Association of Spouses' Sensory Loss with Depressive Symptoms, Self-Reported Health, and Functional Disability Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults in China: A Cross-Sectional Study.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate cross-sectional associations between spouses' sensory loss and depressive symptoms, self-rated health, and functional disability.

METHODS

We included 10,410 individuals from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. We used the cross-sectional design and determined hearing loss, vision loss, and dual sensory loss by self-reports. We assessed depressive symptoms using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. We assessed self-reported health status using one item. Functional disability was defined as having difficulties in activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL).

RESULTS

Individuals with spouses' dual sensory loss had a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms (45.19%), ADL (17.31%), and IADL impairments (21.97%) and a lower rate of self-rated good health (20.78%) than those with no or single loss. Spouse's sensory loss was associated with depressive symptoms, self-rated health, ADL, and IADL impairments ( < .05). Husbands' ADL impairments were associated with wives' vision loss ( < .05). Wives' IADL impairments were associated with husbands' hearing loss ( < .05).

CONCLUSIONS

Spouses' sensory loss was related to depressive symptoms, self-rated health, ADL, and IADL impairments. There was a gender specificity in the effect of spousal vision loss or hearing loss on ADL and IADL impairments.