Becoming a lone parent: a cognitive interactionist approach to appraising and coping during a crisis

The utility of a cognitive interactionist approach to crisis, specifically that of becoming a lone parent through marital breakdown, was examined. The Lone Parenthood Scales, which provided information about positive and negative appraisals of the event and possible coping strategies, were administered to 101 members of Parents Without Partners. MANCOVA established two separate and systematic relationships between these multiple independent and dependent variables. One pattern of experience which emerged was of adaptive adjustment: positive appraisals of mobilization of personal resources, increased self-esteem and better relationships with the children were associated with coping by resignation to the situation and accepting help from others. The other was of passive self-preoccupation: negative appraisals of more emotional conflict and increased pressure from others were associated with no particular coping strategies but with renunciation of an active, positive approach to problems. Positive appraisals were found to be different for men and women, but the perceived instrumentality of the decision to separate proved to be relevant for negative appraisals.