Partner strain and support associations with affective reactions to daily stressors

Objective

We aimed to understand how marital quality and gender influence affective responses to daily stressors (i.e., affective reactivity and residue).

Background

Affective reactions are putative mechanisms through which daily stressors impact long-term health and well-being. Understanding which resilience or vulnerability factors (e.g., marital quality, gender) are associated with affective reactions is therefore crucial to promote healthy lives and aging.

Method

Data came from a subsample of married adults (N = 1,335) who participated in both the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) Study and the associated National Study of Daily Experiences (NSDE). Participants rated their levels of strain and support with their partners in the MIDUS survey. As part of the NDSE, participants subsequently reported their affect and experience of daily stressors over 8 consecutive days.

Results

Partner strain significantly exacerbated associations between previous-day stressors and negative affect (i.e., affective residue), but not same-day stressor–affect associations (i.e., affective reactivity).

Conclusion

Findings from this study highlight the importance of marital quality for shaping daily stress and affective well-being.

Implications

Cultivating couple relationship skills—including decreasing partner strain—in adulthood may provide a means to decrease affective reactions to daily stress and promote short- and long-term health and well-being.