Study limitations
There are several limitations to these findings. In the analysis
testing the two models, specifying and complete causal paths
were required for the adequate explanation of moderating
and mediating effects. The findings indicated that both the
family stress and perceived social support variables were
highly correlated, and therefore confounded. Another methodological
concern for testing the moderating model is the
significant relationship between family stress and family
coping. The intercorelation of this study shows no significant
correlation between family stress and coping. Another
concern emerges as a consequence of operationalizing family
stress as a life events scale. The influence of the main effect
(family stress) and the interactive effect (family
stress perceived social support) on coping may have
been underestimated in this study because of the use of
self-report checklists of family stress and perceived social
support.