Relationship of Morbidity and Mortality Between Spouses

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Employing the perspective and methods of the demography of aging, we propose to examine the relationship between the morbidity and mortality of spouses. We ask questions about how the morbidity and mortality or one spouse, and the timing and nature of that morbidity and mortality, affects the morbidity, mortality, and timing and nature of morbidity and mortality in the other spouse. For example, is the hazard of death in one spouse (the "proband") increased by illness or death in the other spouse? If so, how does the proband's hazard of illness or death change over time after the onset of illness or death in spouse? How do these affects vary according to the type of severity or duration of the spouse's morbidity? Do particular illnesses in spouses place probands at particularly high risk of development illness or dying themselves? What role do socio-demographic factors play in all these effects? To address these questions most effectively, we will create a new panel data set with demographics socioeconomic, and health information about one million elderly married couples followed up to ten years. Using a variety of even history and fixed effects methods, we will conduct four main analyses. First, we will evaluate morbidity in one spouse influences mortality in the other. We hypothesize that individuals married to unhealthy spouses will have worst mortality than those married to healthy spouses, and that the longer the spouses is ill, the greater the effect. We also hypothesize the certain types of spousal morbidity (e.g. those that most compromise activities levels) will be worse for probands. Second, we will reevaluate the widower effect (i.e. the increased tendency of the bereaved to die), but we will; adjust for the health of both spouses prior to widowhood; examine it's temporal shape in detail; and assess its dependence on socioeconomic factors. Third, we will evaluate how morbidity in one spouse influences morbidity in the other. Are healthy spouses better able then unhealthy spouses to provide health benefits in marriage? Four, we will evaluate the impact of widowhood on the morbidity, and not just mortality, of bereaved spouses. Our work advances the demographics of aging by; closely examine how an individual's morbidity and mortality are affected by the presence or absence of spousal support; focusing on cause-of-death specific aspects of demographics phenomena; examine theoretically interesting sub-populations along gender, race, socioeconomic, and health status lines; and shedding light on the mechanisms of inter-spousal health effects. Our work also has policy implications in that it; supports more accurate projections of the health burdens in the elderly; facilitates targeting of support services to the growing numbers to the widowed elderly; and addresses important populations, such as minorities the poor, the oldest old, those with dementia, and caregivers.