The Experience of Marriage in the Context of Spousal Disability

• In Event: 2184 - Section on Medical Sociology Refereed Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 18. Marriage and the Family

Abstract

Disablement is a significant health problem and chronic stressor for older adults and is associated with negative mental health outcomes. However, few studies have explored how disability extends beyond individuals to influence the mental health of those in their social support network. The current study builds on research on stress proliferation, gender, and marriage and uses longitudinal data from nine waves of the Health and Retirement Study (1998-2014) to examine the relationship between hearing impairment and spousal depressive symptoms among U.S. adults aged 50 and older. The analysis uses a multiple group analysis structural equation model to assess this relationship and examine the role hearing impairment plays on spousal depressive symptoms as a latent construct across male and female spouses. Preliminary results using the 1998 wave (n=8,544) reveal that when individuals self-report fair or poor hearing, their spouses (both male and female) experience a significant increase in depressive symptoms. Moreover, hearing aid usage is associated with a decrease in female spouse depressive symptoms, but not male. These findings suggest that the stress associated with hearing impairment proliferates to both male and female spouses.

Author

• Jessica West, Duke University