COPING STRATEGIES OF PEOPLE LIVING IN MULTIGENERATIONAL HOUSEHOLDS - EFFECTS ON WELL-BEING

Analyses examined whether information about the coping strategies used by family members adds to an understanding about the psychological we ll-being of individuals. Data from 140 women and their husbands and ch ildren who were living in multigenerational households that included a disabled older relative indicated that for the women and children, th e best predictors of depression, positive affect, and mastery were the ir own coping strategies; the coping strategies used by other family m embers did not add significantly to the predictive equation. For husba nds, however, depression was predicted by both their own coping strate gies and the coping strategies of their wives. Husbands' positive affe ct was predicted only by the coping strategies of their wives and chil dren, and their mastery was predicted by their own coping strategies a nd those of their wives and children.