Abstract
Social-emotional aging theories suggest that older adults maintain well-being and health in part by avoiding interpersonal stressors; yet, most marital research has examined age differences during conflict. Alternatively, marital support is likely relevant for couples of all ages. To address differences in support-health associations by age and marital satisfaction, 186 people (n=93 couples) ages 22 – 77 rated interaction quality after a marital support task, and perceived available partner support. Among unhappier couples, older adults reported less available partner support than younger adults. Unhappier, older people who received lower-quality support had higher plasma epinephrine and TNF-α than better-supported peers. Conversely, happier, older couples who perceived more available support had healthier physiological profiles—i.e., lower plasma TNF-α and higher insulin growth factor-1. These data suggest that the importance of partner support for health increases with age, and marital quality may drive the benefits or risks.