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Romantic Relationships and Health: An Examination of Individuals’ Perceptions of their Romantic Partners’ Influences on their Health

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Abstract

This study examines individuals’ perceptions of the impact their significant others have on their health and the extent to which these perceptions are associated with relationship quality and actual health. Two-hundred and ten participants (105 U.S. couples; mean age = 24.93) completed measures of their relationship quality and health along with an open-ended measure asking them to indicate how they felt their partner influenced their health. Results indicated that participants perceived their romantic partners to be primarily positive health influences, women believed their partners were more influential than did men, and eating and physical activity behaviors were believed to be most affected by partners. Participants’ relationship quality and health were associated with their reports of their perceived partners’ health influences.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Jeanine Caso, Sara DiMascio, Constance Gladney, Alexann Masiko-Meyer, Laura Tayloe, Michele Trivelli, and Jacqueline Siracuse for their help with data collection. We are also grateful for Lauren Guarino’s and Patricia Deopp’s help with coding.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Rutgers University, 311 North 5th Street, Camden, NJ, 08102, USA

    Charlotte N. Markey & Heather Fishman Gray

  2. Villanova University, Villanova, PA, 19085, USA

    Patrick M. Markey

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  1. Charlotte N. Markey
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  2. Patrick M. Markey
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Correspondence to Charlotte N. Markey.

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The research described in this report was supported by an award to Charlotte Markey from Rutgers University.

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Markey, C.N., Markey, P.M. & Gray, H.F. Romantic Relationships and Health: An Examination of Individuals’ Perceptions of their Romantic Partners’ Influences on their Health. Sex Roles 57, 435–445 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-007-9266-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-007-9266-5

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