Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

8-1990

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Human Ecology

Major Professor

Cheryl Buehler

Committee Members

Brian Barber, Jo Lynn Cunningham, James Neutens

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the direct and moderating influence of social support on the relationship between life change and mothers' psychological well-being approximately 5-6 months following marital separation. The sample consisted of 108 residential mothers with children between the ages of 3 and 18. Mothers' psychological well-being was conceptualized in terms of three dimensions: emotional affect, self-esteem, and psychosomatic symptomatology. Life change was measured by assessing the occurrence and disruptiveness of changes in mothers' lives since the separation. Three dimensions of social support were measured: range (total support), sources of support, and functions of support. For the most part, buffering effects of social support on the relationship between life change and psychological well-being were non-significant. Rather, the use of social support was directly related to separated mothers' emotional affect and self-esteem but not to psychosomatic symptomatology.

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