Social Control of Health Behaviors in Marriage¹

Abstract

Married couples (N= 69) reported on their use of social control strategies in attempting to modify each other's health behaviors, as well as their affective and behavioral responses to experiencing health‐related social control. Experiencing more negative social control was associated with the tendency to engage in potentially health‐compromising behaviors, whereas experiencing positive social control was associated with attempts to engage in the desired behavior. Most associations between experiencing social control and the target's behavioral responses could be accounted for, at least partially, by the target's affective responses to the social control attempts. These results suggest that current conceptualizations of the health‐relevance of social control are in need of revision. Implications of these results for social control measurement and theory are discussed.

Adolescents’ Response to Parental Efforts to Influence Eating Habits: When Parental Warmth Matters

“…Thus, the efforts of parents who engage in a combination of pressure and persuasion may be largely counterproductive, resulting in anger and resentment, as well as behavioral reactance, on the part of the older adolescents whose behavior they wish to influence. In the current study, influence attempts that were associated with adolescents' greater negative affect also were associated with greater behavioral resistance, suggesting that, consistent with prior research (Tucker and Anders 2001), adolescents' negative emotional responses to influence attempts on the part of their parents may act as a barrier to these efforts' having their intended consequences. The current results are also consistent with research on programs designed to alter parenting behaviors to make them more effective.…”

“…In contrast, social control can lead to positive emotions (e.g., happiness) if the target person feels that the individual attempting to influence them is genuinely concerned about his or her health or if the social control is embedded in a high-quality relationship (Lewis and Butterfield 2005). Tucker and Anders (2001) proposed that negative emotions in response to social control lead to reactance, or the motivation to reject or actively resist social control, and behavioral resistance (Brehm and Brehm 1981;Dillard and Shen 2005). Much of this research has examined influence attempts from spouses and romantic partners, rather than from the parents of adolescents transitioning into adulthood.…”

Weight-related social control and relationship quality

“…These negative social control strategies reflect interpersonal influence that is aimed at generating the desired partner behavior through negative affect and disengagement, and such negative (Gottman, 1982(Gottman, , 1994 and disconfirming communication (Weger, 2005) might be harmful to the relationship. Much of the research on social control suggests that positive social control should be more effective in influencing partners to be healthier (Lewis & Butterfield, 2007) and that negative social control is less effective, or potentially ineffective, when it comes to partners' healthy behavior adoption (Tucker & Anders, 2001). The research on social control perceptions, particularly with regard to relationship quality is limited, however.…”

Patient and Partner Strategies for Talking about Lifestyle Change Following a Cardiac Event

“…Studies of non-cardiac populations suggest that when a partner's encouragement is interpreted as positive or supportive it is more likely to promote healthful behavior, whereas a partner's attempts that are interpreted as negative or controlling are associated with ignoring the partner, doing the opposite of a desired behavior change, and hiding unhealthful behaviors (Helgeson, Novak, Lepore & Eton, 2004;Lewis & Rook, 1999;Tucker & Anders, 2001;Tucker & Mueller, 2000). Franks and her colleagues (2006) examined partner social support, partner social control, and patient heart healthy behaviors during the first three months of a cardiac rehabilitation program and six months later.…”

“…It is not clear that involving partners improves the likelihood of success. Some forms of communication facilitate lifestyle changes whereas other ways of talking can backfire (Cohen & Lichtenstein, 1990;Franks et al, 2006;Lewis & Rook, 1999;Tucker & Anders, 2001;Tucker & Mueller, 2000).…”