The goal of the proposed [basic research in behavioral medicine (PAR-03-056, topic 9, NIA R03)] is to identify life course variations in the quality of personal relationships and in their consequences for health and well-being. Personal relationships exert profound influences on mental and physical health. Emotionally supportive relationships provide a buffer that can protect individuals from the negative health consequences of stress exposure. However, strains in personal relationships can undermine health more than supportive relationships protect it. Although it is generally recognized that personal relationships evolve and change over the life course, the specific nature of these changes and their consequences for health and well-being have not been empirically specified.
Specific aims for the proposed project include: (1) Identify life course variations in the positive and negative dimensions of personal relationships with: (a) children, (b) parents, and (c) friends and other relatives. Life course stage is measured not only with age, but also with the experience of parental and employment transitions. (2) Determine whether the health consequences of strained and supportive personal relationships vary across the adult life course. Health outcomes to be examined include self-assessed health and psychological distress. (3) Determine whether stress exposure influences changes in the quality of personal relationships, and identify life course variations in these associations. (4) Identify potential gender and race differences in the patterns, processes, and consequences outlined in Aims 1-3 above. The proposed research will analyze data from the Americans' Changing Lives survey, a nationally representative 3-wave panel survey conducted in the U.S. in 1986, 1989, and 1994. Latent growth curve models and OLS models with lagged dependent variables will be employed to address the specific aims of the study.
