In the Wake of the Great Recession: Economic Uncertainty,Communication, and Biological Stress Responses in Families |
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| Authors: | Tamara Afifi Sharde Davis Anne F Merrill Samantha Coveleski Amanda Denes Walid Afifi |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Communication Studies, University of Iowa, IA 52240, USA;2. Department of Communication Arts and Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16801, USA;3. Department of Communication, University of California Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA;4. Department of Communication, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA |
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| Abstract: | The impact of spouses' communication about economic uncertainty on biological stress responses was examined. The sample included 82 Latino and Caucasian couples and one of their adolescents. Wives with low economic uncertainty experienced the greatest cortisol increase to a stressful discussion with their spouse, while wives with high economic uncertainty experienced a blunted cortisol response. Husbands with high economic uncertainty exhibited a low, unresponsive cortisol pattern. Wives who experienced elevated cortisol used more corumination and had low community support. The amount parents talked about their financial worries to their adolescent was not associated with the adolescent's mental health or biosocial markers, but the parents' economic uncertainty and corumination with each other were negatively associated with their own mental health. |
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| Keywords: | Great Recession Communal Coping Corumination Conflict Social Support Cortisol Salivary Alpha Amylase HPA SNS |
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