TitleHealth Behavior Among Men With Multiple Family Roles: The Moderating Effects of Perceived Partner Relationship Quality.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2018
AuthorsDePasquale, N, Polenick, CA, Hinde, J, Bray, JW, Zarit, SH, Moen, P, Hammer, LB, Almeida, DM
JournalAm J Mens Health
Volume12
Issue6
Pagination2006-2017
Date Published2018 Nov
ISSN1557-9891
KeywordsCaregivers, Family Relations, Fathers, Gender Identity, Health Behavior, Humans, Interviews as Topic, Male, United States
Abstract

<p>Men in the United States are increasingly involved in their children's lives and currently represent 40% of informal caregivers to dependent relatives or friends aged 18 years and older. Yet much more is known about the health effects of varying family role occupancies for women relative to men. The present research sought to fill this empirical gap by first comparing the health behavior (sleep duration, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, exercise, fast food consumption) of men who only occupy partner roles and partnered men who also fill father, informal caregiver, or both father and informal caregiver (i.e., sandwiched) roles. The moderating effects of perceived partner relationship quality, conceptualized here as partner support and strain, on direct family role-health behavior linkages were also examined. A secondary analysis of survey data from 366 cohabiting and married men in the Work, Family and Health Study indicated that men's multiple family role occupancies were generally not associated with health behavior. With men continuing to take on more family responsibilities, as well as the serious health consequences of unhealthy behavior, the implications of these null effects are encouraging - additional family roles can be integrated into cohabiting and married men's role repertoires with minimal health behavior risks. Moderation analysis revealed, however, that men's perceived partner relationship quality constituted a significant factor in determining whether multiple family role occupancies had positive or negative consequences for sleep duration, alcohol consumption, and fast food consumption. These findings are discussed in terms of their empirical and practical implications for partnered men and their families.</p>

DOI10.1177/1557988316660088
Alternate JournalAm J Mens Health
PubMed ID27449994
PubMed Central IDPMC5253342
Grant ListF31 AG050385 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
U01 HD051217 / HD / NICHD NIH HHS / United States
U01 HD051256 / HD / NICHD NIH HHS / United States
R03 AG046393 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
T03 OH008435 / OH / NIOSH CDC HHS / United States
UL1 TR001425 / TR / NCATS NIH HHS / United States
U01 OH008788 / OH / NIOSH CDC HHS / United States
U01 AG027669 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
U01 HD059773 / HD / NICHD NIH HHS / United States
U01 HD051276 / HD / NICHD NIH HHS / United States
U01 HD051218 / HD / NICHD NIH HHS / United States