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The influence of health over time on psychological distress among older couples: the moderating role of marital functioning

2014; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 30; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/14681994.2014.886773

1468-1994

L. Villeneuve, Gilles Trudel, Luc Dargis, Michel Préville, Richard Boyer, Jean Bégin,

Health, psychology, and well-being

This study examines the longitudinal links between self-rated health, chronic diseases, marital functioning and psychological distress over an 18-month period among a representative sample of 384 community-dwelling couples. The moderator role of marital functioning on the longitudinal association between physical health measurements and psychological distress will also be explored. Dyadic data analyses with structural equation modelling were performed. The results indicate that the number of chronic diseases and the level of marital functioning predict a significantly higher level of psychological distress for both men and women. Self-rated health significantly predicts psychological distress over time, but only among older women. No partner effects were found in the present study. Results show a significant moderator role for marital functioning on the longitudinal association between self-rated health and psychological distress among older women. This study underlines the importance of marital functioning and health status as predictors of further psychological distress among older couples.