Happy Marriage, Happy Life? Marital Quality and Subjective Well-Being in Later Life
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Deborah Carr Rutgers—The State University of New Jersey Vicki A. Freedman University of Michigan∗ Jennifer C. Cornman Jennifer C. Cornman Consulting∗∗ Norbert Schwarz University of Southern California∗∗∗ Happy Marriage, Happy Life? Marital Quality and Subjective Well-being in Later Life The authors examined associations between spouse’s marital appraisals and own well-being. marital quality and both general life satisfac- However, the association between husband’s tion and experienced (momentary) well-being marital quality and life satisfaction is buoyed among older husbands and wives, the relative when his wife also reports a happy marriage, importance of own versus spouse’s marital yet flattened when his wife reports low marital appraisals for well-being, and the extent to quality. Implications for understanding mar- which the association between own marital ital dynamics and well-being in later life are appraisals and well-being is moderated by discussed. spouse’s appraisals. Data are from the 2009 Disability and Use of Time daily diary supple- ment to the Panel Study of Income Dynamics The protective effects of marriage for physical (N = 722). One’s own marital satisfaction is a and emotional well-being are widely docu- sizable and significant correlate of life satisfac- mented (Carr & Springer, 2010). However, tion and momentary happiness; associations do recent research shows that these effects are not differ significantly by gender. The authors conditional upon the quality of the marriage; did not find a significant association between problematic marriages take an emotional toll, whereas high-quality marriages provide bene- fits, especially for women (Proulx, Helms, & Department of Sociology and Institute for Health, Health Buehler, 2007) and older adults (Umberson, Care Policy & Aging Research, Rutgers—The State Williams, Powers, Liu, & Needham, 2006). University of New Jersey, 26 Nichol Ave., New Brunswick, NJ 08901 ([email protected]). Although the positive association between mar- ∗ ital quality and well-being is well established, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, 426 several important issues remain unexplored. Thompson St., Ann Arbor, MI 48104. First, most such studies have focused on neg- ∗∗ Jennifer C. Cornman Consulting, 113 Chapin Pl., ative aspects of psychological functioning, Granville, OH 43023. especially depressive symptoms (Bookwala, ∗∗∗Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, 3620 S. McClintock Ave., Los Angeles, CA 2012). Studies that have focused on pos- 90089-1061. itive aspects of well-being typically have Key Words: actor–partner independence models, daily diary used decontextualized and general life sat- methods, experienced well-being, gender differences, happi- isfaction measures (Whisman, Uebelacker, ness, life satisfaction, marital quality, older adults. Tolejko, Chatav, & Meckelvie, 2006) rather than 930 Journal of Marriage and Family 76 (October 2014): 930–948 DOI:10.1111/jomf.12133 Marital Quality and Well-being in Later Life 931 momentary measures of positive mood that may appraisals and well-being persist net of demo- be less susceptible to response bias. graphic, health, socioeconomic status, and Second, most studies have focused on only characteristics of the target day (e.g., day of one spouse’s marital appraisals and have not week, activity); and (d) the extent to which considered that both own and spouse’s appraisals the associations between one’s own marital may contribute independently to well-being (i.e., appraisals and well-being are moderated by a actor vs. partner effects; Cook & Kenney, 2005). spouse’s appraisals. Although mounting research suggests that one Understanding later life marriage is an spouse’s marital (dis)satisfaction may affect important pursuit given current demographic the other partner’s well-being, such studies trends. The proportion of adults age 65 and typically have focused on young or midlife older is projected to increase, from 13% in persons (Beach, Katz, Kim, & Brody, 2003; 2010 to nearly 20% in 2030 (Federal Inter- Whisman, Uebelacker, & Weinstock, 2004). agency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics, Third, we know of no studies that have explored 2012). Marital quality has far-reaching impli- the combined influences of both partners’ mar- cations for the health and well-being of older ital appraisals on well-being. Older spouses’ adults; it is a well-documented buffer against marital appraisals are correlated only mod- the health-depleting effects of later life stres- estly (r < .50 in the present study; see also sors such as caregiving (Bookwala, 2012) and Bulanda, 2011; Carr & Boerner, 2009; Cohen, is a critical resource