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Differences between complete and incomplete couples in physical health research: Implications for methods and
Krista W Ranby1, Sydneyjane Roberts1, Jennalee S Wooldridge2
1University of Colorado Denver, Department of Psychology, Campus Box 173, PO Box 173364, Denver, CO, 80217-3364, USA.
Social Science & Medicine (1982)
|May 21, 2023
Summary
Couples who fully participate in health studies report better health and relationships than those with only one partner involved. This highlights potential sample bias in dyadic health research.
Area of Science:
- Health behavior change research
- Dyadic health interventions
- Couples-based health studies
Background:
- Couples-based interventions for health behavior change are increasingly researched.
- Dyadic research presents unique methodological challenges, particularly regarding sample generalizability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if couples participating fully (complete couples) in health research differ from those with only one partner participating (incomplete couples).
Main Methods:
- An online survey was distributed to engaged couples in the Denver metropolitan area.
- Compared initial participants from complete couples (N=265) with those from incomplete couples (N=509).
- Assessed demographics, health behaviors, general health status, and relationship quality for both partners.
Main Results:
- Participants in incomplete couples reported lower relationship quality, poorer health behaviors, and worse health status.
- Complete couples were more likely to be White, have more education, and have fewer children.
- Partner health behavior reports also indicated poorer outcomes in incomplete couples.
Conclusions:
- Studies requiring full couple participation may yield less diverse samples with fewer health concerns.
- Findings suggest potential selection bias in couples-based health research.
- Recommendations for future dyadic health research are discussed to address these sampling differences.
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