Coping Resources, Perceived Stress and Adjustment to Divorce Among Israeli Women: Assessing Effects

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to examine how socioeconomic resources (level of education and evaluation of economic situation), cognitive resources (sense of coherence), emotional resources (the quality of relationship with the ex-spouse and the existence of a new romantic relationship), and perceived stress contribute to explaining the adjustment of Israeli women to divorce. Adjustment to divorce was examined along four dimensions: self-acceptance of divorce, disentanglement of the love relationship, symptoms of grief, and self-evaluation. The research sample consisted of 114 divorced Jewish women, all of whom had retained custody of their children. Among the resources examined, the contribution of sense of coherence to explaining adjustment to divorce was particularly significant, followed by the existence of a new romantic relationship. Furthermore, resources were found to interact with perceived stress in explaining women's adjustment to divorce.

Keywords:

• adjustment to divorce
• disentanglement of the love relationship
• perceived stress
• self-evaluation
• sense of coherence
• symptoms of grief

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Etti Heine-Cohen

Liat Kulik is an associate professor at the School of Social Work, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel. Her main research interests are work-home relationships, changes in gender roles, family and spousal relationships. Etti Heine-Cohen, MA, is a social worker and Coordinator of the Center for Single-Parent Families at the Social Welfare Administration, Ashdod.