Negative marital interaction, purpose in life, and depressive symptoms among middle-aged and older couples: evidence from the Health and Retirement Study

Abstract

Objective

Negative marital interaction and purpose in life have been associated with depressive symptoms. Yet, these associations have not been fully explored in a dyadic context. This study examines the actor (intra-individual) and partner (cross-spousal) effects of negative marital interaction on depressive symptoms in couples and the potential mediating role of purpose in life.

Methods

Data came from 1186 heterosexual married couples who participated in the 2016 (T1) and 2018 (T2) waves of the Health and Retirement Study and completed the psychosocial questionnaire in 2016. Structural equation modeling was used to estimate the direct and indirect associations among T1 negative marital interaction, T1 purpose in life, and T2 depressive symptoms at the actor and partner levels. Models controlled for age, race, educational level, self-rated health, and length of marriage.

Results

At the actor level, a greater negative marital interaction was associated with significantly lower levels of purpose in life for husbands and wives. Negative marital interaction was also associated with depressive symptoms for wives. Purpose in life mediated the relationship between negative marital interaction and depressive symptoms. At the partner level, wives’ negative marital interaction was negatively associated with husbands’ purpose in life, independent of husbands’ own effects.

Conclusion

The findings support the dominant marital discord model of depression and highlight gender differences in the cross-spousal effects of negative marital interaction on purpose in life. Positive psychology interventions can be beneficial to promote purpose in life and subsequently improve mental health outcomes among couples.

Keywords:

• Relationship quality
• psychological well-being
• dyadic analysis
• mental health

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Drs. Aloen L. Townsend and Karen J. Ishler for their thoughtful review of a previous version of this paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

Dr. Irani’s postdoctoral training was supported by the National Institute of Nursing Research at the National Institutes of Health (grant number T32NR015433; Principal Investigator, Dr. Shirley M. Moore). Our study is a secondary analysis of existing data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). Data files and documentation are publicly available at http://hrs.isr.umich.edu. The HRS is supported by the National Institute on Aging (grant number NIA U01AG009740) and conducted by the University of Michigan.