Spousal Strain Research Articles

Understanding marital stability through work–family experiences in proximal and distal contexts: Comparing United States and Japan

AbstractObjectiveGuided by Gottman's framework of marital stability and the ecological theories, the present study aims to understand the relationships between work–family spillover and marital stability within two levels of context—the relational and social cultural contexts.BackgroundThe relational context of marriage is manifested by spousal relationships—spousal support and strain, which would moderate the relationship between work–family spillover and marital stability. Identified relationships also unfold within sociocultural contexts.MethodThis study uses data from the Midlife in the United States 2 (MIDUS 2) and Midlife in Japan (MIDJA) projects to explore these dynamics. The current study involved 500 Japanese and 1,800 American participants who were married and employed at the time of data collection.ResultsResults from multigroup path models revealed cultural differences. The relational context—spousal support and strain—played moderating roles in the associations between work–family spillover and marital stability in both countries. However, distinct sociocultural patterns emerged as spousal strain showed a stronger association among Japanese participants, whereas spousal support was more prominent among Americans in relation to marital stability.ConclusionThe results support Gottman's contention that positive and negative features of marriage are related to marital stability directly and indirectly by shaping the impacts of work–family spillover and sociocultural expectations of work and family.ImplicationsPractitioners and organizations should recognize the role of spouses in addressing the negative effects of work–family spillover in marriage, as well as incorporating clients' or employees' cultural backgrounds when addressing marital concerns.

Social Support and Strain from Different Relationship Sources: Their Additive and Buffering Effects on Psychological Well-Being in Adulthood

The present study examined the main and interactive effects of relationship-specific (i.e., spouses, friends, parents, and children) social support and strain on positive (happiness and well-being) and negative (loneliness and depressive symptoms) psychological well-being, and whether the associations varied by age and gender. A dataset was collected from 1033 adults (20–69 years; 50.1% female) from South Korea regarding social support and strain and indicators of psychological well-being. Results revealed that spousal and friend support was associated with enhanced happiness and well-being and reduced loneliness, whereas spousal and friend strain was associated with heightened depressive symptoms. Relationship-specific social support and strain showed interactive effects. Social support from parents and spouses buffered the adverse effects of social strain on psychological well-being, but their protective effects diminished when they experienced high levels of parental or spousal strain. These patterns were dependent on age and gender, with protective effects of friend support being greater for younger adults and women than for older adults and men.

How sweet is your love? Disentangling the role of marital status and quality on average glycemic levels among adults 50 years and older in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

IntroductionThe health benefits of marriage have been widely documented and, to a lesser extent, the effects of marital quality. Marital relationships may be particularly relevant to the health of older...

Social support, social strain and declines in verbal memory: sex-specific associations based on 16-year follow-up of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing cohort

Objectives Previous investigations of cognitive aging have mainly focused on structural aspects of social relations (e.g. network size and composition), thereby neglecting the role of qualitative aspects of social relations. The current longitudinal study examined sex-specific differences in verbal memory decline by measures of perceived relationship quality (social support/strain) by relationship type. Method In the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), 10,109 participants aged 50–89 years were assessed at wave 1 (baseline: 2002–03) and followed to wave 9 (2017–18). Verbal memory was assessed by immediate and delayed word-recall tasks. Social support/strain was measured by relationship type (spouse; children; family; friends). Random effects within-between (REWB) modelling was used to separate between- and within-person effects. We estimated associations between social support/strain and (1) baseline levels of memory (main effects), and (2) rate of decline in memory (interaction with time-since-baseline). Results Longitudinal associations were most prominent for men, specific to relationship type, and showed between- rather than within-person effects. Among men, higher spousal strain was associated with faster memory decline (βbetween-effect×time = −0.043; 95% CI [−0.084, −0.002]; p = .039), whilst greater support from children was associated with slower decline (βbetween-effect×time = 0.020; 95% CI [0.002, 0.039]; p = .033). Men with higher strain from friends showed lower baseline memory (βbetween-effect = −0.382; 95% CI [−0.627, −0.137]; p=.002) and faster decline (βbetween-effect×time = −0.047; 95% CI [−0.095, 0.000]; p = .051). Conclusion Between-person differences in social support/strain were modestly associated with memory decline, especially among men.

