Relationship intervention indirectly buffers financial strain’s effect on biological aging among Black adults.

Abstract

Black adults in the rural South experience elevated financial strain and other contextual stressors, increasing their risk for poor health. Supportive relationships, particularly positive romantic relationships, have been shown to offset these risks. The present study aims to provide experimental evidence of the buffering effect of supportive relationships by testing whether participation in a relationship enhancement program (ProSAAF) that improves couple functioning (Barton, Beach, Wells, et al., 2018) subsequently buffers the effect of cumulative financial strain on biological aging (weathering). Postintervention financial strain was assessed four times. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was extracted from peripheral whole blood collected 6 years after baseline (n = 348 individuals), and patterns of methylation were used to index accelerated pace of aging. Couple functioning was treated as a latent construct comprising four self-report indicators: effective communication, relationship confidence, relationship satisfaction, and perceived partner support. Results indicated that cumulative financial strain was associated with accelerated pace of aging with a medium to large effect size. This effect was moderated by change in couple functioning such that individuals with greater improvement in couple functioning showed less epigenetic aging in response to cumulative financial strain. Additionally, there was a significant indirect buffering effect of ProSAAF on the association between cumulative financial strain and accelerated pace of aging. This is the first study to demonstrate that a couple-focused preventive intervention can reduce the impact of financial strain on rate of aging by enhancing couple functioning.

Neighborhood disadvantage is associated with biological aging: Intervention‐induced enhancement of couple functioning confers resilience

“…In keeping with the strength and strain model (Slatcher & Selcuk, 2017), we further hypothesized that improvements in couple functioning would moderate the impact of neighborhood disadvantage on a faster pace of aging (pathway c). Finally, consistent with a constructed family resilience perspective (Lei et al, 2021; Lei, Lavner, et al, 2022), we hypothesize that there would be a significant indirect moderating effect of ProSAAF on the relationship between neighborhood disadvantage and accelerated pace of biological aging through its effect on enhanced supportive couple functioning (Figure 1, pathways b and c).…”

“…Hypotheses were based on the neighborhood stress process model (Aneshensel et al, 2016), suggesting that residing in a disadvantaged neighborhood may get “under the skin” by influencing stress‐related biological precursors of elevated morbidity and mortality. We combined this framework with the strength and strain model (Slatcher & Selcuk, 2017), and the idea of “constructed family resilience” (Lei et al, 2021; Lei, Lavner, et al, 2022) to form hypotheses regarding the ability of program‐induced change in couple functioning to buffer the impact of neighborhood disadvantage on accelerated aging. This analysis constitutes the first attempt to incorporate family resilience resource predictors of the pace of aging into an examination of the effects of neighborhood disadvantage.…”

“…Four indicators were used to assess couple functioning: effective communication, relationship confidence, relationship satisfaction, and perceived partner support (Barton et al, 2021; Lavner et al, 2019; Lei, Lavner, et al, 2022; See Supporting Information: Appendix B for the list of questions included in this measure). This measure has been used in numerous papers and has shown good reliability and validity in prior studies of Black and White samples (Barton, Beach, Bryant, et al, 2018; Barton, Beach, Wells, et al, 2018; Culp & Beach, 1998; Norton, 1983) and has shown significant improvement following ProSAAF intervention (Barton, Beach, Bryant, et al, 2018).…”

“…Supportive couple functioning—defined as effective couple relationships that include high levels of relationship satisfaction, skillful communication, listening, and support—has been proposed as a resilience resource for both Black and White populations and has been found to ameliorate the deleterious impact of stress on metabolic syndrome, inflammation, and self‐reported health (Donoho et al, 2013; Holt‐Lunstad et al, 2008; Jenkins et al, 2020; Kiecolt‐Glaser et al, 2005; Umberson et al, 2006). For example, Lei, Lavner, et al (2022) reported that enhanced supportive couple functioning protects against the deleterious effect of financial strain on the speed of aging. Similarly, Kumar et al (2022) found that relationship satisfaction buffers the impact of stressful life experiences on mental health.…”

“…Previous analyses found that ProSAAF participants reported better relationship satisfaction, relationship confidence, relationship communication, and partner support at follow‐up (Barton et al, 2021; Barton, Beach, Wells, et al, 2018). Recent studies have reported that family practices associated with resilience can be shared in the form of preventive intervention programs, resulting in constructed family resilience designed to reduce the negative impact of stressful social environments (Lei et al, 2021; Lei, Lavner, et al, 2022). An advantage of focusing on constructed family resilience as a way to examine hypothesized mediated moderation is that such tests may be better powered than field studies and traditional correlational studies (McClelland & Judd, 1993).…”