Late-life Marriage Research Articles

Mealtime Behavior and Depressive Symptoms in Late-Life Marriage.

This study examined whether one spouse's mealtime behaviors were associated with their own and their partner's depressive symptoms among older, married couples. We examined gender differences in these associations and tested marital satisfaction as a mediator of these associations. 101 couples self-reported mealtime behavior (number of meals, snacks, fast-food meals, and meals eaten alone), depressive symptoms, and marital satisfaction. Results of the Actor Partner Interdependence Model revealed a statistically significant actor effect of number of fast-food meals on depressive symptoms and a significant partner effect of number of fast-food meals and number of meals eaten alone on depressive symptoms. There were gender differences. Husbands' marital satisfaction mediated the effect of meals eaten alone on depressive symptoms. Wife's marital satisfaction mediated the effect of the husband's meals eaten alone, and wife's number of fast-food meals on the wife's depressive symptoms. Findings have implications for dyadic interventions to improve depressive symptoms.

The association between relationship strain and emotional well-being among older adult couples: the moderating role of social connectedness

Objectives The present study examines the moderating role of social connectedness (i.e. closeness, talk frequency, social network size, and neighborhood social ties) in the association between one’s own and spouse’s relationship strain and emotional well-being (i.e. depressive symptoms, happiness, and loneliness). Method Married couples (N = 865) were drawn from the second wave of the National Social, Health, and Aging Project. One Actor Partner Interdependence Model (APIM) and one Actor Partner Interdependence Model with Moderation (APIMoM) were conducted. Results In terms of actor effects, relationship strain was associated with all emotional well-being outcomes. Wives’ and husbands’ greater relationship strain was associated with spouses’ loneliness. Only wives’ greater relationship strain was associated with her husbands’ higher level of depressive symptoms and no partner effects were found for happiness. In six instances, social connectedness factors helped to ameliorate the association between self/spouse relationship strain, depressive symptoms, and happiness. However, wives’ greater neighborhood social ties amplified the association between wives greater relationship strain and husbands’ greater depressive symptoms. We did not find that social connectedness factors moderated the associations between self/spouse relationship strain and loneliness. Conclusion Even in late life marriages, marital strain is associated with less happiness and greater depressive symptoms and loneliness. Practitioners addressing emotional well-being may need to pay attention to spousal perceptions of relationship strain and social relationships external to the marital relationship when working with heterosexual couples. Efforts throughout the life course should be made to ensure connections with diverse types of social networks. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2021.1910786.

Dietary Behavior and Depressive Symptoms in Late-Life Marriage

Epidemiologic studies have linked dietary patterns to psychological health including depression, anxiety, and stress. However, no research has examined dyadic associations between dietary behavior and depressive symptoms in older married couples. In this study, one hundred and one couples 51 to 90 years of age who were married or in a marriage-like relationship and living together for at least 6 months were recruited. Participants completed questionnaires and self-reported their dietary behavior (i.e., the total number of meals, number of snacks, and number of fast-food meals eaten in a typical day and the number of meals they eat alone and eat sitting down). They also completed the 20-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Results of the Actor Partner Interdependence Models controlling for income, education, chronic conditions, and marital satisfaction, showed that for wives only, more meals eaten in a day were associated with lower depressive symptoms (actor effect). Additionally, more snacks eaten by the wife and more meals eaten alone by the wife were associated with higher depressive symptoms for the husband (partner effects). Findings suggest that wives’ dietary behavior is particularly important, not only for their own but also their husbands’ mental health in late-life marriage.

Spousal Influences on Monthly Disability in Late-Life Marriage in the Precipitating Events Project.

Few studies have examined spousal influences on disability in late-life marriage, and no prior study has examined these associations using monthly data. Drawing from interdependence theory, we hypothesized that one spouse currently having higher disability would be positively associated with their partner having higher disability in the next month. We also examined whether participants were at risk for increased disability when both spouses had higher prior disability. In addition, we examined gender differences in spousal associations. Data were from 37 married couples in the Precipitating Events Project, an ongoing longitudinal study of 754 initially nondisabled adults aged 70 years and older. Assessments included monthly disability (13 basic, instrumental, and mobility activities of daily living) and demographics. As hypothesized, higher disability in one spouse was positively associated with higher subsequent disability in their partner. Also, wives with higher disability were especially vulnerable to subsequent increased disability when husbands had higher disability. Incorporating a spouse's current disability level in modeling older adults' subsequent disability provides additional predictive information. Wives with greater disability may be at a particularly high risk of accelerated decline when their husbands have greater disability.