Sleep and Loneliness as Mechanisms Through Which Marital Quality Predicts Depression Among Older Adults

Pathways through which spousal support and strain influence older adults’ well-being are poorly understood. We examined sleep quality and loneliness as mechanisms through which support and strain predict depressive symptoms across ten years utilizing National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project data. Our sample included partnered participants at waves 1 and 2 (N = 1,293; 39% female, M age = 66, SD = 6.93). Support (e.g., rely on spouse) and strain (e.g., spouse criticizes you) were measured at W1, loneliness (UCLA) and sleep quality (restless sleep) were measured at W2, and depression (CES-D) was measured at W3. We estimated latent-variable structural equation models, controlling for age, gender, and W1 depression. Indirect effects of support and strain on depressive symptoms through loneliness were significant. There was an additional trend-level indirect effect of spousal strain on depressive symptoms through restless sleep. Findings highlight multiple pathways through which marital quality predicts later-life well-being.

Social Support and Social Strain as Predictors of Depressive Symptom Trajectories Following a Marital Transition

Skilled Nursing Facility Value-Based Purchasing (SNF-VBP) was a new Medicare payment program when COVID-19 began. SNF-VBP aims to improve care through payment bonuses and penalties. However, studies have shown that minority-serving nursing homes (NHs) tend to fare worse under SNF-VBP (more likely to receive penalties, less likely to receive bonuses). This study sought to examine whether SNF-VBP performance prior to the pandemic was associated with COVID-19 outcomes and whether associations varied in NHs where the majority of residents are Black/African American (majority-Black/AA). Using publicly available data on COVID-19 outcomes and vaccinations, SNF-VBP performance, and NH characteristics, we found that majority-Black/AA NHs were less likely to have zero infections; had higher case fatality rates; and had lower resident and staff vaccinations rates compared to NHs where the majority of residents are White. Across all NHs, worse SNF-VBP performance was associated with worse COVID-19 outcomes (the bottom quintile of SNF-VBP performers were more likely to experience COVID-19 infections and had lower vaccination rates; the highest performers had higher vaccination rates). However, in stratified analyses, SNF-VBP performance was not significantly associated with COVID-19 outcomes in majority-Black/AA NHs compared with majority-White NHs. The association between poor SNF-VBP performance and poor COVID-19 outcomes is concerning. Overall findings suggest that SNF-VBP performance prior to the pandemic is an important indicator of subsequent COVID-19 outcomes. However, it is unclear whether poor SNF-VBP performance is signaling overall poor quality or whether it is signaling a financial disadvantage caused by the program itself that in turn impacted COVID-19 outcomes.

Social Support and Social Strain as Predictors of Depressive Symptom Trajectories Following a Marital Transition

Societal needs highlighted during the pandemic have led to significant changes in healthcare, including the rapid development and implementation of tele-care consumer options. This study examined video-based, virtual healthcare access and utilization before and during the pandemic. Participants included traditional college-aged students, middle-aged adults, and retirement-aged persons (n = 685); measures included access to physical and mental health services, consumer satisfaction with type of services accessed, and anticipated use of virtual healthcare following the pandemic. Results showed that approximately half of participants (49.2%) had experience with virtual healthcare, with most of these cases during the pandemic. Virtual healthcare was more often used for physical compared to mental healthcare services, with college-aged participants more likely to use mental healthcare services than adult and retirement-aged participants. Laptop computers were most widely used to access services, with smartphone use proportionally lower in retirement-aged participants (31.4%). Overall satisfaction with virtual services was high (Mdn = 5 on a 6-point Likert scale), but college-aged participants trended toward a lower satisfaction (Mdn = 4.25) than other age categories. These results support that virtual healthcare service development and access experienced significant growth during the pandemic. Age differences in the types of services, types of devices, and satisfaction with virtual services all suggest a similar theme for age-related considerations of life stage, life responsibilities, and comfort and familiarity with technology that must be addressed for virtual healthcare to reach its full potential and reach equitably across the lifespan.

