Catherine L. Cohan

Marital functioning and depressive symptoms: evidence for a stress generation model.

The present study applied C.L. Hammens (1991) stress generation model to depressive symptoms in the context of marriage. The authors predicted that depressive symptoms would lead to increased marital stress, which would in turn lead to increased depressive symptoms. Social support processes were hypothesized to function as a mechanism by which dysphoric spouses generate stress. Hypotheses were tested in a sample of 154 newlywed couples. Depressive symptoms, marital stress, support perceptions, and support behavior (assessed using observational procedures) were assessed initially and 1 year later. Results provided evidence of marital stress generation among wives, and social support processes functioned as a mechanism of stress generation for wives. Results highlight the cyclical course of dysphoria and stress among wives.

Life course transitions and natural disaster: marriage, birth, and divorce following Hurricane Hugo.

Change in marriage, birth, and divorce rates following Hurricane Hugo in 1989 were examined prospectively from 1975 to 1997 for all counties in South Carolina. Stress research and research on economic circumstances suggested that marriages and births would decline and divorces would increase in affected counties after the hurricane. Attachment theory suggested that marriages and births would increase and divorces would decline after the hurricane. Time-series analysis indicated that the year following the hurricane, marriage, birth, and divorce rates increased in the 24 counties declared disaster areas compared with the 22 other counties in the state. Taken together, the results suggested that a life-threatening event motivated people to take significant action in their close relationships that altered their life course.

Divorce following the September 11 terrorist attacks

We investigated the effect of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on marital stability. Previous research showed rates of divorce changed in opposite directions following natural disaster versus terrorist disaster. Using a prospective, longitudinal design and time series analysis, we examined rates of divorces filed by month, with respect to the World Trade Center attack in New York City (NYC). To examine whether effects radiated beyond NYC according to geographic proximity or psychological proximity, we examined four other counties of varying distance from NYC. Results showed geographic and psychological proximity effects. Following a major manmade disaster characterized by death, divorce rates decreased in NYC and Bergen County, NJ, geographically proximal locales, and in Los Angeles and Philadelphia, psychologically proximal locales.

Marital transitions among Vietnam-era repatriated prisoners of war

We examined (i) whether marital outcomes in the 20 years following repatriation for 98 former Vietnam War prisoners of war (POW) differed from a matched comparison group of 98 Vietnam-era Navy aviators who did not experience captivity, and (ii) individual differences that contributed to vulnerability for divorce among the POWs and 56 of their wives. POWs had a higher divorce rate than the comparison sample, particularly in the 2 years following repatriation. POWs were more likely to divorce when they were younger, had shorter marriages, and had wives with lower marital satisfaction and more financial stressors. Marriage can be a casualty of war, even among those who are high functioning and have many personal advantages.

Family Transitions Following Natural and Terrorist Disaster: Hurricane Hugo and the September 11 Terrorist Attack

Disasters affect individuals, families, and entire communities. To date, the primary focus of disaster research has been on identifying the mental health consequences for individuals following natural disasters, technological disasters, and mass violence. However “...the experience (of disaster) cannot be expressed entirely in diagnoses of psychopathology” (Vlahov 2002, p. 295). An exclusive focus on individual mental health outcomes will underestimate the full psychosocial impact of a disaster for many adults, given that the consequences for adult disaster victims often unfold in the context of close relationships. The goal of this chapter is to expand the focus of disaster research by considering how disasters are related to significant family transitions. Exposure to disaster and trauma is more common than we might expect. Lifetime exposure was 22% for natural disasters (Briere and Elliott 2000) and 69% for traumatic events (e.g., combat, tragic death, automobile accident, assault; Norris 1992). Given the interdependence of married spouses (Kelley and Thibaut 1978) and the disruptive nature of disaster and trauma, we would expect these events to reverberate in people’s romantic relationships.