Self-esteem as a mediator between spousal support and depressive symptoms: a comparison of healthy individuals and individuals coping with arthritis.

This study examined whether self-esteem mediated the effects of both self-reported positive and negative marital interactions on depressive symptoms and whether the relationships among marital interactions, self-esteem, and depressive symptoms were stronger for individuals (n = 90) coping with arthritis compared with individuals (n = 90) not coping with a chronic illness. Data were drawn from the 1986 Americans' Changing Lives national survey. The results of multigroup structural equation analysis suggest that mediation depends on the type of marital interaction being considered and the group being examined. For the arthritis group, self-esteem mediated the relationship between negative marital interactions and depressive symptoms, whereas for the healthy group self-esteem played no role in mediating the relationship between marital interactions and depressive symptoms. Findings underscore the importance of testing moderated-mediation models of social support.