Pressurizing or encouraging
Health behaviors among long‐distance couples
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21320059 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Shveta Kumaria (0000-0003-0608-4260, The Family Institute at Northwestern University Evanston Illinois USA, corresponding author), Hayley C Fivecoat (0000-0002-3249-125X, Northwestern University), Hayley Fivecoat (The Family Institute at Northwestern University Evanston Illinois USA), Jessie Li (0000-0001-8086-9707, Northwestern University Evanston Illinois USA), Brandon Scott (Northwestern University Evanston Illinois USA), Tamara Goldman Sher (The Family Institute at Northwestern University Evanston Illinois USA) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 63 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 1721-1738 |
| Publication date | 2024-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Family Process (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0014-7370 • E-ISSN: 1545-5300 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/famp.12975 |
| PMID | 38369304 |
| OpenAlex | W4391921271 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 66 |
Couples in long‐distance relationships face unique challenges that affect their health outcomes and relationship dynamics in ways that are different from couples in close proximal relationships (PR). The results of previous literature analyzing health outcomes for long‐distance relationship (LDR) couples have been mixed, and factors such as couple satisfaction and gender of the individuals contribute to the variance. This study examined the good health practices of couples in LDRs, the ways in which partners influence each other's health, and the health outcomes of these couples as compared to couples in PRs. Multilevel multivariate analysis showed that couples in LDRs had better health practices than those in PRs, and men overall had poorer health practices than women. There was no main effect seen for LDRs when we examined strategies used for influencing health. There was a main effect for gender, though, and we found that women tend to use more collaborative and pressurizing strategies for influencing their partner's health. On health indices, we found that LDR couples tended to have lower levels of fatigue and sleep disturbance as compared to PR couples. In the adjusted model with covariates, which included age, income, couple satisfaction, and married or unmarried couples, we found that lower couple satisfaction and lower income significantly predicted poorer health on all health indices. These results are discussed in light of unequal gender roles, social control, and positive aspects of LDRs on health in an attempt to understand LDRs better and destigmatize the narrative of these relationships as ‘less than’ PRs. Implications for health and mental health practitioners are also discussed
Affect (linguistics) · Developmental psychology · Multilevel model · Partner effects · Attachment and Relationship Dynamics · Clinical Psychology · Demography · Family Dynamics and Relationships · Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving · Medicine · Psychology · Social Psychology
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| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |