Marriage as Support or Strain? Marital Quality Following the Death of a Parent

Bibliographic Data

ID2590214
AuthorsDebra Umberson (0000-0002-1317-3934, corresponding author)
Year1995
Volume57
Issue3
Pages709
Publication date1995-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Marriage and the Family (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-2445 • E-ISSN: 1741-3737
PublisherJSTOR (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.2307/353925
OpenAlexW2053655387
LanguageEN
Citations received17
References cited25

The death of family member often affects the health and well-being of other individuals in the family (Perkins, 1990). A death in the family also affects the structure and dynamics of families (Perkins, 1990; Uhlenberg, 1980). These dynamics include relationships between survivors. A death in the family may lead to increased closeness or to strain in relationships among surviving family members. The impact of death on the family has received surprisingly little research attention considering the inevitability and frequency of such events and in light of evidence that bereavement often has strong adverse effects on individual well-being (Stroebe & Stroebe, 1987). One of the most common deaths faced by adults is the death of parent. Demographers report that the death of mother is most likely to occur when children are between the ages of 45 and 64 and the death of father is most likely to occur when children are between the ages of 35 and 54 (Marks, in press; also see Winsborough, Bumpass, & Aquilino, 1991). Annually, approximately 5% of the United States population experiences this type of loss (Moss & Moss, 1984). This is fairly recent historical development arising from increases in longevity. Uhlenberg (1980) reported that a shift from 1900 mortality conditions to those of 1976 implies an increase in the proportion of middle-aged couples who have living parents from 48 to 86 percent (p. 319). A parent's death may have significant impact on these couples' relationships. The present study considers how the death of parent may affect adult children's marital relationships and how change in marital quality affects individual well-being. This is an important issue for several reasons. First, the death of parent is common life transition for adults that may be significant predictor of change in marital quality. Second, because marital quality is strongly associated with global happiness (Glenn, 1990) and psychological well-being (Gove, Hughes, & Style, 1983), any significant change in marital quality has important implications for the general well-being of individuals. Third, the quality of marital relationships may be help or hindrance to an individual who is coping with parent's death. For example, strained relationship with one's spouse might exacerbate the effect of parent's death on individual well-being, while supportive spouse might help reduce the adverse effect of parent's death on individual well-being. Finally, family scholars have called for more research that uses nationally representative data to address the impact of familial losses on individuals (Perkins, 1990). The proposed analysis will increase our understanding of the impact of death in the family on individuals and family relationships. BACKGROUND Although parental death and marital relationships have not been considered specifically, previous theory and research has considered how certain types of bereavement affect social and personal relationships. This literature suggests that the death of loved one is often associated with change in social relationships--sometimes in positive direction, sometimes in negative direction (Ferraro, Mutran, & Barresi, 1984). Some theoretical work suggests compensation model by which the bereaved attempt to fill the void with increased involvement in other relationships (Moss & Moss, 1984; Palmore, 1968; see discussion by Ferraro et al., 1984). Others suggest decremental model by which the strain associated with bereavement undermines social relationships (Palmore, 1968; see discussion by Ferraro et al., 1984). Bereavement research shows that supportive relationships are helpful to the bereaved in alleviating the psychological distress associated with bereavement (Stroebe & Stroebe, 1987). However, even attempts by others to provide support may be conducive to distress in some cases; support attempts from others are sometimes viewed by the bereaved as unhelpful or even critical, which may create additional strain for the bereaved individual (Wortman & Lehman, 1985)

Affect (linguistics · Cause of death · Closeness · Developmental psychology · Disease · Longevity · Marital status · Population · Sociology · Demography · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · Health disparities and outcomes · Medicine · Migration, Health and Trauma · Psychology · Gerontology

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