Marital Biography and Well-Being in Later Life: the Role of Remarriage
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MARITAL BIOGRAPHY AND WELL-BEING IN LATER LIFE: THE ROLE OF REMARRIAGE, DISRUPTION PATHWAYS, AND DURATION ON HEALTH, PARENT- CHILD CONTACT, AND AMBIVALENCE TOWARD CHILDREN Anna Marie Hammersmith A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirments for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY August 2018 Committee: I-Fen Lin, Advisor Sudershan Jetley Graduate Faculty Representative Susan L. Brown Karen Benjamin Guzzo Wendy D. Manning © 2018 Anna Marie Hammersmith All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT I-Fen Lin, Advisor In 2015, nearly 30% of individuals aged 50 and older had two or more marriages compared to 19% in 1980, indicating that a growing share of older adults either divorced or were widowed during early or midlife and later remarried. Although widowhood remains a common exit from marriage in later life, divorce to people over 50 is also on the rise. Despite increasingly complex marital biographies of older adults, few researchers have examined differences between disruption pathways (i.e., one divorce, one widowhood, or multiple disruptions) and whether remarriage is associated with fewer costs of marital disruption. It is also unclear whether duration remarried or unmarried relates to better or worse health after different disruption pathways. Using the 1992-2014 Health and Retirement Study, I investigate the associations of different disruption pathways, subsequent remarriage relative to being unmarried, and duration remarried or unmarried with older adults’ mental and physical health, contact with children, and ambivalence toward children. I also account for gender differences as the health and parent-child ties of men and women often differ in later life. This dissertation underscores the need to pay attention to older people with multiple disruptions, as they are often disadvantaged in health and parent-child relationships relative to older adults with one divorce or widowhood. The findings regarding the role of remarriage for each well-being outcome are mixed. Remarriage is beneficial for the mental health of men relative to being unmarried after any type of disruption, and for the physical health of divorced women. Although remarriage relates to more frequent parent-child contact for divorced men, remarriage relates to less contact among women after one widowhood or multiple disruptions. Remarriage also links to greater ambivalence among men after multiple disruptions. Duration also matters, but not uniformly across outcomes. Remarried men after iv multiple disruptions have worse mental health with more years remarried men after one divorce, indicating that duration remarried after multiple disruptions links to poorer mental health than duration remarried after one divorce. Although men with multiple disruptions have less contact with children than widowed men, additional years remarried yield more contact for men with multiple disruptions than for men with one widowhood. Moreover, women who remarry after widowhood have less contact with children than their unmarried counterparts, but each additional year remarried after widowhood is associated with more contact, suggesting that these remarried women are able to rebuild ties with children over time. In sum, my dissertation highlights the utility of employing different disruption pathways, subsequent remarriage, and duration remarried or unmarried to capture the increasing complexity of marital biographies among older adults and to clarify its associations with multiple dimensions of well-being. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There are so many people for whom I have had insurmountable appreciation as I have worked toward completing my degree. I have an endless amount of gratitude for my wonderful mentor and advisor, Dr. I-Fen Lin. It is amazing to reflect on how much I have learned from you since you became my mentor nearly six year ago. You have not only taught me how to be a curious and conscientious researcher, but from you I have also learned how to be steadfastly persistent. You have been a great academic model, but you have also taught me a lot about being a caring mentor. I appreciate the number of tears you have let me shed in your office when circumstances have been tough. Thank you for always helping me achieve my goals and shaping me into the scholar that I am today. I am also incredibly grateful for my relationship with Dr. Susan L. Brown as I pursued my degree. Over my years of working with you on the gray divorce grant project, I have learned how staying curious and attentive can lead to new and innovative research ideas. I would not be the researcher I am today without these experiences. Dr. Karen Guzzo, Dr. Wendy Manning, and Dr. Sudershan Jetley thank you for your dedication to my success as I finished my dissertation. I also want to express my appreciation for all that I have learned from both Dr. Guzzo and Dr. Manning as I have worked toward my degree. You have both served as great academic models. I also owe a wealth of gratitude for Dr. Anita Waters and Dr. Fareeda Griffith for assisting me with independent research throughout my undergraduate years at Denison University. You both encouraged me to pursue my graduate degree and have continued to be supportive beyond my graduation from Denison. I’d also like to thank Dr. Veronica Gonzalez- vi Lopez and Dr. Ruth Toulson for being exceptional educators and models for me inside and outside of the classroom. Mom, you are a magical unicorn. Thank you for your constant inspiration and support. Not only did you empower me to pursue my dreams from a young age, you have continued to model how to be an exemplary scholar, mother, and human. I would not be where I am or who I am without you. Dad, thank you for your endless love and support. It has meant the world to me that you often would come to Bowling Green (or Denison) to take me to dinner when you recognized that I was especially stressed with work or cat illnesses. You have always been there when I have needed you the most without any hesitation. Renee Hammersmith, I have so much gratitude for all of your care and compassion as I have worked toward finishing my degree. I appreciate all of the visits, text messages, and care packages that were always well-timed for when I have needed them the most. Bob Hust, I have much appreciation for the role you have played in my life. Not only have you been a sounding board as I have planned my future, but you have shown enormous empathy when I have faced difficulties in completing my degree. I also appreciate your humor and the fun times we have had in Cincinnati and at Lake Erie that have always managed to take my mind off of work. Lori Daiello, thank you for serving as a model of what a successful researcher (and human) looks like. You have been such a great example of what women with careers in science can achieve. vii Erik, Amanda, Colton, and David Hammersmith, thank you for all of the love and laughs throughout over these past years. Shout out to Colton and David for reminding me what it means to continue to be both mystified and curious about how the world works. I also want to thank the rest of my extended family members for their love and encouragement. I am so lucky you have you all in my life. To the MVR (most valuable roommate) Jessica Ziegler, thanks for continuing to text me daily even after you moved to Iowa (even if it is just us exchanging pictures of cats). I have numerous friends who have been my cheerleaders as I have worked toward my degree: Rachel Bohn, Meryl Duff, Sarah Burns, Meghan Ulsh, Courtney Usmani, Olivia Bilyk, Lindsey Cooper, Marissa Landeis, Kasey Eickmeyer, Andie Krieg, Bart Stykes, Vanessa Lang, Paul Hemez, Jordan Galluzzo, Marta Alvira-Hammond, Jen Copp, and Emily Schondelmyer. After listing each of your names, I realize how fortunate I have been to accrue such an awesome group of friends. I also want to acknowledge the love and support that was given to me throughout my educational journey who are no longer with me. Barbara and Edward Daiello, Joanne and Clifford Hammersmith, and Justin Ziegler- I feel your love around me constantly. Dorian Slaybod, thank you for being my champion through all of this. You have been a bright light in my life these past few years and I cannot imagine this journey without you. You have helped me maintain my focus during the most difficult of times and I am not sure I could have finished my degree without your unrelenting love and support. I am pretty sure the coming years are going to be pretty cool with you by my side. viii Finally, even though they cannot read, I’d like to thank Moo and Dot for being the smallest, softest gentlemen who are always willing to offer ample distraction through play, snuggles, or climbing everything in my apartment. ix TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 2: MARITAL BIOGRAPHY AND HEALTH IN LATE LIFE ...................... 8 Marital Resource, Stress, and Cumulative (Dis)Advantage Models .......................... 10 Marital Status and Health............................................................................................ 12 Remarriage, Disruption Pathways, and Health ........................................................... 14 Duration Remarried, Duration Unmarried, and Health .............................................. 16 Variation by Gender ...................................................................................................