Employment Status and Health Risks in Older Married Couples
Author Information
Author(s): Choi Ha Young, Mejia Shannon
Primary Institution: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Hypothesis
How do spousal combinations of employment status differentiate individual and shared health risks among older married couples?
Conclusion
The study found that the health risks of older couples are influenced by their combined employment status and socioeconomic resources.
Supporting Evidence
- Physiologic reserve was lowest in the class where one spouse was underemployed and the other fully working.
- Metabolic syndrome was highest in couples where neither spouse had attended some college.
Takeaway
This study shows that whether both partners in a marriage are working can affect their health, especially if they have less money.
Methodology
Latent class analysis and latent dyadic models were used to analyze the employment statuses and health indicators of older couples.
Limitations
Differences in metabolic syndrome were only observed in couples with lower education levels.
Participant Demographics
Older couples aged 51-79 from the Health and Retirement Study.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Want to read the original?
Access the complete publication on the publisher's website