Belinda and Roy rent an apartment in a somewhat run-down area of town. They have a few friends, but their immediate families live in another state. They barely manage to pay their bills each month; Roy has a steady job but no health benefits, and Belinda stays home to care for their two young boys. While playing in the park, one of the boys falls from the swings and breaks his arm. Belinda knows that paying for the emergency care and follow-up doctor visits is going to put their family into a difficult financial position. According to Hill's (1949) ABC-X model of family stress, what do you predict will happen?
A) The family is used to chronic hardship, and this new stressor will have little effect on the marriage.
B) The new financial burden will simply add to their stress load and will have the same effect as it would on any family.
C) There will be an interaction between the acute and chronic stressor, making it even harder for the couple to cope with the new financial burden and their son's broken arm.
D) The son's broken arm and new financial burden are unpredictable (uncontrollable) stressors and thus will have less of an effect on the couple's relationship.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Hill's ABC-X model suggests that stress in families is the result of an interaction between stressors (A), the family's ability to cope with those stressors (B), and the family's perceived level of stress (C). In this case, the family is experiencing an acute stressor (their son's broken arm) on top of chronic stressors (financial struggles and lack of social support). This interaction of stressors is likely to make it even harder for the couple to cope with the new financial burden and their son's broken arm. Therefore, C is the best choice. A is not correct because the family is not necessarily immune to stress just because they have experienced chronic hardship before. B is not correct because this stressor is not just adding to their stress load, but rather interacting with other stressors in their lives. D is not correct because the stressors are still very real and impactful, even if they are unpredictable or uncontrollable.

Belinda and Roy Rent an Apartment in a Somewhat Run-Down