“Ours is the Strangest Situation, Ours is Different from Most Peoples”: Spousal Caregiver Perspectives on the Complex Challenges of Dementia Caregiving in Late-Life Marriage

The relationship between the person with dementia with family caregivers is a key factor in maintaining a sense of self and personhood. Spousal caregiving in particular can create a world of shared meaning, and in the context of the presence of cognitive decline in one spouse, couple hood is essential to a full understanding of how spouses live with and respond to the impact of dementia. While much research has focused on the strengths of long-term married couples caring for a spouse with dementia, there is currently little research on how dementia impacts couples in late-life marriage. This qualitative case study focusses on two female caregivers in late-life marriages negotiating the challenges of caregiving for a spouse with dementia. Spouse 1 returned to live with her ex-husband in order to care for him through his dementia journey and they recently remarried. Spouse 2 married a close friend of the family prior to his dementia diagnosis. While participant shared perspectives include: (1) family dynamics, (2) isolation, (3) financial concerns, and (4) acceptance of their role in their spouse’s dementia journey, their long-term outlooks are divergent due to the complexity of their motives for entering in to late-life marriage.

Intent to Remarry Among Chinese Elderly Widowers: An Oasis or an Abyss?

To investigate the intent to remarry and the predictors for such intent with psychosocial variables, this study used male interviewers to interview 180 Chinese elderly widowers. A structured questionnaire on singlehood and intent to remarry, which developed out of a pilot in-depth focus-group study, was used. Data were analyzed with nonparametric tests and logistic regression. The intent to remarry was predicted by younger age, inability to meet sexual needs, and dissatisfaction with widowhood. A total of 40% of these widowers who wanted a partner considered finding one from Mainland China. The sex-related findings were very different from previous studies on Chinese men. They showed that there should be professional support to help them to better adjust to late-life marriage. In addition, the study uncovered the need to expand the scope and enhance the sensitivity of current general practitioners and geriatric services to address issues beyond medical concerns.

The health and relationship dynamics of late-life couples: a systematic review of the literature

ABSTRACTLate-life husband and wife relationships are increasingly recognised as an important factor in promoting wellbeing, particularly in terms of the health, social, emotional, financial and practical needs of older people. Knowledge of marital dynamics and how they affect both members of a couple remains scarce. This systematic review aimed to identify and appraise research that has focused explicitly on the dynamics of the relationship, as evinced by data frombothspouses. Implementing rigorous identification strategies, 45 articles were identified and reviewed. These studies were grouped into three broad thematic areas: marital relations and satisfaction; concordance in emotional state or physical health; and the interplay between marital quality and wellbeing. The issues found to affect marital relations and satisfaction in late life included equality of roles, having adequate communication, and transitions to living apart. There is strong evidence for couple concordance in depression, that marital relationships affect ill-health, longevity and recovery from illness, and reciprocally that ill-health impacts on the marriage itself. The research also suggests important gender differences in the impact of marital dynamics on health. It has led to the conclusion that there is a need for more diverse studies of late-life marriages, particularly ones that examine the dynamics of non-traditional elderly couples and that extend beyond a predominant focus on the Caucasian population of the United States.

Self-Rated Health and Depressive Symptoms in Patients With End-Stage Renal Disease and Their Spouses: A Longitudinal Dyadic Analysis of Late-Life Marriages

Limited research has examined the ways in which changes in self-rated health experienced by aging spouses affect depressive symptoms of both members of the dyad. Longitudinal data from 315 older couples in which one partner had end-stage renal disease were analyzed using multilevel modeling. Results indicate that for both patients and spouses, own mean self-rated health was associated with own depressive symptoms, and change in self-rated health had a significant negative association with change in own depressive symptoms. Both mean self-rated health of the patient and change in patient's self-rated health had negative relationships with spouse depressive symptoms, with changes in patient's self-rated health having a stronger impact on spouse depressive symptoms than changes in spouse's own self-rated health. Results suggest the importance of understanding physical and mental health in the context of the marital dyad.

