Loneliness and depression in middle and old age: Are the childless more vulnerable?
Loneliness and depression in middle and old age: Are the childless more vulnerable?
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DOI：
10.1093/geronb/53b.6.s303
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发表时间：
1998-11-01
影响因子：
6.2
通讯作者：
Koropeckyj-Cox, T
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Koropeckyj-Cox, T
目标。这项研究测试了无子女是否与老年人的孤独感或抑郁感显着相关，无论是单独的还是与婚姻状况相关的。方法。使用 1988 年全国家庭调查的数据，比较了 50-84 岁社区居住、永久无子女的成年人和亲生父母（至少有一名幸存子女）的相对情况。多变量模型用于测试父母状况和婚姻-父母综合状况对孤独和抑郁的影响，并控制了社会人口学特征。结果，多变量分析结果显示，无子女没有显着的直接影响，尽管对女性有轻微的显着影响。然而，在结合婚姻和父母状况的类型中观察到微小但显着的差异。无论父母身份如何，丧偶男性和女性的孤独感和抑郁程度都比已婚父母更高。离婚父母也更容易受到伤害。未婚、无子女的男女的主观幸福感与已婚同龄人没有什么区别。讨论。结果证实了早期的研究，表明无子女与老年人主观幸福感的下降不一定有联系。然而，婚姻状况是理解和评估父母状况经历的重要背景。
Objectives. This study tests whether childlessness is significantly related to greater loneliness or depression among older adults, both alone and in conjunction with marital status.Methods. Using data from the 1988 National Survey of Families and Households, the relative circumstances of community-dwelling, permanently childless adults and biological parents (with at least one surviving child), 50-84 years old, are compared. Multivariate models are used to test the effects of parental status and combined marital-parental statuses on loneliness and depression, controlling for sociodemographic characteristics.Results, Results of multivariate analyses show no significant, direct effect of childlessness, though a marginally significant effect appears for women. However, small but significant differences are observed within a typology combining marital and parental statuses. Widowed men and women report higher levels of loneliness and depression than married parents regardless of parental status. Divorced parents are also significantly more vulnerable. The subjective well-being of never married, childless men and women is indistinguishable from that of their married peers.Discussion. The results confirm earlier studies, indicating that childlessness is not necessarily linked with diminished subjective well-being among older adults. However, marital status represents an important context within which to understand and evaluate the experience of parental status.