Implications of marital/partner relationship quality and perceived stress for blood pressure among older adults

Who's Worried? Memory, Worries About Dementia, and Marital Strain in Midlife Same- and Different-Sex Marriages: A Dyadic Perspective

OBJECTIVES

Prior scholarship has highlighted the importance of marriage for cognition. However, little research has considered how cognition-related concerns may impact marriage. In this study, researchers examine how aging couples view each other's memory and worry about their potential development of dementia in the future. Additionally, researchers investigate whether these cognition-related concerns may strain marriage, and how these dynamics differ for men and women in same- and different-sex marriages.

METHODS

Researchers used 2 waves of dyadic data from the Health and Relationships Project (HARP; 2015-2022), including 594 respondents from 297 same- and different-sex married couples (aged 41-71 at Time 2). Researchers employed the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM) to explore associations between actor and partner reports of memory and dementia worry with marital strain.

RESULTS

Men and women in same- and different-sex marriages were equally likely to report worries about their own potential development of dementia. However, women reported more concerns about their spouse developing dementia in the future than men did, regardless of whether they were married to a man or a woman. Both partners' reports of memory and dementia worry played a complex role in influencing marital strain, with variations observed across couple types.

DISCUSSION

Concerns about cognitive decline and dementia are common in older populations, and for married couples, spouses have concerns about their own memory as well as that of their partner. Researchers finding identified the significance of concerns about a spouse's memory on marital dynamics among aging couples.

While You Are Sleeping: Marital Ambivalence and Blunted Nocturnal Blood Pressure

Marital relationships offer health benefits, including a lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, quality of the relationship matters; ambivalent behaviors may increase CVD risk by affecting blunted nocturnal blood pressure (BP) dipping. This study tracked daytime and nocturnal SBP and DBP in 180 normotensive individuals (90 couples; participant mean age 25.04; 91.58% white) over a 24 h period using ambulatory blood pressure monitors to explore the impact of martial quality. Results showed that perceptions of spousal ambivalence were associated with blunted nocturnal BP dipping. Perceptions of one's own behavior as ambivalent also showed blunted nocturnal dipping. When in an ambivalent relationship, a gender interaction was found such that women were most likely to have blunted SBP dipping, but men were more likely to have blunted nocturnal DBP dipping. Overall, this study found an association between ambivalence and BP dipping, thus uncovering one virtually unexplored pathway by which marital relationships may have adverse effects on health.

Social disadvantage, context and network dynamics in later life

How do personal networks evolve as individuals age? To what degree do social disadvantage and contextual factors matter for network dynamics in later life? This paper answers these two questions based on egocentric network data of older adults over a ten-year period. Specifically, I use longitudinal and nationally representative data on 1,168 older adults from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project. I use between-within models to separate the within- and between-individual effects of sociodemographic characteristics and contextual factors on three aspects of social connectedness in later life: network size, frequency of contact, and proportion of kin. Patterns of network change vary among people of different races and ethnicities as well as educational levels. Black and Hispanic respondents have a significantly smaller network size and a higher average frequency of contact with confidants. Moreover, Hispanic respondents have a higher proportion of kin in the network, compared to White respondents. Similarly, older adults with less education have a smaller network size, higher frequency of contact and higher proportion of kin in their confidant networks compared to those who attended college. Older adults who have better mental health are more likely to have a higher frequency of contact and higher proportion of kin. When an older adult starts to work for pay, their frequency of contact with confidants tends to increase. Older adults living in neighborhoods with stronger social ties are more likely to have a larger network size, higher frequency of contact, and lower proportion of kin in their confidant network. The above results show that disadvantaged backgrounds and contextual factors are associated with certain less favorable network characteristics, which helps to explain the concentration of social disadvantage on certain populations.

RACIAL DISCRIMINATION AND THE WEATHERING OF NONMARITAL RELATIONSHIPS

Objective

The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of perceived racial discrimination on the satisfaction and dissolution of different-gender, nonmarital relationships among African American young adults.

Background

Racial discrimination has proven detrimental to relationship quality among married couples. Racial disparities in relationship processes begin long before marriages form, however. Racial discrimination may also weather and disrupt nonmarital relationships earlier in the life course.

