PARTNERS IN ADVERSITY .5. SUPPORT, PERSONALITY AND COPING BEHAVIOR ATTHE TIME OF CRISIS

This paper presents further results from a study of married women in E dinburgh who had just suffered an adverse experience: either their hus band's non-fatal myocardial infarction, their husband's death or their own arrival in a Women's Aid refuge for battered women. Interviews we re carried out 4-6 weeks following the adverse experience and, where p ossible, again approximately 3 months later. Symptoms were assessed us ing the 30-item General Health Questionnaire and criterion-based measu res of depression and anxiety derived from it. The extent and nature o f crisis support from household members and from groups of people outs ide the household, and also of failures in expected support, was measu red at first interview. A modified version of Tyrer and Alexander's (1 979) personality schedule was administered at the follow-up interview, and the resulting personality data were then reduced to six factors u sing principal components analysis. An interviewer assessment of how w ell the subject was coping was made at both interviews. The vast major ity of the sample received extensive practical and emotional support f rom family and friends, and perhaps because such positive support was so prevalent, variations in it seemed to have little effect on symptom s. However, subjects who were unexpectedly 'let down' or criticised by friends or family tended to show higher symptom levels, although, sur prisingly, this was less true for the bereaved wives than for the othe rs. The six personality factors that emerged were labelled nervousness (similar to neuroticism) impulsivity, social withdrawal, helplessness , inferiority and aggressiveness. There was evidence that subjects hig h on nervousness remained symptomatic longer following the adverse exp erience. The aggressiveness factor showed a curvilinear trend with hig h and low aggressives showing higher symptom levels than middle aggres sives. However, for the coronary wives the trend was linear with low a ggressives having high symptoms. Subjects low on impulsivity were more affected by being 'let down' by friends and family. The interviewer-a ssessed coping measure was linearly related to nervousness and showed a curvilinear relationship with aggressiveness.