Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

LIVE: Thursday 27th June 2024, 18:00-19:30 (CEST)
Join our expert panel to discover why you need to understand the drivers of non-adherence in your patients, and how you can optimize medication adherence in your clinics to drastically improve patient outcomes.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Annals of Behavioral Medicine
Published in: Annals of Behavioral Medicine 3/2011

01-12-2011 | Original Article

Adult Health in the Context of Everyday Family Life

Authors: Rena L. Repetti, Ph.D., Shu-wen Wang, M.A., Darby E. Saxbe, Ph.D.

Published in: Annals of Behavioral Medicine | Issue 3/2011

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

Characteristics of family life are linked both cross-sectionally and prospectively to adult mental and physical health.

Purpose

This paper discusses social and biological processes that may explain how families influence the health of their members.

Methods

We review naturalistic studies of short-term biopsychosocial processes as they unfold within the family.

Results

Day-to-day fluctuations in stressors, demands, and social and emotional experiences in the family are reflected in short-term changes in adult members’ affect and in the activity of biological stress-response systems, particularly the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis.

Conclusions

To learn how family environments are linked to health, researchers should study the interlacing of different aspects of the everyday lives of family members, including their physiology, emotions, behavior, activities, and experiences.
Literature
1.
Robles, T.F. & Kiecolt-Glaser, J.K. The physiology of marriage: Pathways to health. Physiology & Behavior. 2003, 79: 409–416.CrossRef
2.
Logan, J., & Spitze, G. Family ties: Enduring relations between parents and their grown children. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1996.
3.
Mancini, J. A., & Blieszner, R. Aging parents and adult children: Research themes in intergenerational relations. Journal of Marriage and the Family. 1989, 51(2): 275–290.CrossRef
4.
Zarit, S. H., & Eggebeen, D. J. Parent-child relationships in adulthood and later years. In M. H. Bornstein, ed. Handbook of parenting. 2nd ed. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2002: 135–164.
5.
Creasey, G., & Reese, M. Mothers’ and fathers’ perceptions of parenting hassles: Associations with psychological symptoms, nonparenting hassles, and child behavior problems. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology. 1996, 17: 393–406.CrossRef
6.
Repetti, R. L., Robles, T. F., & Reynolds, B. M. Allostatic processes in the family. Development and Psychopathology. 2011, 23(3):921–938.
7.
Ochs, E., Graesch, A., Mittmann, A., Bradbury, T., & Repetti, R. Video ethnography and ethnoarchaeological tracking. In M. Pitt-Catsouphes, E.E. Kossek, & S. Sweet , eds. Handbook of work and family: Multi-disciplinary perspectives and approaches. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum, 2006: 387–409.
8.
Jones, F., & Fletcher, B. Taking work home: A study of daily fluctuations in work stressors, effects on moods and impacts on marital partners. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology. 1996, 69(1): 89–106.CrossRef
9.
Whitton, S. W., Stanley, S. M., Markman, H. J., & Baucom, B. R. Women’s weekly relationship functioning and depressive symptoms. Personal Relationships. 2008, 15: 533–550.CrossRef
10.
Hicks, A. M., & Diamond, L. M. How was your day? Couples’ affect when telling and hearing daily events. Personal Relationships. 2008, 15: 205–228.CrossRef
11.
Lavee, Y., & Ben-Ari, A. Relationship of dyadic closeness with work-related stress: A daily diary study. Journal of Marriage and Family. 2007, 69: 1021–1035.CrossRef
12.
Thompson, A., & Bolger, N. Emotional transmission in couples under stress. Journal of Marriage and the Family. 1999, 61: 38–48.CrossRef
13.
Berg, C. A., Wiebe, D. J., Bloor, L., Butner, J., Bradstreet, C., Upchurch, R., Hayes, J., Stephenson, R., Nail, L., & Patton, G. Collaborative coping and daily mood in couples dealing with prostate cancer. Psychology and Aging. 2008, 23: 505–516.PubMedCrossRef
14.
