COPING STRATEGIES AND EMOTIONAL-REACTIONS TO SEPARATION AND DIVORCE IN ANGLO, CHICANA, AND MEXICANA WOMEN

Angle, Mexicana, and Chicana women were interviewed and given standard ized questionnaires to determine differences in distress, coping, and other variables relating to their divorce. There were several interest ing group differences relating to perceptions of the main causes of th e divorce and the percentage in each group who contested the divorce. One of the strongest findings related to the relatively high distress of the Chicana group compared to the Angle and Mexicana women. The Chi cana women also showed more attempts to cope with their distress and g reater reliance on family during the period of the divorce than did th e other two groups. Cultural factors associated with being Chicana wer e discussed as possible causes of these findings.