How Aging Same-Sex and Different-Sex Spouses Influence Each Other's Health Behaviors: Change Over a Six-Year Period

Spouses often influence each other's health behaviors through social control, yet most research relies on cross-sectional data from different-sex couples. Far less is known about how these dynamics unfold in same-sex marriages or evolve with age, despite their importance for population health. Using longitudinal survey data (n = 614) and daily diary data (n = 524) from mid-to-later-life same- and different-sex couples, we track six-year changes in social control tactics, reactions, and effectiveness. Supportive tactics decline, appreciation decreases, and irritation increases across couple types, although women married to women initially report greater appreciation. Over time, however, they experience the steepest declines in appreciation and the effectiveness of direct regulatory control. In contrast, joint health activities grow more effective for encouraging exercise across couples. These findings highlight the limits of regulatory control and the potential importance of collaborative approaches, with implications for interventions aimed at supporting healthy aging in diverse couples.