Spousal Support and Strain in Relation to Concerns About Aging: The Serial Mediating Roles of Life Satisfaction and Attitudes Toward Own Aging.

OBJECTIVES: Concerns about aging (CA) refers to fears and apprehensions related to aging, which may contribute to adverse psychological and physical outcomes in later life. The present study aimed to examine the associations between spousal relationship quality and CA among older adults.

METHODS: Drawing on data from the 2022 wave of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a nationally representative survey of older adults in the United States, this study examined the associations between spousal relationship quality and concerns about aging using structural equation modeling.

RESULTS: The mediation analysis indicated that both spousal support (SPS) and spousal strain (SPN) were significantly related to CA through significant total and indirect effects (all β ≥ 0.071, 95% CIs excluding zero), although the direct effects were not significant. Indirect pathways showed that life satisfaction (LS) and attitudes toward own aging (ATOA) jointly mediated the effect of SPS on CA, whereas the serial mediation pathway via LS and ATOA was significant for SPN, while no significant single mediation effect was observed.

DISCUSSION: Distinct emotional-cognitive mechanisms were identified underlying the associations of spousal support and strain with concerns about aging. These findings highlight the role of marital dynamics in shaping aging concerns in later life.