Given the disconnect between Facebook ratings and other, more scientifically grounded measures of quality, concerns about the validity and use of social media ratings are warranted. However, it is likely consumers will increasingly turn to social media ratings of NHs, given the lack of consumer perspective on most state and federal report card sites. Thus, social media ratings may present a unique opportunity for healthcare report cards to capture real-time consumer voice.
Objectives: Both experiencing loneliness and having a lonely partner can be psychosocial stressors, with implications for health. Yet, marital support may buffer against the cardiometabolic effects of loneliness. This study examines (1) whether own and/or partner’s loneliness predict changes in HbA1c over 4 years and (2) whether marital support moderates these effects. Methods: Actor–partner interdependence models analyzed data from 1,854 older couples who provided psychosocial and biomarker data at two timepoints (2008/2012 or 2010/2014) of the Health and Retirement Study. Results: Neither partner’s loneliness predicted changes in HbA1c overall. However, significant interactions indicated that both own baseline loneliness and partner’s baseline loneliness predicted significant increases to HbA1c over 4 years among those who reported below-average marital support. Discussion: Both the experience of loneliness and loneliness of a dyadic partner may have longitudinal consequences for cardiometabolic health. However, these effects are contingent upon perceived quality of the marriage, specifically marital support.
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