Marriage, Physiology, and Health during the Retirement Transition

描述(申请人提供)：三分之二的“婴儿潮一代”已婚，退休对婚姻的积极或消极影响将对身体健康产生影响，特别是因为随着年龄的增长，较低的婚姻质量和较差的健康之间的联系变得更加紧密。不幸的是，人们对婚姻和健康以及在退休过渡期成年人中解释婚姻功能和健康之间关系的心理生物学机制知之甚少。由于在老龄化和退休的双重背景下，婚姻功能和健康之间的联系可能会被放大，本项目将研究退休过渡期间婚姻功能对生理和健康的影响。这项研究将招募60对年龄在60-67岁之间的夫妇。配偶一方必须在参加研究的6个月内出于自愿或非自愿(但与身体健康无关)的原因预期退休。配偶将接受两次实验室评估：探视1将在退休前6个月至1个月之间进行，探视2将在退休后3个月进行。在每次访问中，我们将通过自我报告和观察编码来评估婚姻功能，方法是在配偶讨论退休和关系问题时对行为进行编码；通过测量轻微中断后皮肤屏障功能的恢复来评估健康结果；以及通过在讨论期间测量自主神经功能和皮质醇反应来评估生理机制。此外，我们将在退休后6个月进行问卷调查，以评估婚姻满意度、退休满意度和与健康相关的生活质量。拟议项目的具体目标是：1)确定婚姻功能差是否预示着即将过渡到退休的成年人在婚姻讨论期间出现更大的生理变化，皮肤屏障恢复更慢；2)评估婚姻功能与健康之间的关系，以及退休后婚姻功能和生理机制是否变得更强；3)检查退休前和退休后对婚姻讨论的自主反应是否预示着婚姻质量、与健康相关的生活质量和皮肤屏障恢复在退休过渡期间下降更大；以及4)探索感知的伴侣反应是否中介了婚姻讨论期间的行为和生理变化之间的关系。这项研究将更好地了解婚姻质量影响健康的机制和途径，以及成年后生活转型对婚姻、生理和健康结果的影响。与公共健康相关：对于美国约5300万已婚的婴儿潮一代来说，退休将是一个重要的人生转变，有可能对婚姻和健康产生更好或更坏的影响。不幸的是，我们对婚姻和健康之间的联系知之甚少，也不知道在像退休这样的重大人生转变中，婚姻功能如何通过生物学途径影响健康。这项纵向研究的结果将为婚姻和生理功能如何在整个退休过渡期间影响婚姻质量、退休满意度和健康提供重要数据。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Two-thirds of "baby boomers" are married, and the positive or negative impact of retirement on marriages will have consequences for physical health, particularly because the link between lower marital quality and poor health becomes stronger with age. Unfortunately, little is known about marriage and health, and the psychobiological mechanisms that explain the relationship between marital functioning and health, in adults during the retirement transition. Because links between marital functioning and health may become magnified within the dual context of aging and retirement, this project will study the impact of marital functioning on physiology and health during the retirement transition. This study will recruit 60 couples ages 60 - 67. One spouse must be expecting to retire for voluntary or non-voluntary (but not physical health related) reasons within 6 months of entry into the study. Spouses will undergo two laboratory assessments: Visit 1 will take place between 6 months and 1 month before retirement, and Visit 2 will take place 3 months after retirement. At each visit, we will assess marital functioning through self-report and observational coding of behaviors during spousal discussions about retirement and problems in the relationship; health outcomes by measuring recovery of skin barrier function after a minor disruption and health-related quality-of-life; and physiological mechanisms by measuring autonomic function and cortisol responses during the discussions. In addition, we will administer questionnaires at 6 months after retirement to assess marital satisfaction, retirement satisfaction, and health-related quality-of-life. The specific aims of the proposed project are to: 1) Determine whether poor marital functioning predicts greater physiological changes during marital discussions, and slower skin barrier recovery in adults who are about to transition into retirement; 2) Evaluate whether the relationship between marital functioning and health, and marital functioning and physiological mechanisms becomes stronger after retirement; 3) Examine whether larger autonomic responses to marital discussions both before and after retirement predict larger decreases in marital quality, health-related quality-of-life, and skin barrier recovery during the retirement transition; and 4) Explore whether perceived partner responsiveness mediates the relationship between behaviors during marital discussions and physiological changes. This study will provide a greater understanding of the mechanisms and pathways through which the quality of marriages affect health, and the impact of life transitions during older adulthood on marriage, physiology, and health outcomes. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: For approximately 53 million "baby boomers" in the United States who are married, retirement will be an important life transition, with the potential to impact marriage and health for better or for worse. Unfortunately, we know little about links between marriage and health, and the biological pathways through which marital functioning influences health during a major life transition like retirement. Results from this longitudinal study will provide important data on how marital and physiological functioning influences marital quality, retirement satisfaction, and health throughout the retirement transition.