Spousal Synchrony in Allostatic Load Among Older Couples in the Health and Retirement Study

Using national data from the Health and Retirement Study, this study examined interpartner associations of allostatic load (AL) among 2338 different-sex couples ( N = 4676 individuals) over a 4-year period among older American couples from a dyadic approach.

AL was indexed by immune (C-reactive protein), metabolic (high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, total cholesterol, and glycosylated hemoglobin), renal (cystatin C), cardiovascular (systolic and diastolic blood pressures, pulse rate), and anthropometric (waist and body mass index) parameters using the traditional count-based formulation. Actor-partner interdependence models were used to assess interpartner concordance in AL.

Higher partners' baseline AL was significantly associated with higher own AL both at baseline and 4 years later. In addition, partners' baseline AL was significantly associated with own AL 4 years later only in women but not men. Lastly, we did not observe any significant moderating effect of relationship quality on interpartner AL concordance.

The findings suggest that older couples' physiological responses to environmental stress are not only linked concurrently, but the associations persist after 4 years, alluding to long-term impacts of couples' psychosocial context and physiology on each other.