Chronic conditions are associated with large personal, familial and social costs, and have deleterious effects on individuals’ mental health. Drawing on the stress process model, we theorise and test how the presence of a partner moderates the extent to which living with a chronic condition affects mental health, and whether any protective effects change with time since illness onset, or differ between men and women. Our empirical analyses rely on nationally representative, panel data for Australia (n?180,000 observations) and panel regression models. Being in a partnership, particularly in a marriage, is associated with better mental health amongst all individuals, but more so amongst the chronically ill. This advantage remains beyond the year of illness onset, and is of a comparable magnitude for men and women. These findings bear important implications for mental health in modern societies experiencing rapid population ageing, a rising prevalence of chronic illness, and declining marriage rates.

中文翻译：

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慢性病和精神紧张：自发病以来伴侣随时间的纵向作用

慢性病与个人，家庭和社会的巨大代价有关，并对个人的心理健康产生有害影响。利用压力过程模型，我们理论上并测试了伴侣的存在如何缓解慢性病患者影响心理健康的程度，以及自疾病发作以来保护作用是否随时间而改变，或者男女之间是否有所不同。我们的经验分析依赖于具有国家代表性的澳大利亚面板数据（观测值18万）和面板回归模型。在伴侣关系中，特别是在婚姻中，与所有人之间更好的心理健康有关，而在慢性病中尤其如此。这种优势在疾病发作的那一年之后仍然存在，并且在男女之间具有可比的程度。