Impact of Upper and Lower Body Functional Ability on Affect in Older Couples.

We explore how upper and lower body functional ability of older adults and their partners relate to affect in later life. Data regarding own and partner's upper and lower body functional abilities were reported by 1767 married/partnered persons aged 57-83. Using multilevel modeling to account for nesting within couples, we examined the impact of a respondent's own functional abilities, their perception of their partner's abilities, and the interaction of respondent's and perceived partner's abilities on respondent's positive and negative affect. Higher upper and lower body ability of both respondents and partners were associated with higher positive and lower negative affect. Moderating effects demonstrated a protective role of respondents' ability on affect when their partners experienced lower ability. There is a potential compensatory relationship between older couples adapting to functional changes; it is important to support the functional abilities of both partners in couples to maximize psychological well-being.