Gleason, M. E. J., Iida, M., Bolger, N., & Shrout, P. E. Supportive equity in close relationships. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 2003, 29: 1036–1045.PubMedCrossRef
15.
Savla, J., Almeida, D. M., Davey, A., Zarit, S. H. Daily routine assistance to older parents and everyday hassles. Journals of Gerontology: Social Sciences. 2008, 63: S154-S161.CrossRef
16.
Roper, S. O., & Yorgason, J. B. Older adults with diabetes and osteoarthritis and their spouses: Effects of activity limitations, marital happiness, and social contacts on partners’ daily mood. Family Relations. 2009, 58(4): 460–474.CrossRef
17.
Koerner, S. S., Shirai, Y., & Kenyon, D. B. Sociocontextual circumstances in daily stress reactivity among caregivers for elder relatives. Journals of Gerontology B: Psychological Sciences. 2010, 65(5): 561–572.CrossRef
18.
Saxbe, D. E. & Repetti, R. L. No place like home: Home tours correlate with daily patterns of mood and cortisol. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 2010, 36(1): 71–81.PubMedCrossRef
19.
McEwen, B. S. Protective and damaging effects of stress mediators. New England Journal of Medicine. 1998, 338: 171–179.PubMedCrossRef
20.
Miller, G. E., Chen, E., & Zhou, E. S. If it goes up, must it come down?: Chronic stress and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis in humans. Psychological Bulletin. 2007, 133(1): 25–45.PubMedCrossRef
21.
Bower, J. E., Ganz, P. A., & Aziz, N. Altered cortisol response to psychological stress in breast cancer survivors with persistent fatigue. Psychosomatic Medicine. 2005, 67: 277–280.PubMedCrossRef
22.
Lindeberg, S. I., Eek, F., Lindbladh, E., Ostergren, P. O., Hansen, A. M., & Karlson, B. Exhaustion measured by the SF-36 vitality scale is associated with a flattened diurnal cortisol profile. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2008, 33: 471–477.PubMedCrossRef
23.
Lauc, G., Zvonar, K., Vuksic-Mihaljevic, Z., & Flögel, M. Post-awakening changes in salivary cortisol in veterans with and without PTSD. Stress and Health. 2004, 20(2): 99–102.CrossRef
24.
Sephton, S. E., Sapolsky, R. M., Kraemer, H. C. and Spiegel, D. Diurnal cortisol rhythm as a predictor of breast cancer survival. Journal of National Cancer Institute. 2000, 92: 994–1000.CrossRef
25.
Matthews, K., Schwartz, J., Cohen, S., & Seeman, T. Diurnal cortisol decline is related to coronary calcification: CARDIA Study. Psychosomatic Medicine. 2006, 68: 657–661.PubMedCrossRef
26.
Daniel, M., Moore, D. S., Decker, S., Belton, L., DeVellis, B., Doolen, A., & Campbell, M. K. Associations among education, cortisol rhythm, and BMI in blue-collar women. Obesity. 2006, 14(2): 327–35.PubMedCrossRef
27.
Sapolsky, R. M., Romero, L. M., & Munck, A. U. How do glucocorticoids influence stress responses? Integrating permissive, suppressive, stimulatory, and preparative actions. Endocrine Reviews. 2000, 21(1): 55–89.PubMed
28.
Ditzen, B., Hoppmann, C., & Klumb, P. Positive couple interactions and daily cortisol: On the stress-protecting role of intimacy. Psychosomatic Medicine. 2008, 70: 883–889.PubMedCrossRef
29.
Adam, E. K., & Gunnar, M. R. Relationship functioning and home and work demands predict individual differences in diurnal cortisol patterns in women. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2001, 26: 189–208.PubMedCrossRef
30.
Barnett, R. C. Steptoe, A. Gareis, K. C. Marital-role quality and stress-related psychobiological indicators. Annals of Behavioral Medicine. 2005, 30: 36–43.PubMedCrossRef
31.
Vedhara, K., Tuinstra, J., Miles, J. N. V., Sanderman, R. B., & Ranchor, A. V. Psychosocial factors associated with indices of cortisol production in women with breast cancer and controls. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2006, 31: 299–311.PubMedCrossRef
32.
Saxbe, D. E., Repetti, R. L., & Nishina, A. Marital satisfaction, recovery from work, and diurnal cortisol among men and women. Health Psychology. 2008, 27(1): 15–25.PubMedCrossRef
33.
Wang, S., Repetti, R. L., & Campos, B. Links between diurnal cortisol and naturalistic social behavior in the family. Manuscript submitted for publication, 2011.
34.
Klumb, P. K., Hoppmann, C., & Staats, M. Work hours affect spouse’s cortisol secretion—For better and for worse. Psychosomatic Medicine. 2006, 68: 742–746.PubMedCrossRef
35.
Saxbe, D.E., Repetti, R.L., & Graesch, A.P. Time spent in housework and leisure: Links with parents’ physiological recovery from work. Journal of Family Psychology. 2011, 25: 271–281.PubMedCrossRef
36.
Luecken, L., Suarez, E., Kuhn, C., Barefoot, J., Blumenthal, J., Siegler, I., and Williams, R. Stress in employed women: Impact of marital status and children at home on neurohormone output and home strain. Psychosomatic Medicine. 1997, 59: 352–359.PubMedCrossRef
37.
Frankenhaeuser, M., Lundberg, U., Fredrikson, M., Melin, B., Tuomisto, M., & Myrsten, A. Stress on and off the job as related to sex and occupational status in white-collar workers. Journal of Organizational Behavior. 1989, 10: 321–346.CrossRef
38.
Lundberg, U., & Frankenhaeuser, M. Stress and workload of men and women in high-ranking positions. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology. 1999, 4: 142–151.PubMedCrossRef
39.
Schnall, P. L., Schwartz, J. E., Landsbergis, P. A., Warren, K., & Pickering, T. G. A longitudinal study of job strain and ambulatory blood pressure: Results from a three year follow-up. Psychosomatic Medicine. 1998, 60: 697–706.PubMedCrossRef
40.
Chandola, T., Brunner, E., & Marmot, M. Chronic stress at work and the metabolic syndrome: Prospective study. British Medical Journal. 2006, 332: 521–524.PubMedCrossRefPubMedCentral
41.
Hotopf, M. H., & Wessely, S. Stress in the workplace: Unfinished business. Journal of Psychosomatic Research. 1997, 43: 1–6.PubMedCrossRef
42.
Tennant, C. Work-related stress and depressive disorders. Journal of Psychosomatic Research. 2001, 51, 697–704.PubMedCrossRef
43.
Goodman, W. B., Crouter, A. C., & The Family Life Project Key Investigators. Longitudinal associations between maternal work stress, negative work-family spillover, and depressive symptoms. Family Relations. 2009, 58: 245–258.PubMedCrossRefPubMedCentral
44.
Albright, C. L., Winkleby, M.A., Ragland, D.R., Fisher, J., & Syme, S. L. Job strain and prevalence of hypertension in a biracial population of urban bus drivers. American Journal of Public Health. 1992, 82: 984–89.PubMedCrossRefPubMedCentral
45.
Judge, T. A., & Ilies, R. Affect and job satisfaction: A study of their relationship at work and at home. Journal of Applied Psychology. 2004, 89(4): 661–673.PubMedCrossRef
46.
Song, Z., Foo, M-D., & Uy, M. A. Mood spillover and crossover among dual-earner couples: A cell phone event sampling study. Journal of Applied Psychology. 2008, 93(2): 443–452.PubMedCrossRef
47.
Bolger, N., DeLongis, A., Kessler, R. C., & Wethington, E. The contagion of stress across multiple roles. Journal of Marriage and Family. 1989, 51: 175–183.CrossRef
48.
Story, L. B., & Repetti, R. Daily occupational stressors and marital behavior. Journal of Family Psychology. 2006, 20: 690–700.PubMedCrossRef
49.
Schulz, M. S., Cowan, P. A., Cowan, C. P., & Brennan, R. T. Coming home upset: Gender, marital satisfaction and the daily spillover of workday experience into couple interactions. Journal of Family Psychology. 2004, 18: 250–263.PubMedCrossRef
50.
Repetti, R. L. Short-term and long-term processes linking job stressors to father-child interaction. Social Development. 1994, 3: 1–15.CrossRef
51.
Repetti, R. L., & Wood, J. Effects of daily stress at work on mothers’ interactions with preschoolers. Journal of Family Psychology. 1997, 11: 90–108.CrossRef
52.
Repetti, R. & Saxbe, D. The effects of job stress on the family: One size does not fit all. In R. Crane and E. J. Hill, eds. Handbook of Families & Work: Interdisciplinary Perspectives. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 2009: 62–78.
53.
Wang, S., Repetti, R. L., & Campos, B. Job stress and family social behavior: The moderating role of neuroticism. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology. (2011).
54.
Repetti, R. L. Effects of daily workload on subsequent behavior during marital interaction: The roles of social withdrawal and spouse support. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1989, 57(4): 651–659.PubMedCrossRef
55.
Repetti, R. L. Social withdrawal as a short-term coping response to daily stressors. In H. S. Friedman, ed. Hostility, coping, and health. Washington DC: American Psychological Association, 1992: 151–165.CrossRef
56.
Steptoe, A., Cropley, M., Griffith, J., & Kirschbaum, C. Job strain and anger expression predict early morning elevations in salivary cortisol. Psychosomatic Medicine. 2000, 62: 286–292.PubMedCrossRef
