Abstract
The current study examined couple-level profiles to reveal systematic patterns of health and well-being in older couples. Using latent profile analysis, dyadic profiles were constructed in a national sample of 535 older, different-sex couples based on couples’ marital quality, psychological well-being, and physical health. Results revealed 4 distinct profiles: Maritally Satisfied and Healthy (63.5%), Maritally Dissatisfied and Moderately Healthy (14.7%), Maritally Satisfied with Unhealthy Wives (12.3%), and Maritally Satisfied with Unhealthy Husbands (9.3%). Husband age and education, wife education, and marriage length were significant predictors of class membership. Within-class partner concordance analyses confirmed that the latter two profiles featured the largest discordance between partners’ health and well-being. Most couples in this sample of older adults belonged to a class who demonstrated successful aging in all domains. A smaller group maintained high marital quality despite physical and psychological difficulties, and other couples were moderately healthy but maritally dissatisfied.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1897-1919 |
| Number of pages | 23 |
| Journal | Journal of Social and Personal Relationships |
| Volume | 40 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jun 2023 |
Keywords
- Successful aging
- dyadic data
- latent profile analysis
- marital quality
- older couples
- physical health
- psychological health
