Marital status, gender roles, stress, and health in the elderly

Abstract

A model of the relationship between the social context effects of marital status and gender role differences in health was tested in a sample of noninstitutionalized elderly. The conceptual model assumed that (a) marital status is a social context; (b) social contexts give rise to social interactions; (c) social interactions result in the assumption or modification of gender roles; and (d) gender roles determine the behavior of elderly individuals with regard to health, stress, coping, and social support. A random telephone survey of 6,585 households in six northeastern states resulted in a sample of 900 elderly 65 years of age or older. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to test the main effects, the joint effects, and the combined effects of gender and marital status on the independent variables as they related to health. Findings suggested that of the four marital contexts studied (married men and married women and unmarried men and unmarried women), married women were in the poorest health and most vulnerable to stress. For them, social support in terms of both number of confidantes and access to helping networks was not protective. These findings suggest that social context affects elderly women's health. The potential for expanding theories of women's health to include the social conditions in which they live is discussed.

Factors Influencing Discharge Location After Hospitalization Resulting From a Traumatic Fall Among Older Persons

“…Elderly married women tend to be in poorer health and are most vulnerable to stress than unmarried women, perhaps increasing the likelihood that they be discharged to a location other than home. 22 The increased stress is not mitigated by social support, suggesting that the social contexts affecting the health of elderly women, and likely discharge location after acute hospitalization, are complex. 22 Nonwhites were more likely to be discharged home, which is consistent with previous studies documenting lower numbers of nonwhites in nursing homes and longer time to nursing home placement for nonwhites in a variety of disease states.…”

“…22 The increased stress is not mitigated by social support, suggesting that the social contexts affecting the health of elderly women, and likely discharge location after acute hospitalization, are complex. 22 Nonwhites were more likely to be discharged home, which is consistent with previous studies documenting lower numbers of nonwhites in nursing homes and longer time to nursing home placement for nonwhites in a variety of disease states. 23,24 Given the lack of home health services in these same populations, it has been suggested that this may reflect cultural differences in expectations of family support when a family member is ill or in need.…”

Work and Marital Status in Relation to Depressive Symptoms and Social Support among Women with Coronary Artery Disease

“…9,11,12 Marital status is another easily determined characteristic that has been found to be protective for women's psychological and physical health, 10,13 although negative findings also have been reported. 14 These two factors have been found to have an interactive effect on health, marriage being more beneficial for women who are not employed compared with women in paid employment. 9,15 There is a paucity of data regarding the effect of work and marital status on psychosocial risk factors and prognosis in CAD.…”

Impact of Demographic Variables on Job Stress Factors: A Study on Turkish Employees

“…Hwang, Hyun and Park (2013) indicated that single employees were stressed more by conflicts with job responsibility than married employees; married employees suffered more from companies' work and pay practices than single employees. However, some studies (Preston, 1995;Vanagas, Bihari-Axelsson, and Vanagiene, 2004) found that married women were more vulnerable to stress. Agyemang and Arkorful (2013) also approved this view and they concluded that married women reported higher levels of stress than single women.…”