@article {8672, title = {Chronic Stress and Negative Marital Quality Among Older Couples: Associations With Waist Circumference.}, journal = {J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci}, volume = {74}, year = {2019}, month = {2019 01 10}, pages = {318-328}, abstract = {

Objective: More than a third of the U.S. population of older adults is obese. The present study tests the Dyadic Biopsychosocial Model of Marriage and Health, which hypothesizes that, among married couples, individual and partner chronic stress predicts increased waist circumference and these links are exacerbated in negative quality marriages.

Method: Participants were from the nationally representative longitudinal Health and Retirement Study (HRS). A total of 2,042 married individuals (in 1,098 married couples) completed psychosocial and waist circumference assessments in 2006 and 2010. Analyses examined whether negative marital quality and chronic stress in Wave 1 (2006) were associated with changes in waist circumference over time.

Results: Actor-partner interdependence models revealed that greater partner stress, rather than individuals{\textquoteright} own reports of stress, was associated with increased waist circumference over time. Higher perceived negative marital quality among husbands and lower negative marital quality among wives exacerbated the positive link between partner stress and waist circumference.

Discussion: Consistent with the Dyadic Biopsychosocial Model of Marriage and Health, partner stress has direct associations with waist circumference among couples and this link is moderated by negative marital quality. Thus, dyadic perceptions of stress and negative marital quality are important to consider for understanding marriage and obesity.

}, keywords = {Family Conflict, Female, Humans, Interviews as Topic, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Marriage, Middle Aged, Obesity, Stress, Psychological, Surveys and Questionnaires, Waist Circumference}, issn = {1758-5368}, doi = {10.1093/geronb/gbw112}, author = {Kira S. Birditt and Nicky J Newton and James A. Cranford and Noah J Webster} } @article {8508, title = {Drinking Patterns Among Older Couples: Longitudinal Associations With Negative Marital Quality.}, journal = {J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci}, volume = {73}, year = {2018}, month = {2018 04 16}, pages = {655-665}, abstract = {

Objectives: Research with younger couples indicates that alcohol use has powerful effects on marital quality, but less work has examined the effects of drinking among older couples. This study examined whether dyadic patterns of drinking status among older couples are associated with negative marital quality over time.

Method: Married participants (N = 4864) from the Health and Retirement Study reported on alcohol consumption (whether they drink alcohol and average amount consumed per week) and negative marital quality (e.g., criticism and demands) across two waves (Wave 1 2006/2008 and Wave 2 2010/2012).

Results: Concordant drinking couples reported decreased negative marital quality over time, and these links were significantly greater among wives. Wives who reported drinking alcohol reported decreased negative marital quality over time when husbands also reported drinking and increased negative marital quality over time when husbands reported not drinking.

Discussion: The present findings stress the importance of considering the drinking status rather than the amount of alcohol consumed of both members of the couple when attempting to understand drinking and marital quality among older couples. These findings are particularly salient given the increased drinking among baby boomers and the importance of marital quality for health among older couples.

}, keywords = {Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Alcohol Drinking, Family Conflict, Female, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Marriage, Middle Aged, Sex Factors, Spouses}, issn = {1758-5368}, doi = {10.1093/geronb/gbw073}, url = {http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27353031}, author = {Kira S. Birditt and James A. Cranford and Jasmine A Manalel and Toni C Antonucci} } @article {6443, title = {Stress and Negative Relationship Quality among Older Couples: Implications for Blood Pressure.}, journal = {J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci}, volume = {71}, year = {2016}, month = {2016 Sep}, pages = {775-85}, abstract = {

OBJECTIVES: The cardiovascular system may represent a significant pathway by which marriage and stress influence health, but research has focused on married individuals cross-sectionally. This study examined associations among chronic stress, negative spousal relationship quality, and systolic blood pressure over time among middle-aged and older husbands and wives.

METHOD: Participants were from the nationally representative longitudinal Health and Retirement Study. A total of 1,356 (N = 2,712) married and cohabitating couples completed psychosocial and biomeasure assessments in waves 2006 and 2010. Analyses examined whether Wave 1 (2006) relationship quality and stress were associated with changes in blood pressure over time.

RESULTS: The effects of stress and negative relationship quality were dyadic and varied by gender. Husbands had increased blood pressure when wives reported greater stress, and this link was exacerbated by negative spousal relationship quality. Negative relationship quality predicted increased blood pressure when both members of the couple reported negative quality relations.

DISCUSSION: Findings support the dyadic biopsychosocial model of marriage and health indicating: (a) stress and relationship quality directly effect the cardiovascular system, (b) relationship quality moderates the effect of stress, and (c) the dyad rather than only the individual should be considered when examining marriage and health.

}, keywords = {Aged, Aging, Blood pressure, Family Relations, Female, Humans, Hypertension, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Marriage, Middle Aged, Stress, Psychological}, issn = {1758-5368}, doi = {10.1093/geronb/gbv023}, url = {http://psychsocgerontology.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2015/04/06/geronb.gbv023.abstract}, author = {Kira S. Birditt and Nicky J Newton and James A. Cranford and Lindsay H Ryan} }