57.
Slatcher, R. B., Robles, T. F., Repetti, R. L., & Fellows, M. D. Momentary work worries, marital disclosure, and salivary cortisol among parents of young children. Psychosomatic Medicine. 2010, 72: 887–896.PubMedCrossRefPubMedCentral
58.
59.
Sbarra, D.A., & Hazan, C. Coregulation, dysregulation, self-regulation: An integrative analysis and empirical agenda for understanding adult attachment, separation, loss, and recovery. Personality and Social Psychology Review. 2008, 12: 141–167.PubMedCrossRef
60.
Levenson, R.W., Gottman, J.M. Marital interaction: Physiological linkage and affective exchange. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.1983, 45(3): 587–597.PubMedCrossRef
61.
Gottman, J. M., Coan, J., Carrere, S., Swanson, C. Predicting marital happiness and stability from newlywed interactions. Journal of Marriage & the Family. 1998, 60(1): 5–22.CrossRef
62.
Schoebi, D. The coregulation of anger and sadness in marital relationships. Journal of Family Psychology. 2008, 22: 595–604.PubMedCrossRef
63.
Butner, J., Diamond, L.M, Hicks, A.M. Attachment style and two forms of affect coregulation between romantic partners. Personal Relationships. 2007, 14: 431–455CrossRef
64.
Larson, R., & Almeida, D. Emotional transmission in the daily lives of families: A new paradigm for studying family process. Journal of Marriage and the Family. 1999, 61(1): 5–20.CrossRef
65.
Saxbe, D. & Repetti, R.L. For better or worse? Coregulation of couples’ cortisol levels and mood states. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 2010, 98(1): 92–103.PubMedCrossRef
66.
Bolger, N., Zuckerman, A., & Kessler, R. Invisible support and adjustment to stress. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 2000, 79(6): 953–961.PubMedCrossRef
67.
Shrout, P. E., Herman, C. & Bolger, N. The costs and benefits of practical and emotional support on adjustment: A daily diary study of couples experiencing acute stress. Personal Relationships. 2006, 13(1): 115–134.CrossRef
68.
Meegan, S. P., & Goedereis, E. A. Life task appraisals, spouse involvement in strategies, and daily affect among short-and long-term married couples. Journal of Family Psychology. 2006, 20(2): 319–327.PubMedCrossRef
69.
Zaider, T.I., Heimberg, R.G., & Iida, M. Anxiety disorders and intimate relationships: A study of daily processes in couples. Journal of Abnormal Psychology. 2010, 119: 163–173.PubMedCrossRef
70.
Kleiboer, A.M., Kuijer, R.G., Hox, J.J., Jongen, P.J.H., Frequin, S.T.F.M., & Bensing, J.M. Daily negative interactions and mood among patients and partners dealing with multiple sclerosis (MS): The moderating effects of emotional support. Social Science & Medicine. 2007, 64: 389–400.CrossRef
71.
Chan, C. J., & Margolin, G. The relationship between dual-earner couples’ daily work mood and home affect. Journal of Social and Personal Relations. 1994, 11: 573–586.CrossRef
Metadata
Title
Adult Health in the Context of Everyday Family Life
Authors
Rena L. Repetti, Ph.D.
Shu-wen Wang, M.A.
Darby E. Saxbe, Ph.D.
Publication date
01-12-2011
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Annals of Behavioral Medicine / Issue 3/2011
Print ISSN: 0883-6612
Electronic ISSN: 1532-4796
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-011-9293-x

Other articles of this Issue 3/2011

Annals of Behavioral Medicine 3/2011 Go to the issue

Original Article

‘I’ve Had Unsafe Sex So Many Times Why Bother Being Safe Now?’: The Role of Cognitions in Sexual Risk Among American Indian/Alaska Native Men Who Have Sex with Men

Original Article

Examining the Potential Influence of Diabetes on Depression and Anxiety Symptoms via Multiple Sample Confirmatory Factor Analysis

Original Article

Evaluation of the Relative Effectiveness of Three HIV Testing Strategies Targeting African American Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM) in New York City

Original Article

Fatigue, Depression, Sleep, and Activity During Chemotherapy: Daily and Intraday Variation and Relationships Among Symptom Changes

Original Article

Depression and Smoking: Mediating Role of Vagal Tone and Inflammation

Original Article

Physical and Mental Health Status and Health Behaviors of Survivors of Multiple Cancers: a National, Population-Based Study