How Aging Same-Sex and Different-Sex Spouses Influence Each Other’s Health Behaviors: Change Over a Six-Year Period

Debra Umberson, Sara Mernitz, Hye Won Chai, Yiwen Wang, Charlotte Perez, Department of Sociology , Center on Aging and Population Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Department of Psychology , Institute for Engaged Aging, Clemson University, Department of Sociology, University of Central Florida

Research on Aging: An International Bimonthly Journal

Published online on February 28, 2026

Abstract

Research on Aging, Ahead of Print.
Spouses often influence each other’s health behaviors through social control, yet most research relies on cross-sectional data from different-sex couples. Far less is known about how these dynamics unfold in same-sex marriages or evolve with age, despite ...