Method

Survey data from African American young adult couples (N = 407) from the Family and Community Health Study were used to assess the associations between each partner's experience of racial discrimination, relationship satisfaction, and relationship dissolution using structural equation modeling.

Results

Results support a stress spillover perspective in that racial discrimination experienced by both men and women increased the likelihood of relationship dissolution through reduced satisfaction. No support was found for a stress buffering perspective.

Conclusion

Racial discrimination appears to distress and, ultimately, disrupt nonmarital relationships among African American young adult couples.

Implications

Given the role of relationship quality and stability in promoting health and well-being, understanding how discrimination impacts the unfolding of relationships, or linked lives, across the life course is essential to untangling and addressing the "chains of disadvantage" identified by Umberson et al. (2014) as central to racial disparities in health and well-being.

The association between marital quality and diabetes mellitus: A systematic review

Background and Aims

Marital relationship and its quality are among the major psychological factors affecting the multiple aspects of a person's health status. Chronic diseases are also among the factors that affect various aspects of the lives of millions of people including their marital quality status. One of the most important underlying chronic diseases is diabetes. Since the correlation between diabetes mellitus and marital quality has been neglected, this systematic review, as the first one, aims to investigate the association between marital quality and diabetes mellitus.

Methods

A comprehensive search was conducted among three databases (Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science) until September 2021, which resulted in 189 articles. After assessing the studies based on the inclusion criteria, 14 studies were included.

Results

The included studies were divided into two general groups. The first group consisted of 3 articles examining the effect of factors related to diabetes on marital quality, and the second group included 11 articles studying the effect of marital quality on diabetes and its factors. In general, the articles investigating the impact of diabetes-related factors on marital quality showed that diabetes has negative impacts on levels of marital quality. Also, the articles investigating the impact of marital quality on diabetes-related factors, showed that higher marital quality is associated with a lower risk of developing diabetes, a better quality of life in patients with diabetes, and better adherence to diabetes care regimen. The results regarding diabetes management were conflicting. Gender was mentioned as an important modulator in some of the investigated relationships.

Conclusion

Marital quality remarkably influences diabetes-related factors and is itself affected by the condition resulting from diabetes in individuals with diabetes mellitus. However, further studies are required due to the limited number of studies investigating this correlation.

The aging mind: A complex challenge for research and practice

Cognitive decline as part of mental ageing is typically assessed with standardized tests; below-average performance in such tests is used as an indicator for pathological cognitive aging. In addition, morphological and functional changes in the brain are used as parameters for age-related pathological decline in cognitive abilities. However, there is no simple link between the trajectories of changes in cognition and morphological or functional changes in the brain. Furthermore, below-average test performance does not necessarily mean a significant impairment in everyday activities. It therefore appears crucial to record individual everyday tasks and their cognitive (and other) requirements in functional terms. This would also allow reliable assessment of the ecological validity of existing and insufficient cognitive skills. Understanding and dealing with the phenomena and consequences of mental aging does of course not only depend on cognition. Motivation and emotions as well personal meaning of life and life satisfaction play an equally important role. This means, however, that cognition represents only one, albeit important, aspect of mental aging. Furthermore, creating and development of proper assessment tools for functional cognition is important. In this contribution we would like to discuss some aspects that we consider relevant for a holistic view of the aging mind and promote a strengthening of a multidisciplinary approach with close cooperation between all basic and applied sciences involved in aging research, a quick translation of the research results into practice, and a close cooperation between all disciplines and professions who advise and support older people.

Alcohol Use and Blood Pressure Among Older Couples: The Moderating Role of Negative Marital Quality

OBJECTIVES

Spouses often have concordant drinking behaviors and important influences on one another's cardiovascular health. However, little is known about the implications of dyadic drinking patterns for blood pressure, and the marital factors that confer risk or resilience. This article examined links between alcohol use and blood pressure within individuals and opposite-sex couples over time, and whether those links vary by negative marital quality among older adults.

