study will consider the implications of the individual's stress and coping for the psychological well-being of the spouse. For instance, it is hypothesized that particular styles of spousal coping are beneficial to one member of a couple and detrimental to the well-being of the other. Recent research indicates that daily stress has greater implications for psychological distress and for sex differences in distress than do major stressful experiences, yet few studies have examined fluctuations in stress and coping on a day-to-day basis. The proposed study takes advantage of recent developments in theory, methodology and data analytic strategies to investigate sex differences in distress as a function of daily stress and coping. Specifically, time series analyses will be employed to describe temporal relationships among both individual and marital factors in adaptational processes.
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NIH ExPorter