The health and relationship dynamics of late-life couples: a systematic review of the literature

Abstract

455Late-life husband and wife relationships are increasingly recognised as an important factor in promoting wellbeing, particularly in terms of the health, social, emotional, financial and practical needs of older people. Knowledge of marital dynamics and how they affect both members of a couple remains scarce. This systematic review aimed to identify and appraise research that has focused explicitly on the dynamics of the relationship, as evinced by data from both spouses. Implementing rigorous identification strategies, 45 articles were identified and reviewed. These studies were grouped into three broad thematic areas: marital relations and satisfaction; concordance in emotional state or physical health; and the interplay between marital quality and wellbeing. The issues found to affect marital relations and satisfaction in late life included equality of roles, having adequate communication, and transitions to living apart. There is strong evidence for couple concordance in depression, that marital relationships affect ill-health, longevity and recovery from illness, and reciprocally that ill-health impacts on the marriage itself. The research also suggests important gender differences in the impact of marital dynamics on health. It has led to the conclusion that there is a need for more diverse studies of late-life marriages, particularly ones that examine the dynamics of non-traditional elderly couples and that extend beyond a predominant focus on the Caucasian population of the United States.

Shared recovery: Couples' experiences after treatment for colorectal cancer

“…This was echoed by Hagedoorn et al (2011), whose review concluded that further studies are needed "to increase our knowledge of dyadic processes in cancer adaptation". This is of direct clinical relevance given the impact of dyadic processes on patients' and caregivers' physical and mental health (Meyler et al, 2007;Walker & Luszcz, 2009). Indeed, the efficacy of psychosocial interventions for cancer caregivers may be influenced by the patient-caregiver relationship (Waldron et al, 2012).…”

Health Problems and Marital Satisfaction Among Older Couples

“…Spouses then may become mutual carers to maintain their independency as a couple (Rose & Bruce, 1995). More recently, studies go beyond this patient-caregiver perspective and start to focus on the dynamics of the marital relationship in late life (Walker & Luszcz, 2009). In their review, Walker and Luszcz (2009) specifically selected studies with dyadic data of older couples.…”

“…More recently, studies go beyond this patient-caregiver perspective and start to focus on the dynamics of the marital relationship in late life (Walker & Luszcz, 2009). In their review, Walker and Luszcz (2009) specifically selected studies with dyadic data of older couples. Based on nine studies, these researchers concluded that older couples seemed to be rather resilient against the negative impact of illness in maintaining high levels of marital quality.…”

The Health Hazards of Marriage. A cohort study of work related disability within 12,500 Norwegian couples – the HUNT Study

“…Spouses' health statuses are associated, as regards depressive and other psychological symptoms (7,8), cardiovascular risk factors (7,9) and health behaviours (7); in different age groups and cultural settings (7). Health concordance between spouses can be caused by similarities existing before marriage (7) or social influence during marriage (10).…”