title: Implications of marital/partner relationship quality and perceived stress for blood pressure among older adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Although higher quality marriages are associated with better health outcomes, less is known about the mechanisms accounting for this association. This study examines links among marital/partner quality, stress, and blood pressure and considers both main and moderating effects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (N = 1,854; aged 57-85 years) completed in-person interviews regarding their marital/romantic partner relationships and perceived stress. Interviews included blood pressure assessments.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Linear regression models revealed no main effects of spousal/partner quality or stress on blood pressure. However, spousal/partner quality moderated the link between stress and blood pressure. Specifically, there were negative associations between stress and blood pressure among people reporting more confiding, less reliance, and greater demands from spouses/partners.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings highlight the complexity of relationship quality. Individuals appeared to benefit from aspects of both high- and low-quality spouse/partner relations but only under high levels of stress. Findings are inconsistent with traditional moderation hypotheses, which suggest that better quality ties buffer the stress-health link and lower quality ties exacerbate the stress-health link. Results offer preliminary evidence concerning how spousal ties "get under the skin" to influence physical health.
authors.affiliation: Correspondence should be addressed to Kira S. Birditt, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 48104 MI. E-mail: kirasb@umich.edu.
authors.forename: Kira S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Birditt
authors.forename: Nicky
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Newton
authors.forename: Susannah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hope
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012747:Sexual Partners / Q000523:psychology*; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology