Long-haul truck drivers are absent from their families for prolonged periods
of time. This paper examines the methods trucking families use to remain
connected given such absences. Interviews with ten women married to long-haul
truck drivers underwent qualitative analysis. Initially, personal profiles were
developed to illustrate life experiences of the women. While the trucking industry
set the context, the families decided how to cope with the lifestyle. Patterns of
coping strategies developed by the families were described by the women. Coping
strategies did not result from the efforts of one individual. All family members
contributed to it in a dynamic process. One instrumental source of support was the
driver's trucking company. Support systems instrumental in helping families utilize
coping mechanisms were identified. Women used ambivalent thought to resolve
negative emotions. In addition, an environmental analysis that compared the homes
of the women and the homes of non-truckers was conducted to determine whether
trucking women's homes reflected their lifestyle and attitudes toward their
husband's absence. The trucking family engages in an atypical lifestyle, yet their
issues are similar to those experienced by families whose husbands and fathers are
home every night. Trucking families continually seek to find methods that allow
them to think of themselves as normative. / Graduation date: 1999
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/33547 |
| Date | 09 July 1998 |
| Creators | Moon, Susan F. |
| Contributors | Zvonkovic, Anisa M. |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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