Partner’s Perceived Social Support Influences Their Spouse’s Inflammation: An Actor–Partner Analysis

Joshua D. Landvatter, Bert N. Uchino, Timothy W. Smith and Jos A. Bosch
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Joshua D. Landvatter: Department of Psychology and Health Psychology Program, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
Bert N. Uchino: Department of Psychology and Health Psychology Program, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
Timothy W. Smith: Department of Psychology and Health Psychology Program, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
Jos A. Bosch: Department of Psychology and Health Psychology Program, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 2, 1-9

Abstract: Social support has been linked to lower cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. However, most studies have examined perceived support as an intrapersonal construct. A dyadic approach to social support highlights how interdependence between individuals within relationships, including partner perceptions and interactions, can influence one’s health. This study’s overall purpose was to test actor–partner models linking perceived social support to inflammation. Ninety-four cisgender married couples completed perceived support measures and had their blood drawn for CRP and IL-6 to produce an overall inflammatory index. The primary results indicate that only a partner’s level of perceived support was related to lower inflammation in their spouse. Our sample size, although moderate for inflammatory studies, was probably not large enough to detect actor influences. These data highlight the importance of taking a dyadic perspective on modeling perceived support and its potential mechanism.

Keywords: social support; dyad; inflammation; interpersonal; actor–partner (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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