Coombs R H, Fawzy F I
Am J Psychiatry. 1982 Nov;139(11):1490-3. doi: 10.1176/ajp.139.11.1490.
Two competing explanations have been offered to explain why the unmarried experience greater stress--the protection/support hypothesis (emotional support from a spouse offsets daily tensions) and the selection hypothesis (the more emotionally mature individual marries). To assess these hypotheses, the authors compared the difference in stress levels between 61 married and unmarried students during the stressful years of medical school. Stress was measured each year by attrition rates, self-reports, and interviews with spouses. The stressors of medical school were more severe for the single students; moveover, stress levels of formerly single students declined after marriage. The authors believe these results affirm the protection/support hypothesis.
对于为何未婚者会经历更大压力，有两种相互竞争的解释——保护/支持假说（配偶给予的情感支持可抵消日常压力）和选择假说（情感上更成熟的个体结婚）。为评估这些假说，作者比较了61名已婚和未婚学生在医学院压力较大阶段的压力水平差异。每年通过退学率、自我报告以及与配偶的访谈来衡量压力。医学院的压力源对单身学生来说更为严峻；此外，曾经单身的学生婚后压力水平有所下降。作者认为这些结果证实了保护/支持假说。