METHODS

Participants were from the nationally representative longitudinal Health and Retirement Study that included 4,619 respondents in 2,682 opposite-sex couples who participated in at least 2 of the waves from 2006 to 2016. Participants reported the number of drinks they typically consume per week, negative marital quality, and had their blood pressure measured via a cuff.

RESULTS

Analyses revealed that greater drinking was associated with increased systolic blood pressure among both husbands and wives. Furthermore, husbands who drank more had higher blood pressure when wives drank more alcohol, whereas there was no association between husbands' drinking and blood pressure when wives drank less alcohol. Interactions with negative marital quality showed that drinking concordance may be associated with increased blood pressure over time in more negative marriages.

DISCUSSION

Findings indicated that spousal drinking concordance, although often associated with positive marital quality, may have negative long-term health effects.

Partner's Perceived Social Support Influences Their Spouse's Inflammation: An Actor-Partner Analysis

Social support has been linked to lower cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. However, most studies have examined perceived support as an intrapersonal construct. A dyadic approach to social support highlights how interdependence between individuals within relationships, including partner perceptions and interactions, can influence one's health. This study's overall purpose was to test actor-partner models linking perceived social support to inflammation. Ninety-four cisgender married couples completed perceived support measures and had their blood drawn for CRP and IL-6 to produce an overall inflammatory index. The primary results indicate that only a partner's level of perceived support was related to lower inflammation in their spouse. Our sample size, although moderate for inflammatory studies, was probably not large enough to detect actor influences. These data highlight the importance of taking a dyadic perspective on modeling perceived support and its potential mechanism.

Non-spousal family support, marital status, and heart problems in adulthood

OBJECTIVES

Support from one's spouse has long been documented as a significant determinant of health for married individuals. However, non-spousal family support may play an important role in health particularly for unmarried individuals. Therefore, this study examined whether the association between non-spousal family support and diagnosis of heart problems differed by marital status and whether gender and education moderated these associations.

DESIGN

Data came from the first two waves of the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study. This study selected respondents who participated in both waves of MIDUS and were not diagnosed with a heart problem at Wave 1 (N = 3,119).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Participants reported whether they had any heart trouble. Discrete-time event history analysis was used to examine the risk of heart problems between MIDUS Waves 1 and 2.

RESULTS

A higher level of non-spousal family support was associated with a lower risk of developing a heart problem only among unmarried women and unmarried individuals with high school education or less, and not for married individuals.

CONCLUSION

Findings highlight the importance of considering specific sources of family support when studying heart health, and the health-protective role of non-spousal family support for those who are not married.

Sexual Obligation and Perceived Stress: A National Longitudinal Study of Older Adults

Objectives: This study examines the relationship between sexual obligation and perceived stress among older adults in the United States.Methods: Using longitudinal data from three waves of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP), our sample included 1,477 partnered, sexually-active respondents aged 57 to 85 at the baseline survey. We estimated mixed-effects models to test how feelings of sexual obligation are related to changes in perceived stress score.Results: Sexual obligation was positively associated with perceived stress score. The positive relationship between sexual obligation and perceived stress score became stronger over the study period among older men, although it remained relatively stable among older women. Relationship quality only partially explains this relationship.Conclusions: Feeling more obligated to have sex had a significantly greater effect on older men's perceived level of stress over time than older women's. This association became marginally significant after relationship quality was controlled for, suggesting that relationship quality was a key explanatory factor for the gendered patterns in sexual obligation's linkage to stress. These results highlight the importance of understanding gendered sexuality among aging older adults within the context of their relationship.Clinical Implications: Older adults' feelings of sexual obligation can manifest in their daily stress experience. Clinicians seeking to lower older adults', in particular older men's, stress levels should address the context of their sexual life and if they feel obligated to have sex, along with the positive and negative aspects of their relationship, as these could elevate their stress levels over time.

Measurement Invariance and Developmental Trajectories of Multidimensional Self-Perceptions of Aging in Middle-Aged and Older Adults

OBJECTIVES

This study examined the measurement invariance and longitudinal trajectories of multidimensional self-perceptions of aging (SPA) and factors that predict between-person variability in the level and change of SPA in middle-aged and older adults.

