Partner strain and support associations with affective reactions to daily stressors
This research highlights that a strained marriage can prolong the emotional impact of everyday stressors, potentially affecting long-term health and well-being. The good news is that improving relationship skills and reducing strain between partners might help people recover more quickly from daily stress, promoting both immediate emotional well-being and long-term health.
College of Health researcher(s)
Abstract
Objective
We aimed to understand how marital quality and gender influence affective responses to daily stressors (i.e., affective reactivity and residue).
Background
Affective reactions are putative mechanisms through which daily stressors impact long-term health and well-being. Understanding which resilience or vulnerability factors (e.g., marital quality, gender) are associated with affective reactions is therefore crucial to promote healthy lives and aging.
Method
Data came from a subsample of married adults (N = 1,335) who participated in both the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) Study and the associated National Study of Daily Experiences (NSDE). Participants rated their levels of strain and support with their partners in the MIDUS survey. As part of the NDSE, participants subsequently reported their affect and experience of daily stressors over 8 consecutive days.
Results
Partner strain significantly exacerbated associations between previous-day stressors and negative affect (i.e., affective residue), but not same-day stressor–affect associations (i.e., affective reactivity).
Conclusion
Findings from this study highlight the importance of marital quality for shaping daily stress and affective well-being.
Implications
Cultivating couple relationship skills—including decreasing partner strain—in adulthood may provide a means to decrease affective reactions to daily stress and promote short- and long-term health and well-being.