A Change for the Worse: Negative Social Exchanges are Associated with an Accelerated Decline in Self-Rated Health Over Time

OBJECTIVES: Age-associated accelerated declines in physical health vary across individuals, and researchers have suggested that individual differences in decline may vary as a function of stressors. The relation of one such stressor, negative social exchanges, to accelerated declines in self-rated health is investigated. METHOD: Participants are from a 2-year, 5-wave, national, longitudinal study of social relationships among older adults. Growth curve analyses are used to examine the relation of negative and positive social exchanges to accelerated changes in self-rated health, controlling for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, and depressive symptoms. RESULTS: Individuals reporting more frequent negative social exchanges showed significantly accelerated declines in physical health. Positive social exchanges were not related to linear or accelerated declines in self-rated health over time. DISCUSSION: The association between negative social exchanges and accelerated deterioration in self-rated health provides general support for hypotheses that interpersonal stressors play an important role age-related physical health decline.