METHOD

Data were drawn from the German Ageing Survey spanning four waves, covering a 15-year period. Multidimensional SPA was assessed with the Personal Experience of Aging Scale, consisting of three dimensions, physical decline, social loss, and continuous growth.

RESULTS

The measurement invariance models across age groups (middle-aged versus older adults) and across time showed a good fit after allowing one item to vary at metric and/or scalar levels. Growth curve models showed only minor declining trajectories in two of the three dimensions of SPA, social loss and continuous growth dimensions, toward more negative views. Participants with poor resources in general were more likely to have negative SPA across all three dimensions. The protective effect of having a spouse was observed on only the social dimension of SPA, supporting a domain-specific effect of having a spouse.

DISCUSSION

The study demonstrates the usefulness of a multidimensional understanding of SPA and recognizes the need for identifying different factors that may promote positive perceptions on aging in different dimensions of life.

Aging Parents' and Middle-Aged Children's Evaluations of Parents' Disability and Life Problems

This study examined discrepancies in aging parents' and middle-aged children's evaluations of aging parents' problems and how these discrepancies were associated with relationship characteristics. Using data from the Family Exchanges Study (dyad N = 331 ), discrepancies in the parents' disabilities and life problems reported by parents and their offspring were examined. Children reported a greater number of disabilities and life problems in their parents' lives than parents did. The discrepancy in the number of disabilities was associated with the frequency of phone contact, but not the frequency of in-person contact between generations. Findings confirm the gap in the evaluations of parents' problems between generations, indicating that children may overestimate their parents' problems, whereas parents may underreport their own problems. Frequent phone calls between aging parents and middle-aged children seem to play a positive role in conveying aging parents' problems. The gap in knowledge of parents' problems may lead to unmet needs and/or undesirable support exchanges between parents and offspring. Future research needs to consider both generations' reports and to develop reliable methods to assess parents' problems.

Chronic Stress and Negative Marital Quality Among Older Couples: Associations With Waist Circumference

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' 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.

The impact of both spousal caregivers' and care recipients' health on relationship satisfaction in the Caregiver Health Effects Study

This study examined, with a sample of older adult, caregiving couples, whether each spouse's health was associated with their own and their partner's relationship satisfaction. Dyads (n = 233; age = 64-99 years) in the Caregiver Health Effects Study, ancillary to the Cardiovascular Health Study, reported relationship satisfaction, depressive symptoms, disability, and self-reported health. The cross-sectional Actor-Partner Interdependence Model showed that for both caregivers and care recipients, greater depressive symptoms and lower self-reported health related to lower relationship satisfaction (actor effects). Caregivers had lower relationship satisfaction when they were more disabled (actor effect) and when care recipients were more depressed (partner effect).

Functional Status, Cognition, and Social Relationships in Dyadic Perspective

OBJECTIVES

Health limitations can change older adults' social relationships and social engagement. Yet, researchers rarely examine how the disability of one's spouse might affect one's social relationships, even though such life strains are often experienced as a couple. This study investigates the association between functional and cognitive limitations and social experience in a dyadic context.

METHOD

We use actor-partner interdependence models to analyze the partner data from 953 heterosexual couples in Wave II (2010-2011) of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project.

RESULTS

One spouse's functional and cognitive health is associated with the other's relationship quality, but the pattern varies by gender. Husbands' functional limitations are associated with lower marital support and higher marital strain in wives, but wives' functional limitations are related to lower family and friendship strain in husbands. Husbands' cognitive impairment also predicts higher family and friend support in wives.

DISCUSSION

Findings support a gendered dyadic relationship between health and social life and highlight women's caregiver role and better connection with family and friends. There are also differences between experiencing cognitive and physical limitations in couples. Finally, mild health impairment sometimes shows stronger effects on social relationships than severe impairment, suggesting adaptation to health transition.

