Department of Psychological Sciences, FLAME University, 401 Phoenix Complex, Bund Garden Rd., Opp. Residency Club, Pune 411001, India.
Department of Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Apr 27;19(9):5302. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19095302.
Loneliness has been recognised as a major public health concern in older adults in developed nations, with little focus on low- and middle-income countries such as India. While the protective nature of social relationships on loneliness has been explored in the context of marriage, typically these benefits are examined in individual spouses rather than within the marital dyad.
A sample of 398 opposite-sex married Indian couples (mean age 54.8 years) was obtained from the pilot wave of the Longitudinal Aging Study in India (LASI) conducted in 2010. These cross-sectional data were analysed using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model, with one's own and one's partner's cognitive function, functional limitations, depressive symptoms, employment status and contact with friends included as predictors of loneliness.
There were no gender differences in the pattern of associations. Depression was positively associated with loneliness with actor and partner effects being significant. One's partner being employed was associated with less loneliness.
The sample showed low levels of depression, loneliness, and reduced functionality; however, depression still predicted one's own and one's partner's loneliness. Future work using longitudinal data could examine the role of employment in loneliness, particularly within the context of gender roles.
孤独感已被确认为发达国家老年人的主要公共卫生问题，但在印度等中低收入国家却很少受到关注。虽然社会关系对孤独感具有保护作用已经在婚姻背景下得到了探讨，但这些益处通常在个体配偶中进行研究，而不是在婚姻关系中进行研究。
本研究从 2010 年进行的印度纵向老龄化研究（LASI）的试点波中获得了 398 对异性已婚印度夫妇（平均年龄 54.8 岁）的样本。使用演员-伙伴相互依存模型对这些横断面数据进行了分析，将自身和伴侣的认知功能、功能限制、抑郁症状、就业状况和与朋友的接触情况作为孤独感的预测因素。
没有性别差异的关联模式。抑郁与孤独感呈正相关，演员和伙伴的影响均具有统计学意义。伴侣就业与孤独感降低有关。
该样本显示出较低的抑郁、孤独和功能减退水平；然而，抑郁仍然预测着自身和伴侣的孤独感。未来使用纵向数据的研究可以检验就业在孤独感中的作用，特别是在性别角色的背景下。
