Which term best describes the process where a spouse's work-related stress affects the other partner's well-being?

• A. Spillover
• B. Co-production
• C. Crossover
• D. Family wage

Answer: (C)

Crossover describes how stress or emotions from one partner affect the other partner’s well-being. When someone experiences work stress, their mood, energy, or irritability can spill over into interactions with the spouse, influencing the partner’s mood, sleep, and overall well-being even though the stress originates with the other person. This differs from spillover, which refers to stress crossing from one domain to another within the same person (for example, work stress affecting that person’s behavior at home). The other terms don’t fit: co-production is about jointly producing resources or managing household tasks, and family wage refers to the economic value of a family's work, not the transmission of stress between spouses.