Changes in married older adults' self-perceptions of aging: The role of gender.

To what extent self-perceptions of aging and their correlates in later life may be gendered remains relatively unexplored. In particular, little is known about how changes in the health and spousal relationship quality over time contribute to self-perceptions of aging among married men and women. To clarify these links, we analyzed panel data from the Health and Retirement Study (2008-2016) on married individuals aged 65 years and older (N = 2,623) using within-between random effects models. Findings showed no gender difference in self-perceptions of aging at baseline and in the rate of change, and poorer health and spousal relationship quality were generally associated with less positive self-perceptions of aging. However, men and women differed in how within-person changes in health and spousal relationship quality were associated with their self-perceptions of aging. Increases in spousal strain and chronic conditions were associated with less positive self-perceptions of aging on that wave for men, whereas increases in functional limitations were associated with less positive self-perceptions of aging on that wave for women. Finally, a person-mean of spousal strain had a moderating effect for men, such that men with more overall spousal strain reported less positive self-perceptions of aging across a range of chronic conditions, compared to the men with less overall spousal strain. Findings highlight the intersection of social resources, health, and self-perceptions of aging, suggesting that gender differences in older adults' self-perceptions of aging are contextualized by different behaviors and social experiences among married men and women. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Supplemental Material for Within-Couple Health Behavior Trajectories: The Role of Spousal Support and Strain

Supplemental Material for Within-Couple Health Behavior Trajectories: The Role of Spousal Support and Strain

Spousal Support, Spousal Strain, and Loneliness in Older Mexican Couples.

A growing body of research has identified factors related to loneliness among older adults. Fewer have investigated predictors of loneliness within married couples. This analysis investigates how spousal support and strain relate with loneliness within older couples (age 50+), and whether these associations are modified by functional limitation. The study focuses on Mexico, a country experiencing rapid aging occurring alongside historically limited institutional support for older adults, and where traditional gender roles extend to marriage. The analytic sample consisted of 3,584 husband-wife dyads from the 2012 and 2015 Mexican Health and Aging Study. Loneliness was measured using the Three-Item Loneliness Scale. Associations between spousal support, strain, and loneliness were estimated within husband-wife dyads using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model. Experiencing more spousal support was associated with less loneliness, whereas experiencing spousal strain was associated with more loneliness 3 years later among married adults. The associations between spousal support/strain and loneliness were stronger among husbands with limitations in activities of daily living (ADL) when compared to their counterparts without ADL limitations. Among married adults, spousal support and strain may be important factors to understand loneliness within marriage. Effects should be interpreted within the context of functional limitation.

Assessing spousal support and health in an aging population: support and strain amidst changing social dynamics

ABSTRACTThis study examined the role of relationship quality on physical and psychological health among older adults. It included 2,298 adults aged 50 and older who participated in the Midlife in the US national longitudinal study of health and well-being. We assessed the effect of spousal support and strain on psychological and physical health, controlling for age, education, income, depression levels and prior health. Results indicated that spousal support and strain affected psychological health but not physical health. Despite prior research showing an association between marital quality and physical health, this study did not support the conceptualization that relationship quality measured by spousal support or strain has a direct effect on long-term health in this sample of older adults. This study does not preclude the presence of a mediated or moderated association between relationship quality and physical health. Higher levels of spousal support are associated with positive psychological health among adults over age 50 while spousal strain is associated with negative psychological health. This study supports the premise that relationship quality has an ongoing impact on the psychological health of mature adults, bolstering arguments to include psychological health screening and couples relationship education among health services provided to older adults.