Risk Tolerance and its Relation to Important Life Events

We study panel data on three birth-year cohorts to understand the changes in risk tolerance across different age groups. Interval regression models on cross-sectional data for each birth cohort are constructed to investigate how time-invariant factors and macroeconomic events such as September 11, 2001, might influence individuals' risk tolerance. Well-established maximum likelihood estimation procedure is followed to obtain a parametric distribution of logarithm of relative risk tolerance that is potentially subject to noise, and to assess how this distribution shifts with time. Finally, we conduct interval regressions on first difference models to capture the reasons for change in the risk tolerance in each cohort. The main differences in the results as compared to previous studies are that risk tolerance does decrease with age, but there is much more within-subject heterogeneity among younger individuals, and that income lowers risk tolerance among younger Americans, whereas wealth increases risk tolerance among older Americans. The risk tolerance of the oldest cohort is negatively affected by late-life marriage and widowhood, whereas risk tolerance increases with greater wealth, and somewhat due to retirement. An increase in family size through marriage and more children lowers the risk tolerance of the youngest cohort, whereas unemployment has a positive association with tolerance.

Difficulties, Disagreements, and Disappointments in Late-Life Marriages

Although research has examined marital satisfaction in later life, little is known about the specific relationship challenges that older couples experience. Thus, the objective of the study was to explore the challenges older couples face. Data came from the USC Longitudinal Study of Generations. Qualitative analysis was conducted on 105 older couples, with an average age of 69, who responded in 1997 to an open-ended question about difficulties, disagreements, and disappointments in their marriage. Ten themes emerged from the data. In order of frequency, they were leisure activities, intimacy, finances, no problems, personality, intergenerational relations, household concerns, personal habits, health issues, and work/retirement. Comparisons in responses were made for age, gender, marital quality, length of marriage, and health. In addition, the dyadic data were examined for patterns within the relationship.

“Isn’t he wonderful?” Exploring the contribution and conceptualization of older husbands as carers

This paper explores the relationship between the dimensions of a debate cited at the intersection of ageing, gender, and family care. It draws together evidence from the General Household Survey for Britain 2000 and social research to explore the contribution and conceptualization of caring by older husbands. UK research on caring reveals that among older spouses, equal numbers of husbands and wives provide intensive care. It has been argued that within late-life marriage an over-riding desire to retain independence erodes gender-determined task allocation, suggesting not only similarity but equality between wives and husbands as carers. More recent qualitative research challenges this assumption and suggests two key findings: that older husbands are motivated to care by a combination of marital duty and reciprocal love, and that they manage the tasks of caring within an instrumental framework. Further, it is clear that pre-existing gender relations continue to be powerful determinants of the experience of caring, and that marital power is retained by men in late-life marriage. Overall, the caring contribution of older husbands is imbued with positive meaning, is highly valued, and offers a distinctive role and identity; this contrasts sharply with the caring experiences of older wives.

Recent Research Findings About Health, Caregiving, and Late-Life Marriage

Recent Research Findings About Health, Caregiving, and Late-Life Marriage

Marital therapy with elderly couples

Elderly persons living in Middletown (Muncie, Indiana) represent a unique treatment group because so much is known of their early history and because of the representativeness of their cohort. The most common marital problems are those occasioned by the illness of a spouse, by the need for one member to grow and develop while the other is somewhat stifled, and by the unique features of late-life marriage. Descriptions of these difficulties, as well as suggestions for treatment, are offered.

Late-Life Marriages, Older Stepfamilies, and Alzheimer's Disease

Little attention has been focused on remarriage among older persons and on the effects of chronic illness on late-life marriages and kinship relations. The authors examine the developmental tasks of older stepfamilies and the impact of a dementing illness on family members. Case examples are provided and recommendations offered to enable older stepfamilies to cope with anticipated problems.

The Impact of Illness on Late-Life Marriages

This paper reports on 76 late-life marriages in which either a husband or a wife is recuperating from a hospital stay. High satisfaction was found in most of the marriages, and spouses generally provided a high level of support. Socioeconomic status, the gender of the caregiver, and the level of disability of one spouse had minimal impact on the dimensions of marital quality or the social support potentials in the dyad. However, compared with the widows also studied, the married were more socially isolated and the couples tended to satisfy each other's needs with little help from others. The analysis uses qualitative data on marital satisfaction which suggest that the criteria for success differs from those in earlier stages of the family cycle.

Marriage and remarriage rates among older Americans.

Late-life marriages are receiving more attention today. However, demographic statistics reveal no upsurge in gerontic marriage over the last decade. Some individuals such as the young-old, men, the divorced, and those residing in western and southern states have better chances for marriage than other older Americans. Several reasons for the infrequency of marriage in later years are discussed.