The primary goal of this dissertation was to examine the crossover effects of an individual's job demands on the perceived health of the spouse. Using a sample of grocery store employees and their partners, crossover relationships were examined for 90 dyads using Structural Equation Modeling. Although the models had good fit, the proposed direct crossover relationships of job demands on health were not supported. Job demands of one partner did not significantly predict health outcomes in the other partner; although follow-up analyses found significant crossover of women's job satisfaction on men's mental health scores. An additional crossover relationship was supported with the finding that crossover of health between spouses (i.e. physical and mental health components of general health) was significant. The second goal of the present dissertation study was to develop a typology of crossover research. All crossover studies to date were reviewed and categorized in a discussion of the proposed typology.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Russian demographic statistics reflect the persistence of a dramatically wide gender gap in life expectancy and mortality over the last decades - about twice that found in the developed world. On average, men in Russia live 12 years less than Russian women, and 14.5 years less than men in Western Europe. This thesis provides an overview and synthesis of the most recently available literature that addresses the persistent gender gap in mortality and life expectancy in Russia. I reviewed the prevalent behavioral and social-structural drivers that explain the causes of higher male mortality in contemporary Russia. Especially, I looked at how the conceptualization of the male social role and related norms that shape masculine behavior contribute to high male mortality in Russia. The study reveals that men’s unhealthy, risky behavior and their higher vulnerability to stress are considered to be linked to their gendered social identity which is created and reproduced by the social-structural context of the Russia’s society.