Productive and Social Engagement Following Driving Cessation: A Couple-Based Analysis

Drawing on interdependence theory, this study examined the cross-spouse impact of driving cessation on productive (work, formal volunteering, and informal volunteering) and social engagement of older couples aged 65+ using longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study (1998–2010; N = 1,457...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Research on aging 2015-02, Vol.37 (2), p.171-199
Main Authors: Curl, Angela L., Proulx, Christine M., Stowe, James D., Cooney, Teresa M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation, Psychological
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Automobile driving
Automobile Driving - psychology
Automobile Driving - statistics & numerical data
Automobiles
Couples
Engagement
Female
Health Care Services
Health Status
Humans
Husbands
Interdependence
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Older people
Oldest old people
Personal Satisfaction
Rehabilitation
Retirement
Risk factors
Sex Distribution
Social Participation
Spouses - psychology
Spouses - statistics & numerical data
United States - epidemiology
Volunteers
Wives
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Drawing on interdependence theory, this study examined the cross-spouse impact of driving cessation on productive (work, formal volunteering, and informal volunteering) and social engagement of older couples aged 65+ using longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study (1998–2010; N = 1,457 couples). Multilevel modeling results indicate that driving cessation reduced husbands’ productive and social engagement, and wives’ productive engagement. Spousal driving cessation reduced husbands’ likelihood of working or formal volunteering, and wives’ likelihood of working or informal volunteering. The more time since spousal driving cessation, the less likely husbands were to work and the less likely wives were to formally volunteer. Results suggest the need for greater recognition of the impact of driving cessation on couples, rather than just individuals, as well as the need for enhanced services or rehabilitation efforts to maintain driving even among couples with one remaining driver.
ISSN:0164-0275
1552-7573
DOI:10.1177/0164027514527624