e007

Full-Length Research Article

Economic Strain, Marital Conflict, and Mental Well-Being among Wives of Drug Addicts from Low-Income Households: The Roles of Coping and Social Support

Mohd Haikal Anuar Adnan^a,b, Zarinah Arshat^b

^a Centre for Research in Psychology & Human Well-Being (PSITRA), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor

^b Faculty of Social Science and Humanities, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor

^c Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Faculty of Human Ecology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor

Corresponding author: Mohd Haikal Anuar Adnan

Published: 30 June 2026

Volume 1, Issue 1

Article e007

Article History: Received 10 May 2026

Revised 15 June 2026

Accepted 21 June 2026

Editor-in-Chief: Nik Ahmad Sufian Burhan, Ph.D.

Handling Editor: Nik Ahmad Sufian Burhan, Ph.D.

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between stressors such as economic strain, marital conflict, perceived social support, and coping with mental well-being among wives of drug addicts in Malaysian B40 households. Based on a theoretical foundation that integrates family stress processes and psychosocial resources, this research analyses the stress and resource-related pathways via partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). Empirical data were obtained through 132 respondents and analysed using bootstrapping with 5,000 resamples. Although economic strain is found to predict marital conflict, neither one exerts a direct effect on mental well-being. Perceived social support is a significant predictor of coping and mental well-being, with coping positively linked to mental well-being. Coping partially mediates the relationship between perceived social support and mental well-being. Regardless, the pathway from economic strain through marital conflict is unsupported. Based on these results, the mental well-being of the wives of drug addicts is less influenced by stress exposure, and more by access to resources that facilitate stress management. This study contributes contextual evidence by showing how established stress- and resource-related pathways operate among wives of drug addicts in low-income Malaysian households, where financial hardship, addiction-related family strain, caregiving responsibilities, and psychosocial resources intersect. The findings call for enhancing social support and coping mechanisms in interventions tailored for vulnerable family settings.

Keywords: economic strain; marital conflict; perceived social support; coping; mental well-being

Sustainable Development Goals (SDG): SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being; SDG 1: No Poverty

Cite As (APA)

Adnan, M. H. A., & Arshat, Z. (2026). Economic strain, marital conflict, and mental well-being among wives of drug addicts from low-income households: The roles of coping and social support. Pertanika Journal of Quality of Life Studies, 1(1), Article e007.

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