Date of Conferral

4-24-2026

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Rolande Murray

Abstract

Marital resilience during shared stressors remains insufficiently understood, particularly when both spouses are simultaneously affected by the same external stressor and must adapt together over time. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore marital resilience through the lived experiences and perceptions of spousal support during shared stressors among individuals who had been legally married for 10 years or more, with specific attention to how participants described the shift from solo coping to dyadic coping over time. Bowlby’s attachment theory provided the theoretical foundation, and Senge’s learning organization theory served as the conceptual framework. Participants included 18 legally married individuals who had been married for 10 years or more and had experienced at least one shared stressor within the previous 5 years. The findings suggest that shared stressors often began with solo coping, guarded reliance, or parallel coping before couples moved toward dyadic coping. Emotional support, practical support, communication turning points, shared planning, and recurring check-ins were central to this shift. Participants also described hope, efficacy, and optimism as psychological resources that supported coping persistence and relational adaptation. Resilience was most often perceived as improved teamwork, increased trust, reduced conflict escalation, and greater relational closeness over time, although some accounts reflected delayed trust and temporary disconnection. The implications of these findings support positive social change by informing both theoretical advancements in cognitive psychology and practical interventions for couples seeking to enhance their relational well-being.

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