Heterogeneity in husbands' and wives' physical pain trajectories over mid-later years: Biopsychosocial stratification and implications for later-life well-being

Background and Objectives: The present study investigated pain trajectories of husbands and wives over their mid-later years, the grouping of these trajectories, and differences in baseline biopsychosocial profiles and health and well-being outcomes in later years across the pain trajectory groups. Research Design and Methods: Growth mixture modeling was used to identify latent classes of 244 husbands' and wives' physical pain trajectories over their mid-later years (1994-2015, average ages of 44-65 years). Analyses were conducted to identify how these pain trajectory classes were associated with respondents' biopsychosocial profiles in 1994 and health and well-being in later years (2017 [>67 years]). Results: The individual pain trajectories of husbands and wives were clustered into 3 heterogeneous groups with differing trajectory patterns. Nonnormative pain trajectory groups (with either a high pain level and/or persistent pain) were associated with adverse baseline biopsychosocial characteristics. These groups also experienced poorer health and well-being outcomes in later years (2017) compared to those with consistently low pain after controlling for lagged measures in 2015. Discussion and Implications: The identification of pain trajectory groups and characteristics of group members provides a potentially useful prognostic tool for early preventive intervention efforts, treatment, and policy formation. Such interventions can promote and develop resiliency factors, thereby aiding in the redirection of middle-aged husbands' and wives' adverse pain trajectories.