Longitudinal Evaluation of Syndemic Risk Dyads in a Cohort of Young Pregnant Couples

Abstract

Purpose: The burden of syndemics—which are clusters of overlapping risk factors that adversely impact health—has been previously evaluated among high-risk individuals, yet little is known regarding syndemics within the relationship context. Methods: We evaluated concordant and discordant syndemic profiles among 296 pregnant couples and their actor–partner effects longitudinally from pregnancy to 1-year postpartum. Results: Syndemic score and severity were correlated across all time points for men and women. There was a significant difference in syndemic score (β Men–Women =.2736, p =