Stressful Life Events, Social Support, and the Distress of Widowed and Divorced Women

Abstract

Samples of widowed and divorced women drawn from public death and divorce records and matched on age, race, and median income of census tract of residence were used to test Ensel and Lin's (1991) counteractive model of the relationships among stress, social support, and distress. As hypothesized, event-related stress and other life stress following the loss of a spouse led to social and psychological distress the following year. Also in line with the hypotheses, stress was associated with increased social support from family and friends. Contrary to the hypotheses, however, social support had mixed effects on distress, depending on the type of support. For widows, practical support help decreased their distress; for divorcees, having someone listen to personal problems was beneficial. Advice did not affect distress for either group, and widows and divorcees who received material support experienced increased distress.

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