ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview on Romanian couples' stress and dyadic coping. According to the Systemic Transactional Model (STM), stress within a couple is an interpersonal process and influences both partners. The Dyadic Coping Inventory (DCI) evaluates the frequency with which partners engage in different behaviors to cope with stress together as a couple. A specific intervention that might be effective in working with Romanian couples is the psycho-educational program together developed and tested by Falconier on American couples. This program is based on the Couples Coping Enhancement Training (CCET). Communism influenced people's trust in others, affected individual and family autonomy, and led to a decline in optimism. In order to understand Romanian couples' relationships, it is important to clarify the male and female roles in the family. According to the stress-divorce model proposed by Bodenmann, external stress spills over into couple relationships.