Sharing the Burden of the Transition to Adulthood: African American Young Adults' Transition Challenges and Their Mothers' Health Risk

For many African American youth, the joint influences of economic and racial marginalization render the transition to stable adult roles challenging. We have gained much insight into how these challenges affect future life chances, yet we lack an understanding of what these challenges mean in the context of linked lives. Drawing on a life course framework, this study examines how young African Americans' experiences across a variety of salient domains during the transition to adulthood affect their mothers' health. Results suggest that stressors experienced by African Americans during the transition to adulthood (e.g., unemployment, troubled romantic relationships, arrest) heighten their mothers' cumulative biological risk for chronic diseases, or allostatic load, and reduce subjective health. These results suggest that the toll of an increasingly tenuous and uncertain transition to adulthood extends beyond young people to their parents. Hence, increased public investments during this transition may not only reduce inequality and improve life chances for young people themselves, but may also enhance healthy aging by relieving the heavy burden on parents to help their children navigate this transition.

Older Gay Men and Their Support Convoys

Objective

We used the convoy model and the network type construct to identify the relationship quality profiles found among older gay men and to examine how they define a satisfactory network.

Method

We used a network mapping strategy and in-depth qualitative interviews with 20 participants in Atlanta. During the interviews, all network members were discussed, regardless of relationship or map position.

Results

For participants, having people in their lives with whom they could fully be "out" as gay men (authenticity) was at the root of a quality network. This allowed them to develop emotional closeness (intimacy), which, in part, provided a foundation of social support. Participants' discussion of network quality, which reflected authenticity, intimacy, and social support, revealed high, moderate, and low quality network types.

Discussion

Our findings diversify knowledge of the network type construct, provide a deeper understanding of its qualitative features, and give voice to this often-invisible group, situating meaning within their social-historical context. The findings suggest that the meaning of a quality network is contextual and culturally specific, varying across groups of older adults.

Evaluating the effectiveness of an empowerment program for self-care in type 2 diabetes: a cluster randomized trial

BACKGROUND

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus is increasing substantially worldwide, leading to serious economic effects, complications and deaths. This study evaluated the effectiveness of an empowerment program providing support for psychosocial, behavioral, and clinical aspects of diabetes to help Brazilian users of public health services obtain metabolic control of this condition.

METHODS

In this cluster randomized trial, participants aged 30-80 diagnosed with type 2 diabetes were recruited from ten Brazilian public health units in 2014 and 2015. Five units were randomly assigned to receive the empowerment program based on a behavior change protocol, and five continued to receive only conventional treatment. The primary outcome was the biochemical and anthropometric parameters, and the secondary outcomes were self-care, attitude, knowledge and empowerment related to diabetes. The effect of the experiment was defined as the percentage variation between the values at the initial and final periods. To evaluate this effect and to compare it in the two groups, tests were used for paired and independent samples, respectively.

RESULTS

There were 238 participants: 127 and 111 in the intervention and control group, respectively. For glycated hemoglobin, the mean effect in the control and intervention groups was 3.93 and -5.13, respectively (p < 0.001). Levels of glycated hemoglobin and other metabolic indicators, as well as the most part of the secondary outcomes showed a significant difference in the experimental group compared to the control group.

CONCLUSIONS

The empowerment program improved metabolic control of type 2 diabetes in Brazilian users.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

NCT02132338 - April 22, 2014.

Physical Disability and Increased Loneliness among Married Older Adults: The Role of Changing Social Relations

Examining the social context of disablement, we investigated how changes in social relations affect loneliness among married older men and women. With longitudinal data on 914 married persons from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP), we found that changes in the quality of marital and nonmarital relations moderate the effect of disability on loneliness in unexpected ways. Increases in negative marital quality buffer the effect of physical disability, while increases in nonmarital support exacerbate it. Although not predicted by existing theory, these findings are consistent with some prior work suggesting that health-related stressors, like physical disability, condition the meaning of changes in social relations. We find, however, that negative social relations ameliorate loneliness only among disabled married men; disabled married women experience increased loneliness under similar circumstances. These differences have not been previously identified. We conclude by discussing the gendered nature of the social context of disablement.