Which Relationships Really Matter for Blood Glucose Control?

Diabetes patients’ perceived social support is consistently linked to their ability to manage blood glucose (HgA1c). However, little is known about which social relationships are linked to HgA1c. We use linear regression to examine how family, marital, and friendship support/strain predict HgA1c for diabetes patients. For the marital models we included only married participants (N = 121); For the family and friend models we included all participants (N = 160). Results (Table 1) indicate that family and friend support/strain were not linked to HgA1c. However, marital strain/support were linked to HgA1c (higher strain indicated higher HgA1c and higher support indicated lower HgA1c). Broad measures of social support are typically examined to understand and improve diabetes outcomes. But, our results suggest a need to focus on the marital relationship in order to improve HgA1c control. As the quality of marital relationship are mutable and brief couple interventions are cost-efficient, standard care could expand to include a marital relationship evaluation and/or a list of referral resources. Further, the null findings for family and friend strain/support highlights the gap in our knowledge for aging single adults. The number of single adults is growing in the U.S. In the absence of marital support for these adults, we must understand if and to what extent their social environment is linked to HgA1c. Table 1.Results of the univariate linear regression models for each measure of social support. In this table we present: Unstandardized coefficients with standard error (B(SE)), 95% confidence interval (95% CI), Standardized coefficients (Beta), probability value (p-value), variance explained (R2), and effect size (Cohen’s d).VariableB(SE)95% CIBetap-valueR2Cohen’s dModel 1: Family Support.16(.19)-.22, .54.06.41.004.06Model 2: Family Strain.10(.20)-.38, .40.004.96.000.04Model 3: Friend Support.13(.19)-.25, .51.06.49.003.05Model 4: Friend Strain.07(.24)-.41, .54.02.24.000.02Model 5: Spousal Support-.57(.26)-1.06, -.07-.20.03.04.17Model 6: Spousal Strain.51(.23).06, .96.20.03.04.20 Disclosure P.N.E. Roberson: None. M. Miller: Employee; Self; Amputee Coalition. K.M. Raspovic: None. J. La Fontaine: None. F. Fincham: None. D. Wukich: None.

Aging Together: Self-Perceptions of Aging and Family Experiences Among Korean Baby Boomer Couples.

Korean baby boomers (born 1955-1963) comprise the largest segment of the population approaching old age in Korea, and the majority is married or partnered. However, little is known about how couples share subjective aging experiences and how their self-perceptions of aging are associated with family experiences in midlife. We analyzed 727 couples from the Korean Baby Boomer Panel Study. Using Actor-Partner Interdependence Model, we investigated whether major health problems within a family and marital quality were associated with perceptions of aging and future time. We found substantial within-couple similarity in self-perceptions of aging among Korean baby boomers. Own health problems were associated with more time limitation for both spouses, but family members' health problems (i.e., parents, spouse, and children) were associated with wives' self-perceptions of aging only. Furthermore, higher spousal support was associated with more positive self-perceptions of aging for both husbands and wives. Both own and partner reports of spousal strain were associated with husbands' higher levels of aging anxiety. Given the significance of family events and marital quality on perceptions of aging among Korean baby boomer couples, both intergenerational and spousal contexts should be considered in examining subjective aging experiences in midlife.

Genetic and Environmental Influences on the Association between Subjective Well-Being and Marital Adjustment.

This study was conducted to estimate the magnitude of genetic and environmental influences on the association between three indices of subjective well-being (i.e., life satisfaction, positive affect, negative affect) and positive and negative components of marital adjustment (i.e., spousal support, spousal strain) in a sample of adult married twin pairs (N = 453 pairs). Results indicated that subjective well-being and marital adjustment were significantly associated (particularly in women), that there were gender differences in the magnitude of genetic and environmental influences on this covariation, and that this association was largely influenced by genetic factors in women and genetic and nonshared environmental factors in men. These findings highlight the importance of using genetically informed research to evaluate the genetic and environmental influences on the covariation between marital adjustment and individual outcomes such as subjective well-being.

