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Rauer A, Cooke WM, Haselschwerdt M, Winters-Stone K, Hornbuckle L. From Organizing Medicine to Cooking With More Leafy Greens: A Dyadic, Qualitative Analysis of How Older African American Couples Take Care of Each Other's Health. Res Aging 2024; 46:302-313. [PMID: 38215404 DOI: 10.1177/01640275241227557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2024]
Abstract
Guided by the Dyadic Theory of Illness Management, we explored spousal health management behaviors and their congruence within seventeen older African American married couples participating in a dyadic exercise intervention. Both prior to and after the intervention, spouses reported how they took care of their partner's health as well as what their partner did for them. Data were analyzed using theoretical thematic analysis, and five health management behaviors domains were identified (diet, exercise, self-care, medical compliance, relationship maintenance). Both partners were most likely to encourage healthier diets and exercise. Wives tended to report more behaviors compared to husbands. Couples had little congruence in their appraisals of each other's health management behaviors, and patterns were stable over time. Findings suggest incongruence in couples' health management behaviors represented complementary, collaborative efforts to support each other and that husbands may underestimate how much care they both provide to and receive from their wives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy Rauer
- Department of Child and Family Studies, The University of Tennessee Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - Wendy McLean Cooke
- Department of Sociology, Psychology & Social Work, The University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica
| | - Megan Haselschwerdt
- Department of Child and Family Studies, The University of Tennessee Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - Kerri Winters-Stone
- The School of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Lyndsey Hornbuckle
- Department of Kinesiology, Recreation, and Sport Studies, The University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA
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Zhang ZM, Smith-Johnson M, Gorman BK. Who Cares? Unpaid Caregiving by Sexual Identity, Gender, and Partnership Status Among U.S. Adults. Demography 2024; 61:115-140. [PMID: 38206071 DOI: 10.1215/00703370-11145841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Recent scholarship indicates that sexual minority adults have higher caregiving rates than heterosexuals and that women are more likely to be caregivers than men. However, little research has addressed how gender and sexuality intersect in shaping caregiving status. This study uses data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and aggregates a probability-based sample of adults living in 36 U.S. states between 2015 and 2021. We examine who provides care among adult heterosexual, lesbian, gay, and bisexual men and women. Results reveal that women are more likely to be caregivers than men, but only among heterosexuals. We find little variation in caregiving by sexuality among women, but bisexual men are more likely than heterosexual men to be caregivers; the latter result appears to be driven by unpartnered, bisexual men. Lastly, we contextualize caregivers' experiences and reveal selected descriptive differences in patterns of care recipient-caregiver relationships across gender and sexual identity groups. Our findings advance understanding of caregiving and changing family ties in an era of population aging and increasing diversity in sexual identities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhe Meredith Zhang
- Department of Sociology, California State University, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Zhang N, Zhang Y, Zou Y, Kan Y, Pang J. The impact of spouse health on social participation of older adults in China: Evidence from the CLHLS. J Affect Disord 2023; 324:46-52. [PMID: 36566939 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.12.060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Revised: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND China is dealing with a serious aging issue. Social participation is essential for active aging. The health status of spouses is intertwined with the trajectory of the social function of the elderly. OBJECTIVES This study examined the association between spouse health and social participation among older Chinese adults. The study also explored the mediating role of loneliness and anxiety between spousal health and social participation. METHODS The analytic sample included 6125 adults aged 60 years and above. Prospective data were obtained from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS). First, we described basic socio-demographic information about the sample. Secondly, Spearman's correlation analysis was used to determine whether correlations existed between spousal health, loneliness, anxiety, and social participation. Finally, mediation analysis was run using the SPSS macro PROCESS program. RESULTS Spousal health, loneliness, anxiety, and social participation were significantly correlated (P < 0.01). Spousal health could not only have a direct positive impact on social participation in older adults (β = 0.239, 95 % CI: 0.120, 0.359), but also indirectly on social participation through three pathways: an independent mediating effect of loneliness (β = 0.020, 95 % CI: 0.009, 0.034), an independent mediating effect of anxiety (β = 0.018, 95%CI: 0.009, 0.032), and a chain mediating effect of loneliness and anxiety (β = 0.004, 95%CI: 0.002, 0.007). CONCLUSION This study suggests paying more attention to elderly couples and decreasing the negative consequences of changes in spousal health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ning Zhang
- School of Nursing, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.