Social support, stress and the aging brain

Social support benefits health and well-being in older individuals, however the mechanism remains poorly understood. One proposal, the stress-buffering hypothesis states social support 'buffers' the effects of stress on health. Alternatively, the main effect hypothesis suggests social support independently promotes health. We examined the combined association of social support and stress on the aging brain. Forty healthy older adults completed stress questionnaires, a social network interview and structural MRI to investigate the amygdala-medial prefrontal cortex circuitry, which is implicated in social and emotional processing and negatively affected by stress. Social support was positively correlated with right medial prefrontal cortical thickness while amygdala volume was negatively associated with social support and positively related to stress. We examined whether the association between social support and amygdala volume varied across stress level. Stress and social support uniquely contribute to amygdala volume, which is consistent with the health benefits of social support being independent of stress.

Couples' Social Careers in Assisted Living: Reconciling Individual and Shared Situations

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

Despite important connections between relationships, health, and well-being, little is known about later-life couples' daily lives and experiences, especially those who are frail. Our aim was to advance knowledge by gaining an in-depth understanding of married and unmarried couples' intimate and social relationships in assisted living (AL) and by generating an explanatory theory.

DESIGN AND METHODS

Using Grounded Theory Methods, we build on past research and analyze qualitative data from a 3-year mixed-methods study set in eight diverse AL settings located in the state of Georgia. Data collection included participant observation and informal and formal interviews yielding information on 29 couples, 26 married and 3 unmarried.

RESULTS

Defined by their relationships with one another and those around them, couples' experiences were variable and involved a process of reconciling individual and shared situations. Analysis affirms and expands an existing typology of couples in AL. Our conceptual model illustrates the multilevel factors influencing the reconciliation process and leading to variation. Findings highlight the strengths and burdens of late-life couplehood and have implications for understanding these intimate ties beyond AL.

IMPLICATIONS

Intimate and social relationships remain significant in later life. Strategies aimed at supporting couples should focus on individual and shared situations, particularly as couples' experience physical and cognitive decline across time.

Stress and Negative Relationship Quality among Older Couples: Implications for Blood Pressure

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.

Social Disadvantage and Social Isolation Are Associated With a Higher Resting Heart Rate: Evidence From The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing

OBJECTIVES

A high resting heart rate (RHR) represents a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and individuals from poorer backgrounds have a higher RHR compared with their more advantaged peers. This study investigates the pathways through which low socioeconomic status (SES) contributes to a higher RHR.

METHOD

The sample involved data for 4,888 respondents who were participating in the first wave of The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing. Respondents completed a detailed interview at home and underwent a 5-min baseline electrocardiograph recording as part of a clinic-based health assessment. SES was indexed using household income.

RESULTS

The mean difference in RHR between those at polarized ends of the income distribution was 2.80 beats per minute (bpm) (95% CI = 1.54, 4.06; p < .001), with the magnitude of the socioeconomic differential being greater for men (4.15 bpm; 95% CI = 2.18, 6.12; p < .001) compared with women (1.57 bpm; 95% CI = 0.04, 3.10; p < .05). Psychosocial factors including social network size and loneliness accounted for a sizeable proportion of the socioeconomic differential in RHR, particularly among men.

DISCUSSION

The finding that poorer people have a higher RHR reinforces the need for additional research exploring the pathways through which social inequalities are translated into biological inequalities.

Bad marriage, broken heart? Age and gender differences in the link between marital quality and cardiovascular risks among older adults

Working from a life course perspective, we develop hypotheses about age and gender differences in the link between marital quality and cardiovascular risk and test them using data from the first two waves of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project. The analytic sample includes 459 married women and 739 married men (aged 57-85 in the first wave) who were interviewed in both waves. We apply Heckman-type corrections for selection bias due to mortality and marriage. Cardiovascular risk is measured as hypertension, rapid heart rate, C-reactive protein, and general cardiovascular events. Results suggest that changes in marital quality and cardiovascular risk are more closely related for older married people than for their younger counterparts and that the link between marital quality and cardiovascular risk is more pronounced among women than among men at older ages. These findings fit with the gendered life course perspective and cumulative disadvantage framework.