as couples manage dif- Geron, & Farchi, 2009); thus, it is plausible ficult decisions regarding their end-of-life that spouses’ appraisals as well as convergences health care (Carr, Boerner, & Moorman, (or divergences) therein may have independent 2013). associations with well-being. The protective effects of marital satisfaction on emotional well-being may be amplified when one’s spouse Background also is satisfied with the marriage, whereas Marital Quality and Subjective Well-being the association may be dampened or even Among Older Adults reversed when one’s partner is dissatisfied. An exploration of the multiplicative influences of Marital quality is positively associated with “his” and “her” marital assessments on one’s subjective well-being, and this association is well-being will shed light on complex associa- typically stronger among women than men tions between marital dynamics and emotional (Bookwala, 2012; Jackson, Miller, Oka, & well-being in later life. Henry, 2014; Proulx et al., 2007; Whisman, Thus, in this study we explored the distinc- 2001). However, most studies have examined tive ways that both own and spouse’s marital newlyweds, young couples, or those with chil- quality appraisals are associated with two dren living in the home (Bookwala, 2012; aspects of older adults’ subjective well-being: Whisman, 2001). Therefore, the strong associ- (a) evaluations of one’s life in general (i.e., ation between marital quality and well-being global life satisfaction) and (b) how one expe- among women relative to men may reflect riences life moment to moment (i.e., happiness distinctive aspects of marital roles and relations during randomly sampled activities on the in young and mid-adulthood. Feminist writings day prior to interview). Data were from the dating back to Jesse Bernard (1972) suggest that 2009 Disability and Use of Time (DUST) marriage and intimate relationships are more supplement to the Panel Study of Income central to women’s identities and more conse- Dynamics, which includes 24-hour time diaries quential for their overall well-being relative to capturing activities and emotions experienced men because women typically “specialize” in on the previous day. Using these data obtained emotion work and nurturing roles such as that from older married couples, we explored the of spouse or parent, whereas their husbands following four areas: (a) associations between specialize in paid employment outside the home marital quality and well-being for husbands (Loscocco & Walzer, 2013). Women may feel and wives; (b) differences in how own (“actor”) responsible for resolving marital problems and spouse’s (“partner”) marital appraisals are and ensuring that the couple maintains a good associated with well-being; (c) the extent to marriage for the sake of the children (Beach which associations between marital quality et al., 2003; Davila, Karney, Hall, & Bradbury, 932 Journal of Marriage and Family 2003; Dehle & Weiss, 1998). Some scholars experience greater role equity (Hagedoorn et al., argue further that women traditionally have had 2006; Kulik, 2002). Whereas in younger cou- less power and status in marriage than men ples wives may take responsibility for and solve and thus have a greater emotional investment marital problems, as long-term marriages per- in maintaining a healthy relationship (Bulanda, sist men may “catch up” and may feel equally 2011). responsible for and become equally invested in Among older adults, the gendered roles and the marital relationship, especially as paid work relations established earlier in the life course obligations absorb less of their time (Beach may shift or converge, creating a context in et al., 2003). Consistent with the assumption which the association between marital satis- that the importance of marriage to husbands’ faction and well-being is similar for husbands and wives’ overall well-being may converge and wives. First, as spouses age, their social in later life, several small, nonrepresentative networks beyond the marital dyad may change studies of married older adults in the United such that marriage becomes an equally salient States have found no gender differences in source of well-being for both men and women. the association between marital quality and As they age, older men (and women, to a well-being (Quirouette & Pushkar-Gold, 1992; lesser extent) exit full-time employment, reduce Whisman et al., 2006). Our first aim was to social contact with former colleagues, and assess gender-specific associations between increase interactions with their spouse (Kulik, marital quality and well-being among a nation- 2002). Contact with friends and siblings also ally representative sample of older spouses; we may decline as some die, whereas others may expected that the magnitude and direction of experience health declines or caregiving