Stress
Conclusion
The study of social stressors affecting families draws attention to the linkages between social factors such as race, gender, education, occupation, and income, and how they shape both exposure to stressors and the possession of resources with which to deal with them. We have noted that greater levels of resources can keep potential social stressors from exerting adverse effects, but over time resources themselves can be whittled away by chronic or recurring exposure to social stressors. Despite much popular concern about role conflicts, particularly between work and family roles for women, studies suggest that more and less stressful conditions within roles may be more consequential than the simple presence or absence of a particular social role. This review of social stress research draws heavily on research conducted in the United States, but it suggests that the stress paradigm can provide a conceptual lens through which one can begin to explore variations in stressful exposure and outcomes across nations as well.
See also: ACQUIRED IMMUNODEFICIENCY SYNDROME (AIDS); BOUNDARY AMBIGUITY; CAREGIVING: INFORMAL; CHRONIC ILLNESS; CONFLICT: FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS; CONFLICT: MARITAL RELATIONSHIPS; CONFLICT: PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIPS; DEATH AND DYING; DEPRESSION: ADULTS; DEPRESSION: CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS; DISABILITIES; DIVORCE: EFFECTS ON CHILDREN; DIVORCE: EFFECTS ON COUPLES; DIVORCE: EFFECTS ON PARENTS; ELDER ABUSE; FAMILY DEVELOPMENT THEORY; FAMILY ROLES; FAMILY STRENGTHS; FATHERHOOD; GENDER; HEALTH AND FAMILIES; MARITAL QUALITY; MIGRATION; MOTHERHOOD; POVERTY; POWER: MARITAL RELATIONSHIPS; RESOURCE MANAGEMENT; RETIREMENT; SINGLE-PARENT FAMILIES; SOCIAL NETWORKS; SPOUSE ABUSE; THEORETICAL EXPLANATIONS; TRANSITION TO PARENTHOOD; UNEMPLOYMENT; WAR/POLITICAL VIOLENCE; WIDOWHOOD; WORK AND FAMILY
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ELIZABETH G. MENAGHAN
Additional topics
Marriage and Family EncyclopediaFamily Theory & Types of FamiliesStress - Exposure And Responses To Stressors, Effects Of Economic Stressors On Marital Behaviors, Societal Differences, Demographic Factors, And Family Stressors