Longitudinal changes in spouses’ HPA responses: Convergence in cortisol patterns during the early years of marriage.

Abstract

Objective Drawing on theories of bidirectional influence between relationship partners (Butler, 2011; Diamond & Aspinwall, 2003), the authors applied dyadic analytic methods to test convergence in cortisol patterns over time in newlywed couples. Methods Previous studies of bidirectional influence in couples’ cortisol levels (Liu, Rovine, Klein, & Almeida, 2013, Papp, Pendry, Simon, & Adam, 2013; Saxbe & Repetti, 2010) found significant covariation in couples’ daily cortisol levels over several days, but no studies have tested whether cortisol response similarity increases over time using a longitudinal design. In the present study, 183 opposite-sex couples (366 participants) engaged in a conflict discussion in a laboratory visit about 6 months after their marriage, and again about 2 years into the marriage. At each visit, spouses provided saliva samples that indexed cortisol levels before, during, and after the discussion. This multi-measure procedure enabled modeling of spouses’ cortisol trajectories around the conflict discussion. Results Findings showed significant convergence in couples’ cortisol trajectories across the early years of marriage; couples showed significantly greater similarity in cortisol trajectories around the conflict discussion as their relationship matured. Cohabitation length predicted stronger convergence in cortisol slopes prior to the conflict discussion. Couples’ relationship dissatisfaction was associated with a greater degree of convergence in spouses’ acute cortisol levels during the conflict discussion. Conclusions Findings suggest that spouses increasingly shape each other’s cortisol responses as their relationship matures. Findings also indicated that increased similarity in acute cortisol levels during conflict may be associated with poorer relationship functioning.

Cortisol covariation within parents of young children: Moderation by relationship aggression

“…A related issue concerns the direction of effects: is increased within-couple covariation a consequence, an epiphenomenon, or a predictor of relationship aggression and relationship distress? Longitudinal studies that tease out causal relationships over time (e.g., Laws et al 2015) can help to clarify these complex questions.…”

“…For example, positive associations between mothers’ and children’s cortisol levels have been reported in a variety of studies (Granger et al, 1998; Hibel et al, 2009; Papp et al, 2009). Although the literature examining covariation with couples is small, studies have consistently reported positive correlations between partners’ cortisol levels, both in the laboratory (e.g., Laws et al, 2015; Saxbe et al, 2014) and in momentary studies conducted over several days (Saxbe and Repetti, 2010; Liu et al, 2013; Papp et al, 2013). The implications of cortisol covariation are complex (Timmons, Margolin, & Saxbe, 2015).…”

Interpersonal mechanisms linking close relationships to health.

“…For example, couple members show similarity in their cortisol levels in their daily lives (Saxbe & Repetti, 2010) and spouses’ cortisol patterns during conflict become more similar over time (Laws, Sayer, Pietromonaco, & Powers, 2015). Concordant physiological patterns are dyadic variables that may serve as a pathway to downstream health outcomes.…”

“…Concordant physiological patterns are dyadic variables that may serve as a pathway to downstream health outcomes. Whether coregulation processes promote or impair health, however, depends on the nature of the physiological linkages, which is likely driven by features of the relationship context such as partners’ relationship satisfaction (Laws et al, 2015). …”

Mother–child adrenocortical synchrony: Roles of maternal overcontrol and child developmental phase

“…However, researchers have argued that the degree of adrenocortical synchrony is associated with relationship quality; importantly, the nature of this association between synchrony and relationship quality likely varies as a function of contextual factors, including, but not limited to, the nature of the relationship and the situation in which synchrony is assessed. In the context of adult romantic relationships, evidence generally suggests that as with other forms of physiological synchrony (e.g., synchrony of peripheral physiology), higher levels of synchrony (i.e., stronger positive correlations, indicative of less discrepancy in arousal levels at any given moment) are associated with poorer quality relationships among adults (Laws, Sayer, Pietromonaco, & Powers, ; Liu et al, ; Saxbe et al, ; Saxbe & Repetti, ) and adolescent couples (Ha et al, ; see Timmons, Margolin, & Saxbe, for a review). Levenson and Gottman () have speculated that higher levels of physiological synchrony among couples when under stress (such as during a conflict) may reflect contagion of arousal states, or an inability to disentangle from a partner's stressful experience, as opposed to a more co‐regulatory response to a partner's arousal.…”