Who Considers their Intimate Partner to be a Confidant? Relationship Quality, Networks, and Sociodemographic Characteristics

• In Event: 3460 - Health, Aging, and the Life Course

Abstract

Social networks and intimate relationships are key aspects of health among older adults. These factors not only predict other aspects of health, but are also central tenets of social health itself. We use the National Social Health and Aging Project – a three-wave longitudinal study of older adults, ages 57 – 85 in 2005-06 – to investigate the overlap between these two phenomena. Our research questions focus on differences in relationship quality, relationship type, social networks, and sociodemographic characteristics between those who listed their partner on a roster of their five core confidants and those who did not. We find substantial and meaningful differences between the two groups, with those who have higher quality relationships, marriages (vs. cohabitation or other), and more advantaged sociodemographic background being more likely to list their partner as a confidant. We interpret these results as suggesting that listing a spouse on the confidant roster is neither an artifact of the question used to generate the list of confidants, nor simply the result of having too many other, non-partner confidants. Rather, it appears to be a characteristic of the relationship itself, predicted by but independent of other qualities of the relationship.

Authors

• Jennifer S. Barber, University of Michigan

• Jerry Kaufman, University of Chicago

• Linda J. Waite, University of Chicago