Family stress during the Czech transformation

Using three waves of data (1994-1996) from Czech households, we examined th e mediating role of family interactions on the relation between 1994 family economic pressure and increased marital instability 1994-1996 The models d emonstrate that economic pressure made both husbands and wives irritable, a nd their tension exacerbated problem behaviors (e.g., drinking and fighting ) and depression. Husbands' problem behaviors generated hostility toward th eir wives, which increased wives' reports of greater marital instability Wi ves' irritability increased their behavior problems, as well, bur behavior problems were unrelated to wives' hostility or husbands' marital instabilit y. Instead wives' irritability directly increased their hostility toward th eir husbands, which in turn, increased husbands' reports of greater marital instability.