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Abstract
People living in some arrangements show better health than persons in other living
arrangements. Recent prospective studies document higher mortality among persons living
in particular types of households. We extend this research by examining the influence
of household structure on health using longitudinal data. We theorize that individuals
experience role-based household relations as sets of resources and demands. In certain
household structures, individuals are more likely to perceive that the demands made
on them outweigh the resources available to them. This perceived imbalance poses a
risk to individual health. We test our expectations by analyzing the relationship
between living arrangements and health using data from waves 1 and 2 of the Health
and Retirement Study. We focus on persons ages 51-61 and explore gender differences.
We find prospective links between household structure and self-rated health, mobility
limitation, and depressive symptoms. Married couples living alone or with children
only are the most advantaged; single women living with children appear disadvantaged
on all health outcomes. Men and women in other household types are disadvantaged on
some health outcomes. Our results suggest that the social context formed by the household
may be important to the social etiology of health. In addition, they qualify the well-known
link between marital status and health: The effect of marital status on health depends
on household context.