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

Multiple Choice

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.