Physical and Emotional Health of Older Couples Linked "For Better or Worse"

A study of older married couples gives new meaning to the matrimonial adage "for better or worse," finding that spouses have a much greater impact on their partner's health than previously known.

Published in the March 2011 issue of the journal Health Psychology, the study finds strong associations between the physical and emotional health of older married couples. Previous studies have confirmed the link between the physical and emotional health of individuals—and this research now demonstrates the phenomenon also holds true with spouses.

Researchers tracked the emotional and physical histories of more than 1,700 older couples over a 15-year period, using data from a major survey. Participants ranged in age from 76 to 90 and many had been married for more than 40 years. In individuals and couples, the researchers found a strong relationship between depressive symptoms (unhappiness, loneliness and restlessness) and functional limitations—the physical inability to perform such basic tasks as climbing stairs, picking up objects, cooking and shopping.

"This study shows how important marital relationships can be in determining old age health," says lead author Prof. Christiane Hoppmann of University of British Columbia's Department of Psychology. "In addition, we show that many of the associations between functional limitations and depressive symptoms that have previously been found in individuals are in fact related to spouses."

The researchers found that spouses' depressive symptoms waxed and waned closely with those of their partners. If one of the couple had functional limitations, this was not only associated with their own depressive symptoms, but also with increased depressive symptoms in their spouse. Increases in depressive symptoms in one spouse were also associated with greater functional limitations in both spouses.

"These findings help to illuminate the often vicious cycle between depressive symptoms and our physical abilities," says Hoppmann. "When people are depressed, they tend to want to stay at home—but that causes a spouse to stay home more too. That's a problem, because when older adults stop being active—going for walks, socializing, shopping—they risk losing that functional ability."

Surprisingly, the researchers found that the relationship between functional limitations and depressive symptoms was slightly stronger in couples than in some individuals, suggesting that a spouse's physical or emotional health can have a greater impact on their partner's health than their own in some cases. "Being married for a long time is a very specific situation, it really ties your lives together," says Hoppmann, whose previous research has explored happiness in older couples. "These findings show just how interdependent, emotionally and physically, long-term couples can become."

Previous studies have shown caregivers to be at a greater risk for mental and physical health problems. Hoppmann says that these findings confirm a greater need for holistic healthcare approaches. "This interdependence suggests that we cannot simply focus on individual patients, while disregarding the major impacts their illnesses can have on the people in their lives," she says.

Source: University of British Columbia

For More Information

See the January 2011 issue of Choices to learn how in-home care supports caregiver wellness.