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SPOUSAL INFLUENCES ON HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF OLDER KUWAITI MEN AND WOMEN

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 November 2016

Yagoub Y. Al-Kandari  and
Douglas E. Crews
Yagoub Y. Al-Kandari*
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology, Kuwait University, Kuwait
Douglas E. Crews
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology and the School of Public Health, Ohio State University, USA
*
1Corresponding author. Email: alkandari66@hotmail.com
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Summary

The aim of the study was to determine the associations of the self-perceptions of health and social support among Kuwaitis who were 60 years old and older, who either were or were not currently living with a spouse. A sample of 1427 was selected (472 men and 955 women). Social Affairs nurses completed all interviews in the participants’ homes. A single questionnaire was designed; SPSS (version 21) was used for data entry and analysis. Participants living with their spouse reported significantly greater social support, more frequent contact with others and greater strength of social relationships than those without a spouse. Significant differences between those with and without a spouse were observed for all physically assessed and self-reported aspects of health. Of 60 items included in the somatic symptoms, participants with a spouse reported fewer poor health symptoms than those without a spouse. More children living in the same household, along with greater frequency of contact, strength of contact and social support significantly and independently predicted positive somatic symptoms in the total sample as well as in both sexes. Participants with a spouse reported fewer poor health symptoms than did those without a spouse. Having a spouse is a significant benefit to many aspects of elder Kuwaitis’ daily lives, including their health and well-being.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 49 , Issue 4 , July 2017 , pp. 509 - 526
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press, 2016 

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