| | - Yu Zhang
- School of Nursing, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.
| | - Yan Zou
- School of Nursing, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.
| | - Yinshi Kan
- School of Nursing, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Juan Pang
- School of Nursing, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
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Murniati N, Al Aufa B, Kusuma D, Kamso S. A Scoping Review on Biopsychosocial Predictors of Mental Health among Older Adults. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:10909. [PMID: 36078627 PMCID: PMC9518331 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191710909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2022] [Revised: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
This review aims to map the available evidence on biopsychosocial predictors of elderly mental health. The articles were independently screened in three selected databases, namely Pubmed, Proquest and Google Scholar. The stages consist of identifying the research questions, seeking and selecting relevant evidence, mapping data, and concluding and reporting results. The PRISMA flowchart was used to show the PEOS evidence search flow. A total of 23,722 articles were obtained from all databases during the initial search, where 458 titles fulfilled the eligibility criteria at the title screening stage. Furthermore, 383 articles passed through abstract screening, where 75 met the inclusion criteria and were included for full-text screening. Based on the full-text screening stage, 28 articles were excluded and the remaining 47 articles that matched the search process were included for data extraction. This review creates biopsychosocial variables related to the mental health of the elderly. The biological factors consist of age, biomarkers, female, health conditions, chronic diseases, and physical function. Variables related to psychological factors are affect, personality traits, and subjective well-being. Meanwhile, social factors include smoking, sleep quality, physical activity, daily living, social support, marital status, loneliness, religiosity, spirituality, and early life conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nia Murniati
- Doctoral Program in Public Health, Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Indonesia, Depok 16424, Indonesia
- Applied Health Science Department, Vocational Education Program, Universitas Indonesia, Depok 16424, Indonesia
| | - Badra Al Aufa
- Applied Health Science Department, Vocational Education Program, Universitas Indonesia, Depok 16424, Indonesia
| | - Dian Kusuma
- Centre for Health Economics & Policy Innovation, Imperial College Business School, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Sudijanto Kamso
- Department of Biostatistics, Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Indonesia, Depok 16424, Indonesia
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Linked Lives: Does Disability and Marital Quality Influence Risk of Marital Dissolution among Older Couples? SOCIAL SCIENCES 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/socsci11010027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Using fourteen waves of data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a longitudinal panel survey with respondents in the United States, this research explores whether marital quality—as measured by reports of enjoyment of time together—influences risk of divorce or separation when either spouse acquires basic care disability. Discrete-time event history models with multiple competing events were estimated using multinomial logistic regression. Respondents were followed until they experienced the focal event (i.e., divorce or separation) or right-hand censoring (i.e., a competing event or were still married at the end of observation). Disability among wives was predictive of divorce/separation in the main effects model. Low levels of marital quality (i.e., enjoy time together) were associated with marital dissolution. An interaction between marital quality and disability yielded a significant association among couples where at least one spouse acquired basic care disability. For couples who acquired disability, those who reported low enjoyment were more likely to divorce/separate than those with high enjoyment; however, the group with the highest predicted probability were couples with low enjoyment, but no acquired disability.
