Stress and coping strategies in recently widowed rural black women

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:The relationship between stress and coping strategies in bereavement was examined in 70 recentlywidowed rural black women (mean age 36.53 years). Correlations were sought between copingstrategies (as measured by the Coping Strategy Indicator) and anxiety (as measured by the S-scale of theState-Trait Anxiety Inventory), depression (as measured by the Beck Depression Inventory), socialsupport (as measured by the Social Support Scale) and biographical variables. Of the participants,88.57% were at least mildly depressed, while 78.57% experienced anxiety of above average intensity.Depression scores were significantly higher for those who were unemployed than for those who hadpaid work. Those with an education of Standard 6 or below made significantly more use of socialsupport-seeking strategies than those with high school and tertiary education. Those whose husbandshad died suddenly made more use of problem-solving strategies, while those whose husbands had diedof chronic illness made more use of social support-seeking coping strategies. Significant positivecorrelations were found between an avoidant coping strategy and both depression and anxiety. Asignificant positive correlation was found between a social support-seeking coping strategy andperceived social support. Significant negative correlations were found between both problem-solvingand social support-seeking coping strategies and anxiety as well as depression scores. An avoidantcoping strategy emerged as a significant positive predictor of both anxiety and depression, whileproblem-solving and social support-seeking coping strategies emerged as significant negative predictorsof depression. A problem-solving coping strategy alone emerged as a significant negative predictor ofanxiety. These findings point to the need for interventions aimed at more effective use of problemsolvingand social support-seeking coping strategies, rather than avoidance, if the widowed are toeffectively deal with their conjugal loss. Another implication of these findings is the importance ofhelping those who are undergoing bereavement to continuously re-define their social support structuresfor continued sustenance of social and emotional support.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University