Can wives perceive the source of their husbands' occupational stress?

The congruence between male prison officers' (POs) perceptions of job-related stress and wives' perceptions of their husbands' stress was examined. A Sources of Stress Questionnaire (SSQ) and the GHQ were administered to a random sample of POs. Their wives were asked to identify the sources of stress in their husbands' job, and to complete the GHQ. The results of two measures of congruence are reported. Firstly, separate factor analyses of the SSQ for the POs and their wives revealed similar factor structures and, secondly, the pattern and magnitude of the stress reported by the couples varied within factors. Wives reported greater stress originating from the violent nature of their husbands' job, and less stress originating from living in a prison village than their husbands. It is suggested that the wives' accurate perceptions arise as the result of subjective assessments, communication of which is facilitated by particular features of the work and work environment.