Discordant Chronic Conditions and Depressive Symptoms: Longitudinal Associations Among Middle-Aged and Older Couples

Overview

Journal J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci

Specialties Geriatrics
Psychology
Social Sciences

Date 2019 Dec 4

PMID 31792532

Citations 8

Authors

Courtney A Polenick

Kira S Birditt

Angela Turkelson

Benjamin C Bugajski

Helen C Kales

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objectives: Individuals often manage chronic conditions in middle and later life that may diminish well-being. Little is known, however, about discordant conditions (i.e., two or more conditions with competing self-management requirements) among older couples and their links to depressive symptoms. We considered discordant conditions at both the individual level and the couple level (i.e., between spouses), along with their long-term implications for depressive symptoms.

Methods: The U.S. sample included 1,116 middle-aged and older couples drawn from five waves (2006-2014) of the Health and Retirement Study. Longitudinal actor-partner interdependence models evaluated whether individual-level and couple-level discordant chronic health conditions were concurrently linked to depressive symptoms, and whether these associations became stronger over time. Models controlled for age, minority status, education, prior wave depressive symptoms, and each partner's baseline report of negative marital quality and number of chronic conditions in each wave.

Results: Wives and husbands reported significantly greater depressive symptoms when they had individual-level discordant conditions about 2 years after baseline, and these links intensified over time. Beyond this association, husbands had significantly greater depressive symptoms when there were couple-level discordant conditions.

Discussion: Individual-level and couple-level discordant conditions may have lasting implications for depressive symptoms during midlife and older adulthood.

Citing Articles

Depressive symptoms and all-cause mortality among middle-aged and older people in China and associations with chronic diseases.

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In it Together: Relationship Transitions and Couple Concordance in Health and Well-Being.

Pauly T, Weber E, Hoppmann C, Gerstorf D, Scholz U Pers Soc Psychol Bull. 2023; 51(1):110-124.

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New Opportunities for Advancing Dyadic Health Science in Gerontology.

Wilson S, Novak J, Yorgason J, Martire L, Lyons K Gerontologist. 2022; 64(1).

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Depressive symptoms in older adult couples: Associations with dyadic physical health, social engagement, and close friends.

Miller L, Steele J, Wu C, Kaye J, Dodge H, Gonzales M Front Psychiatry. 2022; 13:989182.

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Longitudinal associations between chronic condition discordance and perceived control among older couples.

Polenick C, Birditt K, Turkelson A, Shattuck S, Kales H Psychol Aging. 2022; 37(3):371-387.

PMID: 35343733 PMC: 9117516. DOI: 10.1037/pag0000679.

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