Stress and dyadic coping

Abstract

Daily hassles and critical life events cause stress not only to individuals but also to close others, particularly partners in committed relationships. This chapter covers an overview of theoretical models and empirical studies on the effects of stress on couples and dyadic coping (DC; how couples cope with stress together). In the 1990s several theoretical innovations expanded individual coping to include both members of the couple. These theoretical models are briefly reviewed and synthesized in a general model of DC, the Systemic Transactional Model (STM), which is the most frequently used in research. We provide a current overview of empirical studies about couples dealing with daily hassles, major life events, and chronic stress, like physical health issues and disability or mental disorders. DC has been established internationally as a highly relevant construct in many disciplines. Recent developments are addressed and implications given for future research and clinical applications.