Shen Haohui, Pan Guoliang, Zhang Mengge, He Xiuwen, Yao Mingyang, Yang Yilong
Department of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Administration, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China.
Shenyang Mental Health Center, Shenyang, China.
Front Psychol. 2025 Jun 18;16:1624197. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1624197. eCollection 2025.
As the global population ages and traditional family support structures decline, mental health issues-particularly anxiety-among widowed older adults have become increasingly prevalent. Studies have shown a positive correlation between ageism and anxiety disorders in older bereaved individuals, but the underlying mechanism by which ageism affects anxiety in this population has not yet been clarified. This study aimed to examine whether loneliness mediates the relationship between age discrimination and anxiety disorders, and whether cognitive functioning moderates this mediation.
A random sampling approach was used to select 406 older adults who have lost their spouse from Shenyang, China. The Generalized Anxiety Scale (GAD-7), Perceived Age Discrimination Scale (PAD), UCLA Loneliness Scale (UCLA-LS), and Alzheimer's Disease 8-Item Screening Instrument (AD-8) were used to assess the status of anxiety, ageism, loneliness, and cognitive functioning, respectively. Moderated mediation models were analyzed by SPSS PROCESS version 4.0 software.
Age discrimination had a significant direct effect on anxiety in widowed individuals in later life. Loneliness partially mediated the effect of age discrimination knowledge on anxiety. In addition, the second half of the path of the indirect effect was moderated by cognitive functioning. The indirect effect of loneliness on anxiety was enhanced when cognitive functioning was poor.
Loneliness enhances the positive association between ageism and anxiety in widowed older adults, in which cognitive functioning plays a moderating role. These findings suggest the need for targeted psychosocial interventions that prioritize cognitive health and social engagement to reduce anxiety among bereaved older adults.
随着全球人口老龄化以及传统家庭支持结构的衰退，丧偶老年人中的心理健康问题，尤其是焦虑，已变得越来越普遍。研究表明，年龄歧视与老年丧偶个体的焦虑症之间存在正相关，但年龄歧视影响该人群焦虑的潜在机制尚未阐明。本研究旨在探讨孤独是否介导年龄歧视与焦虑症之间的关系，以及认知功能是否调节这种中介作用。
采用随机抽样方法，从中国沈阳选取406名丧偶老年人。分别使用广泛性焦虑量表（GAD - 7）、感知年龄歧视量表（PAD）、加州大学洛杉矶分校孤独量表（UCLA - LS）和阿尔茨海默病8项筛查工具（AD - 8）来评估焦虑、年龄歧视、孤独和认知功能的状况。使用SPSS PROCESS 4.0版软件分析调节中介模型。
年龄歧视对晚年丧偶个体的焦虑有显著直接影响。孤独部分介导了年龄歧视知识对焦虑的影响。此外，间接效应路径的后半部分受到认知功能的调节。当认知功能较差时，孤独对焦虑的间接效应增强。
孤独增强了丧偶老年人中年龄歧视与焦虑之间的正相关，其中认知功能起调节作用。这些发现表明需要有针对性的心理社会干预措施，将认知健康和社会参与作为优先事项，以减少丧偶老年人的焦虑。
