Passive Commuting and Partners' Mental Health: The Analysis of the UK Household Longitudinal Study

Anna Oksuzyan, Bielefeld University
Lena Waldeyer, Bielefeld University
Angelo Lorenti, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research
Jennifer Caputo , Westat
Felix Lux , Universität Bielefeld

Research suggests that passive commuting—regularly recurring travel between one's residence and place of work or study by public transport or private car—can be costly for couples’ social relationships. To date, most research assessing commuting’s impact on health has focused on commuters’ self-reported health measures and mental health, and only a handful of recent studies have explored the link between long commutes of a family member and their non-commuting partners’. In this study, we use the nine waves of the UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS) from 2009 until 2019 and apply mixed-effects regression models to assess the mental health consequences of having a commuting partner. Preliminary results suggest that male partners suffer more from their partner's longer travel time, whereas women’s mental health is linked to their own longer commutes.

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 Presented in Session 62. Social and Wellbeing Implications of Mobility