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Updated: Jul 18, 2026
06:15
A Modified Trier Social Stress Test for Vulnerable Mexican American Adolescents
Published on: July 10, 2017
Daily occupational stressors and marital behavior
1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA. lisa.story@duke.edu
Summary
Work stress, including negative interactions and heavy workloads, increases marital anger and withdrawal for both husbands and wives. This spillover effect is linked to negative mood, particularly affecting couples in high-conflict households.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Work-Life Balance Studies
Background:
- Job stressors can negatively impact personal relationships.
- Understanding the daily interplay between work and marriage is crucial for relationship well-being.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the daily effects of job stressors on marital behavior.
- To examine the role of negative mood in mediating the relationship between work stress and marital interactions.
Main Methods:
- Utilized hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) for data analysis.
- Collected daily diary reports from 43 couples over 5 consecutive days.
- Assessed job workload, negative social interactions at work, and marital anger/withdrawal.
Main Results:
- Both husbands and wives showed increased marital anger and withdrawal after negative workplace social interactions.
- Wives reported higher marital anger and withdrawal on days with heavy workloads.
- Negative mood mediated the impact of workload on wives' marital anger, supporting the spillover hypothesis.
Conclusions:
- Job stress, particularly negative social interactions and heavy workloads, directly impacts marital quality.
- The negative mood spillover hypothesis is supported, explaining how work stress affects marital behavior.
- Couples in high-conflict environments may be more susceptible to the detrimental effects of job stressors on their relationships.
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