Programmes to support chronic disease self-management: should we be concerned about the impact on spouses?

Chronic disease self-management support (CDSMS) programmes are widely advocated as an essential element of chronic disease care and have demonstrated increased engagement with self-care activities such as improving diet but may place additional strain on spouses. This study used an embedded mixed methods approach to explore the impact of CDSMS on spouses. Spouses were recruited as part of a larger randomised controlled trial to assess the efficacy of a health professional-led CDSMS programme (the Flinders Program) in older adults with multiple chronic conditions, compared with an attention control group. Spouses were recruited from the general community through General Practitioners located in the southern areas of Adelaide, Australia. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected between September 2009 and March 2011; a total of 25 spouses from each of the CDSMS and control groups provided data. Spousal strain was measured by the Caregiver Risk Screen (CRS). Few spouses had CRS scores indicative of moderate or high strain at baseline or upon completion of the study and CRS scores did not differ by programme allocation. Spouses of participants with poorer self-management (r = 0.34, P = 0.016) and more illness intrusiveness (r = 0.35, P = 0.013) had higher CRS scores at baseline (quantitative) and spousal strain was found to increase as a partner's well-being and capacity to self-manage decreased (qualitative). Spouse presence at CDSMS sessions (20%) frequently signalled a reduced level of partner well-being. Overall, our findings suggest that CDSMS programmes in many cases will have little impact (either positive or negative) on spousal strain. A significant increase in spousal strain may occur, however, if there is deterioration in the health status of a CDSMS participant. The impact of decline in participant health status on carer strain needs to be considered in CDSMS programmes.

Marital Quality, Gender, and Markers of Inflammation in the MIDUS Cohort.

Marital quality is an important factor for understanding the relationship between marriage and health. Low-quality relationships may not have the same health benefits as high-quality relationships. To understand the association between marital quality and health, we examined associations between two indicators of marital quality (marital support and marital strain) and two biomarkers of inflammation (interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein) among men and women in long-term marriages using data from the Survey of Midlife in the United States (N = 542). Lower levels of spousal support were associated with higher levels of inflammation among women but not men. Higher levels of spousal strain were weakly and inconsistently associated with higher levels of inflammation among women and men; the effects were diminished with the addition of psychosocial and behavioral covariates. These findings suggest marital quality is an important predictor of inflammation, especially among women.

Work Family Conflict in New Business Ventures: The Moderating Effects of Spousal Commitment to the New Business Venture

