Cross-cultural differences in crossover research

Studies investigating the crossover of stress and strain between partners have shown that job demands are transmitted from job incumbents to their partners, affecting their psychological and physical health. Three main mechanisms have been suggested to account for the apparent effects of a crossover process, involving, respectively, common stressors, empathic reactions, and an indirect mediating process. Most findings have demonstrated a unidirectional crossover from husbands to wives but not from wives to husbands. However, a few studies have detected symmetrical bidirectional crossover effects from one spouse to another. One of the possible explanations suggested for the inconsistency in findings is a moderating effect of gender interacting with culture. In cultures characterized by a traditional gender ideology, the crossover process is mostly unidirectional, from husbands to wives. However, in cultures characterized by a nontraditional gender ideology the crossover process is mostly symmetrical and bidirectional. Recommendations for future research are proposed and the implications for organizational theory are discussed. This chapter deals with research on the impact of culture in the crossover of stress and strain from one spouse to another. The first section defines the crossover concept and presents its possible mechanisms. Next, gender is introduced as a possible moderating variable in the stress-strain process, extrapolating to its role in the crossover process. The last section deals with the impact of culture on the role of gender in the crossover process.