MARITAL FUNCTIONING AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS - EVIDENCE FOR A STRESS GENERATION MODEL

The present study applied C. L. Hammen's (1991) stress generation mode l to depressive symptoms in the context of marriage. The authors predi cted that depressive symptoms would lead to increased marital stress, which would in turn lead to increased depressive symptoms. Social supp ort processes were hypothesized to function as a mechanism by which dy sphoric spouses generate stress. Hypotheses were tested in a sample of 154 newlywed couples. Depressive symptoms, marital stress, support pe rceptions, and support behavior(assessed using observational procedure s) were assessed initially and 1 year later. Results provided evidence of marital stress generation among wives, and social support processe s functioned as a mechanism of stress generation for wives. Results hi ghlight the cyclical course of dysphoria and stress among wives.