NCJ Number
108588
Date Published
1987
Length
9 pages
Annotation
Middle-aged black men and women studied with respect to stresses experienced showed similar types and rates of stresses and coping mechanisms in response to stress.
Abstract
The staff of the Black Research Program at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan chose the sample of 508 men and 948 women between ages 40 and 50 to be nationally representative. Data were gathered from 1976 to 1980 through interviews lasting 2.5 hours. Health concerns were the most prevalent type of stress and were reported as the most important stress by 36 percent of the men and 40 percent of the women. Money or financial concerns were the most important stress for 32 percent of the men and 31 percent of the women. Other stresses like jobs, family, other people, crime, or mistreatment because of race were stresses for 6 percent or less of each group. Both men and women relied more heavily on direct action than on any other techniques to relieve themselves of the stress produced by their experience. Resignation to the stressful situation was the second most common technique used. Other approaches were the use of formal agencies or authorities, religion, and families or informal networks. Married and single women used similar methods, but married and never-married men showed significant differences. Married men most commonly chose direct action, while those who had never been married most often chose resignation to the situation. Findings showed that these black Americans are just as capable as nonblacks of finding alternatives to violence for responding to stressful experiences of daily life. Tables and 7 references.