"His" and "her" marriage? The role of positive and negative marital characteristics in global marital satisfaction among older adults

OBJECTIVES

We explore gender differences in older adults' appraisals of positive and negative aspects of their marriages, examine how these appraisals relate to global marital satisfaction, and identify distinctive marital profiles associated with global satisfaction in men and women.

METHOD

Data are from the Changing Lives of Older Couples Study (n = 1,110). We used a variant of principal components analysis to generate marital quality profiles, based on one's endorsement of positive and negative marital characteristics. OLS regression was used to detect associations between marital profiles and global marital satisfaction.

RESULTS

Men offered more positive marital assessments than women, particularly on items reflecting positive treatment by one's wife. Three marital quality profiles emerged: Positive, Positive-Negative, and Negative. Although marital satisfaction was best explained by positive appraisals in both genders, they were less important for men than for women. The negative profile showed a tendency for a stronger prediction in men.

DISCUSSION

Prior studies show small differences in men's and women's global marital satisfaction. Our work provides evidence that the presence and magnitude of such gender differences may vary based on the specific marital component considered. We discuss ways that gender shapes marital interactions, expectations, and perceptions, and the implications of our results for the well-being of married older adults.

Age Differences in Reactions to Social Rejection: The Role of Cognitive Resources and Appraisals

OBJECTIVES

Social rejection is a negative social experience individuals of all ages may encounter in everyday life. It is unclear whether social rejection affects older adults more or less than younger adults. This study investigated age differences in reactions following a direct rejection and the moderating effects of cognitive resources and appraisals.

METHOD

Eighty-three younger (18-26 years) and 53 older (60-86 years) adults engaged in an online interview during which they were either accepted or rejected seemingly by another participant. We examined participants' self-reported mood before and after the interview as well as verbal self-complexity.

RESULTS

Older adults reported greater increases in hurt feelings following rejection than younger adults. The age difference was further moderated by cognitive resources and appraisals. Among older rejected adults, those who were poorer in processing speed and those who appraised the rejection more negatively felt more hurt feelings. Older rejected adults were also rated lower in self-complexity than older accepted adults, whereas younger rejected adults and accepted adults did not differ.

DISCUSSION

The findings are largely consistent with life-span developmental theories and highlight the importance of cognitive processes when examining age differences in experiencing social rejection.

Spousal social support and strain: impacts on health in older couples

Using a nationally representative sample of couples aged 51+ in the United States (N = 1,923 couples), the current study investigated whether both partners' perceptions of relationship support and strain are associated with an individual's self-rated health and functional limitations. The sample had an average age of 67.17 years (SD = 9.0; range 50-97). Actor-Partner Interdependence Models adjusting for couple interdependencies were applied using multilevel models. After accounting for age, education, gender, race, and couple differences in length of marriage, results indicate that individual perceptions of support were significantly associated with higher self-rated health and fewer functional limitations. These individual-level benefits increased if the spouse also perceived positive support and low strain. Finally, the negative association of an individual's perceived support on functional limitations was greater in those with a spouse reporting low levels of perceived strain. Findings are discussed relative to theory on behavioral and psychological pathways between partners' perceptions of support and health.

The convoy model: explaining social relations from a multidisciplinary perspective

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

Social relations are a key aspect of aging and the life course. In this paper, we trace the scientific origins of the study of social relations, focusing in particular on research grounded in the convoy model.

DESIGN AND METHODS

We first briefly review and critique influential historical studies to illustrate how the scientific study of social relations developed. Next, we highlight early and current findings grounded in the convoy model that have provided key insights into theory, method, policy, and practice in the study of aging.

RESULTS

Early social relations research, while influential, lacked the combined approach of theoretical grounding and methodological rigor. Nevertheless, previous research findings, especially from anthropology, suggested the importance of social relations in the achievement of positive outcomes. Considering both life span and life course perspectives and grounded in a multidisciplinary perspective, the convoy model was developed to unify and consolidate scattered evidence while at the same time directing future empirical and applied research. Early findings are summarized, current evidence presented, and future directions projected.

IMPLICATIONS

The convoy model has provided a useful framework in the study of aging, especially for understanding predictors and consequences of social relations across the life course.