Romantic Partner and Parenting Distress Predicts BMI in Middle Aged Couples Experiencing Pandemic Stress

Abstract

Interpersonal distress may contribute to obesity. While most research assesses long-term outcomes, day to day interactions may help to explain why this relationship might exist. Specifically, individuals may use food to cope with poor relationship functioning. Chronic use of emotional eating could lead to weight gain. While some may compensate for diet choices with exercise, the pandemic lockdown may have limited some individuals’ opportunities for exercise. This study examined BMI and daily family distress (i.e., romantic partners, children). Using an ecological momentary assessment, middle-aged, heterosexual couples (n=59, N=118) experiencing pandemic stress completed four daily surveys over a two-week period during the 2020-2021 fall/winter pandemic peak. Participants reported daily upsetting events experienced with their romantic partner and daily parenting distress. We tested actor partner effects between couples using BMI as the dependent variable and average daily parenting and partner distress as the independent variables. The more upsetting partner interactions men reported, the higher their BMI (3.407, p=.01) and their partner’s BMI (4.365, p=.003). Women’s BMI was also predicted by their relationships with their children (5.729, p=.006). Our results demonstrate interpersonal relationships affect weight. Where men’s BMI was predicted by how they perceive partner interactions, women were particularly vulnerable to adverse conditions across family relationships. Findings underscore the importance of targeting interpersonal relationships to improve health outcomes. Health care providers may want to inquire about the quality of interpersonal relationships and include families into treatments targeting changes in lifestyle to promote weight loss.