Lafayette College.
Dev Psychol. 2014 Apr;50(4):1241-9. doi: 10.1037/a0035124. Epub 2013 Dec 23.
This study used longitudinal data to examine the effects of spousal illness on depressive symptoms among middle-aged and older married individuals and the extent to which the adverse effects of illness in a spouse were mitigated by 2 psychological resources, mastery and self-esteem. Using 1,704 married participants who were 51 years of age on average, depressive symptoms were compared in 4 groups varying in their experience of spousal health transitions: those whose spouse remained ill at T1 and T2, those whose spouse declined in health from T1 to T2, those whose spouse's health improved from T1 to T2, and those whose spouse remained healthy at both time points. Mixed analyses of covariance showed that, as hypothesized, having a spouse who became or remained ill over time was linked to greater depressed affect by T2, whereas having a spouse improve in health was associated with a decline in depressive symptomatology. Moderated regression analyses indicated that while higher mastery and self-esteem were linked to lower depressed affect in general, these resources were especially protective against depressed affect for those whose spouse remained ill at both time points. These findings are at the intersection of life course theory and the stress process model highlighting the contextual forces in and the interconnectedness of individual development as well as the plasticity and resilience evident in adaptation to stress during mid and late life.
本研究使用纵向数据，考察了配偶患病对中年及以上已婚个体抑郁症状的影响，以及配偶患病对个体的不利影响在多大程度上可以通过两种心理资源（掌控感和自尊）得到缓解。研究使用了 1704 名平均年龄为 51 岁的已婚参与者，根据配偶健康状况的变化，将他们分为四组，比较了他们的抑郁症状：一组是配偶在 T1 和 T2 时都患病，一组是配偶从 T1 到 T2 时健康状况恶化，一组是配偶从 T1 到 T2 时健康状况改善，一组是配偶在两个时间点都健康。混合协方差分析表明，正如假设的那样，随着时间的推移，配偶的健康状况不断恶化或保持不变与 T2 时更大的抑郁情绪有关，而配偶健康状况的改善与抑郁症状的下降有关。调节回归分析表明，虽然较高的掌控感和自尊通常与较低的抑郁情绪有关，但对于那些配偶在两个时间点都患病的人来说，这些资源对抑郁情绪的保护作用尤其明显。这些发现处于生命历程理论和压力过程模型的交叉点，强调了个体发展的背景力量和相互关联性，以及在中年和晚年应对压力时表现出的可塑性和适应能力。
