title: Instrumental- and Emotion-Focused Care Work During Physical Health Events: Comparing Gay, Lesbian, and Heterosexual Marriages.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We consider emotion- and instrumental-focused care work and marital stress during significant physical health events in midlife gay, lesbian, and heterosexual marriages.
  
  
  METHODS
  We employ the factorial method, an extension of the actor-partner interdependence model, to analyze survey data from 808 midlife gay, lesbian, and heterosexual spouses in 404 unions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The amount of emotion- and instrumental-focused care work provided during physical health events, and the associations between care work and marital stress, depends on the gender of the respondent, gender of the spouse, and whether spouses are in a same-sex or different-sex union. For example, in both same- and different-sex marriages, women report providing more emotion-focused care work during their own health event than do men, and respondents report more health-related marital stress when the patient is a woman.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Investigating how midlife same-sex and different-sex spouses care for each other during a spouse's health event expands understandings of gendered aging experiences within marriage. Findings can elucidate health policies and clinical strategies that best support the health of men and women in same- and different-sex marriages.
authors.affiliation: Population Research Center and.|Department of Sociology, University of Texas at Austin.
authors.forename: Debra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Umberson
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, University of Alabama at Birmingham.
authors.forename: Mieke Beth
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Thomeer
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge.
authors.forename: Rhiannon A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Kroeger
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, The Ohio State University, Columbus.
authors.forename: Corinne
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Reczek
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, University of Texas at Austin.
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Donnelly
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D005195:Family Relations / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D020010:Heterosexuality / Q000523:psychology*; D018452:Homosexuality, Female / Q000523:psychology*; D018451:Homosexuality, Male / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Diversity in aging; Gender; Marriage; Sexual orientation