Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles.
J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2021 Mar 14;76(4):e176-e186. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbaa194.
A growing body of research has identified factors related to loneliness among older adults. Fewer have investigated predictors of loneliness within married couples. This analysis investigates how spousal support and strain relate with loneliness within older couples (age 50+), and whether these associations are modified by functional limitation. The study focuses on Mexico, a country experiencing rapid aging occurring alongside historically limited institutional support for older adults, and where traditional gender roles extend to marriage.
The analytic sample consisted of 3,584 husband-wife dyads from the 2012 and 2015 Mexican Health and Aging Study. Loneliness was measured using the Three-Item Loneliness Scale. Associations between spousal support, strain, and loneliness were estimated within husband-wife dyads using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model.
Experiencing more spousal support was associated with less loneliness, whereas experiencing spousal strain was associated with more loneliness 3 years later among married adults. The associations between spousal support/strain and loneliness were stronger among husbands with limitations in activities of daily living (ADL) when compared to their counterparts without ADL limitations.
Among married adults, spousal support and strain may be important factors to understand loneliness within marriage. Effects should be interpreted within the context of functional limitation.
越来越多的研究已经确定了与老年人孤独感相关的因素。但很少有研究调查婚姻伴侣中孤独感的预测因素。本分析调查了配偶支持和紧张与老年夫妇（50 岁以上）中的孤独感之间的关系，以及这些关联是否因功能限制而改变。该研究集中在墨西哥，该国正在经历快速老龄化，而传统的机构支持老年人的方式在历史上受到限制，传统的性别角色延伸到婚姻中。
分析样本由来自 2012 年和 2015 年墨西哥健康与老龄化研究的 3584 对夫妻组成。孤独感使用三项目孤独感量表进行测量。在夫妻对中，使用演员-伙伴相互依存模型估计配偶支持、紧张与孤独感之间的关系。
与配偶支持相比，经历更多配偶支持与 3 年后的孤独感较低有关，而经历配偶紧张与孤独感较高有关。与没有日常生活活动（ADL）限制的配偶相比，ADL 受限的丈夫的配偶支持/紧张与孤独感之间的关联更强。
在已婚成年人中，配偶支持和紧张可能是理解婚姻中孤独感的重要因素。在解释这些关联时，应考虑功能限制的背景。
