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Stress, Social Support and Coping in Pregnancy

Taking Gender and Ethnicity into Account

Kent State University, Ohio, USA

Jennifer D. Wells

Kent State University, Ohio, USA

Stevan E. Hobfoll

Kent State University, Ohio, USA

The social support literature, despite its focus on women's strengths in relationships, has not fully addressed the social realities of women of diverse ethnic backgrounds and socio economic conditions. Specifically, the emphasis on marital relationships as primary sources of support during pregnancy marginalizes those women for whom these partnerships are unhelpful or unavailable. In addition, women's greater use of social support as a coping strategy is often portrayed in the coping literature as an ineffective approach to stress. Data from two studies of pregnant women are presented to illustrate these points and to present a new model of coping that reframes women's coping as prosocial, active and effective. Our article is designed to challenge researchers to examine the relevance of work on social support and coping to women of varying ethnicities and economic circumstances.

Key Words: coping • pregnancy • social support • stress • women

Journal of Health Psychology, Vol. 1, No. 2, 195-208 (1996)
DOI: 10.1177/135910539600100204


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