A Conceptual Model of the Functioning of Married Persons with Impaired Partners: Spouses of Alcoholic Patients.

This article presents a conceptual framework of potentially broad applicability in the study of spouses of persons suffering from any of a variety of impairments (e.g., alcohol abuse, heart attack, renal disease, unemployment, depression). The model is explored using path analysis and partitioning the explained variance to determine the effects of seven predictor variables (spouse ethnic status and education, initial spouse functioning, partner impairment, environmental stressors, spouse coping responses, and family social environment) on the functioning of 105 spouses over an 18-month interval following the residential treatment of their partners for alcohol abuse. Results indicated that partner impairment was usually the strongest determinant but that almost all other predictors had a significant impact on one or more dimensions of spouse functioning. The model integrates previous research in the alcoholism field and provides a more comprehensive account of spouse functioning than is afforded by focusing only on partner drinking behavior.