Ciclo de vida conjugal: momentos de estresse previsíveis e imprevisíveis ao longo do casamento

Abstract

The goal of this paper is to analyze the stress and coping strategies during the cycle of married life, bringing excerpts from interviews of a qualitative study of heterosexual couples of intact (nuclear) middle-class families in Rio de Janeiro and Curitiba. The way spouses deal with the situations of stress and various changes related to marriage development, may have bring consequences for the couple during the life cycle. We conducted semi-structured interviews, following a script and recorded in audio. After transcription, we carried out a content analysis. We concluded that the initial moment of marriage is the most stressful one and the other periods of the life cycle mirror the confrontation that was initially built, being the foundation for later coping experiences, lived throughout the marital trajectory.