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Abstract
The cyclical nature and severity of economic recessions over the past several decades emphasize a need to address the influence of family economic strain on married couples. Guided by past literature and the family stress and coping theory, the current study utilizes prospective data from 370 middle-aged, married couples over the course of a 12-year period between two major US recessions lasting from 1989 to 2001 to investigate the role of family economic strain on marital quality and marital stability through the intra-individual and dyadic associations of work-family conflict and marital support. Using secondary data from the Iowa Youth and Families Project (IYFP) and Midlife Transition Project (MTP), this study proposes that work-family conflict, marital support, and marital quality mediates the relationship between family economic strain and marital stability. Consistent with family stress and coping theory, the findings support the hypothesis that negative consequences of family economic strain on marital quality and marital stability are diminished through the coping mechanisms of positive perceptions of work-family conflict and marital support for husbands and wives.