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Hossain B, Yadav PK, Nagargoje VP, Vinod Joseph KJ. Association between physical limitations and depressive symptoms among Indian elderly: marital status as a moderator. BMC Psychiatry 2021; 21:573. [PMID: 34781925 PMCID: PMC8594119 DOI: 10.1186/s12888-021-03587-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Depression among the elderly is well-documented and associated with socio-economic factors, physical and mental health conditions. Few studies have focused on older adults' physical limitations and depressive symptoms. However, very little is known about marital status' role in such associations, especially in India. The present study examines the association between physical limitations and self-reported depressive symptoms and moderating role of marital status in such association separately for men and women. METHODS The present study used data from the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI) wave 1, 2017-2018, a nationally and state representative longitudinal large-scale survey of ageing and health. For the present research, a total sample of 20,806 older adults aged 60+ years was selected after excluding missing values. Along with descriptive statistics, binary logistic regression analysis and interaction effect of marital status were applied to examine the association between physical limitations (functional limitations and mobility difficulty) with the depressive symptoms separately for men and women. RESULTS About 58, 50, and 45% elderly reported having depressive symptoms and had difficulty in 2+ ADLs, 2+ IADLs, and 2+ mobility difficulties, respectively. By the marital status, the prevalence of depressive symptoms was higher among currently unmarried than currently married, irrespective of type and number of physical limitations. The unadjusted, marital and multivariate-adjusted association suggested that elderly with more than two ADLs, IADLs, and mobility difficulty had higher odds of depressive symptoms. The gender stratified interaction effect of marital status and physical limitations on depressive symptoms indicated that currently unmarried elderly, particularly unmarried older women with 2+ ADLs (OR = 2.85; CI 95% = 1.88-3.09), 2+ IADLs (OR = 2.01; CI 95% = 1.74-2.31) and 2+ mobility difficulty (OR = 2.20; CI 95% = 1.86-2.60) had higher odds of depressive symptoms. However, such association was only valid for unmarried men having mobility difficulty. CONCLUSION The study highlights that the elderly with physical limitations such as ADLs, IADLs, and mobility difficulty require attention and care. Although married elderly are less likely to have depressive symptoms even with all the mentioned physical limitations, unmarried women are more vulnerable to have depressive symptoms with physical limitations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Babul Hossain
- International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, 400088, India.
| | - Pawan Kumar Yadav
- grid.419349.20000 0001 0613 2600Department of Bio-statistics and Epidemiology, International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, 400088 India
| | - Varsha P. Nagargoje
- grid.419349.20000 0001 0613 2600International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, 400088 India
| | - K. J. Vinod Joseph
- grid.419349.20000 0001 0613 2600International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, 400088 India
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Thomeer MB, Pollitt A, Umberson D. Support in Response to a Spouse's Distress: Comparing Women and Men in Same-sex and Different-sex Marriages. JOURNAL OF SOCIAL AND PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS 2021; 38:1513-1534. [PMID: 34776578 PMCID: PMC8590207 DOI: 10.1177/0265407521998453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Support for a spouse with psychological distress can be expressed in many different ways. Previous research indicates that support expression is shaped by gender, but we do not know much about how support within marriage is provided in response to a spouse's distress outside of a different-sex couple context. In this study, we analyze dyadic data from 378 midlife married couples (35-65 years; N = 756 individuals) within the U.S. to examine how men and women in same- and different-sex relationships provide support when they perceive that their spouse is experiencing distress. We find women in different-sex couples are less likely to report taking care of their distressed spouse's tasks or giving their distressed spouse more personal time and space compared to women in same-sex couples and men. We also find that men in different-sex couples are less likely to report encouraging their spouse to talk compared to men in same-sex couples and women. Being personally stressed by a spouse's distress is positively associated with providing support to that spouse, whereas feeling that a spouse's distress is stressful for the marriage is negatively associated with providing support. This study advances understanding of gendered provisions of support in response to psychological distress in marriage, moving beyond a framing of women as fundamentally more supportive than men to a consideration of how these dynamics may be different or similar in same- and different-sex marital contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mieke Beth Thomeer
- Department of Sociology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Heritage Hall 460, 1401 University Blvd., Birmingham, AL 35233
| | - Amanda Pollitt
- Department of Health Sciences, Northern Arizona University
| | - Debra Umberson
- Department of Sociology, University of Texas at Austin
- Population Research Center, University of Texas at Austin
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