Department of Psychology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX 75206, USA.
Department of Human Development and Family Science, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA.
Ann Behav Med. 2022 Oct 3;56(10):1014-1025. doi: 10.1093/abm/kaab099.
Extensive evidence shows that satisfying marriages boost physical health and longevity. A separate literature reveals strong concordance in couples' health, but the relationship processes that contribute to health concordance remain poorly understood.
The current study examined whether relationship satisfaction and joint health behaviors-the extent to which couples eat, sleep, and exercise together-are associated simultaneously with better health and greater health similarity between partners.
Heterogeneous variance multilevel models were applied to data from 234 married couples (Mage = 46, Range = 20-84) reporting on their relationship satisfaction, joint health behaviors, and four health indicators-health satisfaction, depressive symptoms, comorbidities, and medication use.
More satisfied couples engaged in more joint health behaviors than less satisfied counterparts. When joint health behaviors and relationship satisfaction were examined as separate fixed effects, both predicted greater health satisfaction and fewer depressive symptoms. More joint health behaviors were also associated with less medication use. When both were modeled together, only relationship satisfaction predicted depressive symptoms. By contrast, in random effects, joint health behaviors predicted greater similarity in health satisfaction, depressive symptoms, and comorbidities. Relationship satisfaction only predicted more similar depressive symptoms.
Although more satisfied couples engaged in more joint health behaviors. relationship satisfaction and joint health behaviors uniquely predicted couples' health quality and concordance, suggesting that distinct mechanisms may drive better health and stronger health resemblance.
大量证据表明，美满的婚姻能促进身体健康和长寿。另一项独立的研究表明，夫妻双方的健康状况非常一致，但促进健康一致性的关系过程仍知之甚少。
本研究考察了夫妻双方的关系满意度和共同健康行为（夫妻共同进食、睡眠和锻炼的程度）是否与双方更好的健康状况和更高的健康相似性同时相关。
利用来自 234 对已婚夫妇（平均年龄为 46 岁，范围为 20-84 岁）的数据，应用异方差多层次模型，对夫妻双方的关系满意度、共同健康行为以及四个健康指标（健康满意度、抑郁症状、共病和用药情况）进行分析。
关系满意度更高的夫妻比关系满意度较低的夫妻更倾向于共同参与健康行为。当共同健康行为和关系满意度分别作为固定效应进行检验时，两者都能预测更高的健康满意度和更少的抑郁症状。更多的共同健康行为也与更少的药物使用有关。当两者同时建模时，只有关系满意度能预测抑郁症状。相比之下，在随机效应中，共同健康行为能预测健康满意度、抑郁症状和共病等方面的相似性更高。关系满意度只能预测更相似的抑郁症状。
尽管关系满意度更高的夫妻更倾向于共同参与健康行为，但关系满意度和共同健康行为能独特地预测夫妻的健康质量和一致性，这表明不同的机制可能会促进更好的健康和更强的健康相似性。
