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FAMILY CHANGE AND COPING PATTERNS OF WIVES OF PRISONERS
Abstract
The primary purpose of this research study was to determine the nature and extent of family change following the incarceration of the husband, and the specific coping patterns utilized by the prisoners' wives in coping with the separation experience. A questionnaire containing a Marital Adjustment Test (Locke), a Family Change Scale (Schneller), and a Family Coping Inventory (McCubbin, Boss, Wilson, and Dahl) was mailed to legally-married prisoners' wives in three geographical areas of the United States who volunteered to participate in the study. A total of 91 questionnaires were used in the data analysis. Statistical tests for the data analysis included Pearson Correlation, Univariate and Multivariate Analysis of Variance, and the Duncan Range Test. The findings were tested for statistical significance at the .05 level of confidence. Analysis of the data revealed that the effects of incarceration upon the family in terms of family change were "Moderate Negative" for the 91 wives who participated; an hypothesis that the effects would be "extensive" in terms of total family change was rejected. However, the results of the Emotional Change Subscale revealed that the changes were "Extensive Negative." The researcher concluded that following the incarceration of the husbands the wives in the group studied experienced extensive adverse emotional family change. Although not clearly substantiated by the Family Change Scale results, the wives' Personal Comments indicated that they also had experienced extensive financial hardships following the incarceration of their husbands. Four other hypotheses dealing with family change and length of the husband's sentence, the amount of time served on the sentence, the type of crime committed (Sex VS Non-Sex), and the presence or absence of publicity at the husband's arrest and imprisonment, were also rejected. No significant relationships were found to exist between total family change and these four variables. A significant relationship was found to exist between total family change (social, economic, and emotional change) and the pre-incarceration marital adjustment level of the wives. Wives with high pre-incarceration marital adjustment scores tended to experience greater adverse family change following the husband's incarceration than did the wives with low pre-incarceration marital adjustment scores. The results of the Family Coping Inventory indicated that the five coping patterns involved in the inventory were perceived by the wives to be only "Minimally Helpful." This lack of helpfulness appeared characteristic of the wives' evaluation of their personal situations as expressed in their written Personal Comments. Of the five coping patterns Pattern IV ("Believing in the value of the spouse's profession and maintaining an optimistic view of the situation") was perceived by the participating wives to be significantly more helpful than patterns II, III, and V. Pattern I ("Maintain Family Integrity") was perceived to be almost as helpful as Pattern IV. The results of the Coping Inventory and the Personal Comments written by the wives indicated that, in their estimation, coping with the separation experience was indeed difficult. Based upon the research data the researcher recommended that the following programs/activities be considered as potentially helpful to prisoners' families: a Family Orientation Program, Continuous Information-Sharing Services, Improvements in Visitation Opportunities, Increased Support for Hospitality Houses and Related Organizations which assist prisoners' families, Economic Assistance (particularly transportation assistance), and Family Life Programs (including family counseling, educational activities, home furloughs, and, whenever possible, conjugal visits).
Subject Area
Families & family life|Personal relationships|Sociology
Recommended Citation
BAKER, BILL J, "FAMILY CHANGE AND COPING PATTERNS OF WIVES OF PRISONERS" (1980). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI8021333.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI8021333