Marital Status as a Moderating Factor in the Process of Disablement

TitleMarital Status as a Moderating Factor in the Process of Disablement
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2016
AuthorsKail, BLennox
JournalJournal of Aging and Health
Volume28
Issue1
Pagination139-164
KeywordsAdult children, Disabilities, Health Conditions and Status, Other
Abstract

Objective: To test current marital status as a moderator on the influence of depressive symptoms and chronic conditions on subsequent functional limitations. Method: Data come from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS; 1998-2010). Hierarchal linear modeling models tested differences in functional limitations among a sample of 20,215 people. Results: At baseline, married people suffered from fewer subsequent functional limitations than the unmarried. Moreover, limited evidence suggests the influence of depressive symptoms was greater for the married than the unmarried; however, the influence of chronic conditions was consistently attenuated for married people. Accounting for differences in prior health, work, socioeconomic status, and health behaviors did not explain the moderating influence of marital status on the associations between symptoms of depression and chronic conditions with functional limitations. Discussion: This research highlights the need to identify potential modifiers that may help disrupt the process of disablement among both the married and the unmarried alike.

URLhttp://jah.sagepub.com/content/early/2015/07/03/0898264315589572.abstract
DOI10.1177/0898264315589572
Endnote Keywords

disability/disability/functional limitations/chronic disease/depression/marriage/moderation

Endnote ID

999999

Citation Key8338