The creation of new business ventures (NBVs) is considered to be a central element of entrepreneurship theory and research. The processes by which individuals set intentions, gather resources, build organizations, and manage exchanges between the organization and external groups (which include family members) are important processes in the creation of NBVs. The more NBVs do these activities, the more likely they will succeed.Different research agendas have examined the factors that influence the new business venture operator's (NBVO) success in forming a NBV. One of the more recent streams of research has focused on the NBVO's human and social capital. Human capital in the form of education and experience appears to be an important asset to the NBVO. Social capital as a NBVO resource is less widely studied. Davidsson and Honig suggest that simply having a spouse is an important resource for NBVOs. Previous research suggests that spousal social support may be helpful for several reasons. First, some spouses may provide unpaid work to help the business succeed. They may provide financial resources which reduce the urgency of cash flow problems or facilitate the entrepreneur's abilities to acquire loans. Finally, they may provide emotional encouragement and support. Together, these spousal resources may help NBVOs to overcome the liabilities of newness.However, others have suggested that spouses may be a liability and that work and family conflict may become a resource constraint for married NBVOs. There is a limited but growing body of research empirically demonstrating that married NBVOs are likely to experience strain from work and family conflict (WFC). Married NBVOs may have complex family dynamics, and spouses may act in ways that create strain on the NBVO. From a social capital perspective, social capital needs to be maintained which can be a resource drain. If so, then those spousal actions are likely to draw on the NBVOs resources to manage family dynamics. This resource drain could negatively affect the success of the NBV.Based on Sustainable Family Business Theory II, this paper investigates the degree that the NBVO's spouse is a constraint on the creation of a NBV. In particular, we focus on NBVO strain as there is significant evidence that NBVOs experience more strain than individuals in other types of gainful employment. Furthermore, this strain has some debilitating effects that may threaten the viability of any business venture. This could be most critical in the start‐up phase when the survival of the firm is most at risk. Using Sustainable Family Business Theory II as a foundation, we investigate the degree that WFC creates NBVO strain both directly from NBVO's perceptions of WFC and the degree that spouse may be a liability by passing spousal strain from WFC to the NBVO. Furthermore, we investigate how a spouse who is committed to the NBVO may exacerbate the liability of newness.We test these relationships on a sample of 110 new small businesses provided through two different state Small Business Development Center offices. This sample represented a diversity of industries and diversity by gender. The results suggest that when a spouse experiences WFC, a spouse is likely to be a resource constraint that creates NBVO physiological strain. Furthermore, spousal commitment to the NBV is likely to exacerbate this relationship. These results imply that, first, a spouse is not inherently a resource or a constraint in the creation of NBVs. The degree of spousal WFC is likely to expand or constrict NBVO resources to be successful. Thus, more research is needed to investigate WFC linked to NBV creation.

Spousal Perceptions of Marital Stress and Support among Grandparent Caregivers: Variations by Life Stage

Few studies have examined how raising grandchildren influences the marital relationship of grandparent caregivers although half of such caregivers are married. This study used national survey data from Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) to contrast perceptions of spousal support and strain for grandparents who had recently provided care for grandchildren along with their own young children (n=16), and grandparents who had recently cared for grandchildren only (n=96). Results revealed an interaction between caregivers' sex and family situation with grandmother caregivers who were raising both their own minor children and grandchildren reporting less spousal support than grandfathers in the same situation. Differences on the spousal strain dimension were not significant. Grandmother caregivers occupying 2 caregiving roles appear to have a unique experience with caring for grandchildren. These results parallel other studies that show that grandparent caregivers have poorer outcomes when they hold multiple caregiving roles simultaneously.

The Child With a Disability: Parental Acceptance, Management and Coping

Research indicates that family reaction to the birth of a disabled child changes according to the type of disability and the child's diagnostic category. The differences are probably an indirect consequence of anticipated or actual reactions by those surrounding the disabled child and the family, in addition to parental reactions. Many researchers have recently mentioned the positive coping and functioning of many families with developmentally disabled children. In the past there was a tendency to emphasize issues of illness and pressures, spousal strain and maladjustment within the family, while presently they are replaced with questions concerning positive adjustment, satisfaction, acceptance, and spousal harmony. Rather than perceiving the family as a helpless victim, it is perceived as a unit that adapts by a process of structuring. Professionals must acknowledge the importance of the family, this change towards a positive attitude towards disability and that the controls decisions concerning the disabled child and the family.

Social support and social strain among husbands and wives: a multilevel analysis.

In response to recent calls in the literature for within-person examinations of social support processes over time, this study explores the relationships of spousal support, spousal strain, and well-being among husbands and wives, both within the same day and across days. Eighty-three couples were interviewed and completed a structured diary twice daily for 1 week. The results of multilevel hierarchical modeling suggest that both spousal support and spousal strain made significant, independent contributions to concurrent negative affect, although only spousal support was a significant predictor of next-day negative affect. Spousal strain interacted with spousal support to predict next-day negative affect. Direct and moderating effects of perceived marital adjustment on negative affect were discussed.