Perceived Partner Responsiveness Predicts Diurnal Cortisol Profiles 10 Years Later

Slatcher R. B., SELÇUK E., Ong A. D.

PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE, vol.26, no.7, pp.972-982, 2015 (SSCI) identifier identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 26 Issue: 7
  • Publication Date: 2015
  • Doi Number: 10.1177/0956797615575022
  • Journal Name: PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.972-982
  • Keywords: perceived partner responsiveness, social relationships, cortisol, health, marriage, MIDUS, open data, open materials, SALIVARY CORTISOL, POSITIVE AFFECT, ASSOCIATION, SUPPORT, STRESS, DISEASE, HEALTH, TRAIT, MODEL, STATE
  • Middle East Technical University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Several decades of research have demonstrated that marital relationships have a powerful influence on physical health. However, surprisingly little is known about how marriage affects healthboth in terms of psychological processes and biological ones. Over a 10-year period, we investigated the associations between perceived partner responsivenessthe extent to which people feel understood, cared for, and appreciated by their romantic partnersand diurnal cortisol in a large sample of married and cohabitating couples in the United States. Partner responsiveness predicted higher cortisol values at awakening and steeper (i.e., healthier) cortisol slopes at the 10-year follow-up. These associations remained strong after we controlled for demographic factors, depressive symptoms, agreeableness, and other positive and negative relationship factors. Furthermore, declines in negative affect over the 10-year period mediated the prospective association between responsiveness and cortisol slope. These findings suggest that diurnal cortisol may be a key biological pathway through which social relationships affect long-term health.