Marital Status as a Moderator: Exploring the Relationship between Social Engagement and Depressive Symptoms in China's Older Adult Population.

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to explore the complex relationship between social engagement and depressive symptoms among older adults in China, focusing particularly on the moderating role of marital status.

Methods: This study used data from the latest Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS). The analysis used the latent class analysis to delineate personality clusters and hierarchical linear regression, supplemented by the PROCESS macro, to investigate the effects of social engagement and marital status on depressive symptoms.

Results: The analysis encompassed 7,789 respondents (mean age: 82.53 [ s = 11.20] years), with 54% female. The personality analysis categorized participants into four clusters, with the majority (77.60%) classified as Confident Idealists, who exhibited the lowest levels of depressive symptoms. Hierarchical linear regression analysis yielded several significant findings: Higher levels of social engagement were significantly associated with fewer depressive symptoms ( t = -7.932, P < 0.001, B = -0.463). Marital status was a significant factor; married individuals reported fewer depressive symptoms compared to their unmarried counterparts ( t = -6.368, P < 0.001, B = -0.750). There was a significant moderating effect of marital status on the relationship between social engagement and depressive symptoms ( t = -2.092, P = 0.037, B = -0.217).

Conclusion: This study demonstrates that, among Chinese older adults, both social engagement and marital status significantly influence depressive symptoms. Higher social engagement, particularly in other activities like doing household chores, gardening, reading newspapers or books, and playing cards or Mahjong, is associated with fewer depressive symptoms, especially among married individuals.