Widowhood and depression among Chinese older adults: examining coping styles and perceptions of aging as mediators and moderators

Abstract

Objectives: Based on the stress-coping framework, this study examined the role of coping styles and perceptions of aging in the relationship between widowhood and depression through two alternative pathways—mediation and moderation—with a national probability sample of older adults in China.

Method: The data came from the baseline wave of the China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey of 2014. Our final sample featured 8,404 older adults.

Results: The results of structural equation modeling showed a good fit for the total sample (NFI = .909, IFI = .916, GFI = .963, RMSEA = .038) and indicated the significant direct impact of widowhood on depression among Chinese older adults. Moreover, the findings of mediating effects found compared with a married group, widowed older adults used less problem-focused coping and had more negative perceptions of aging, which in turn, predicted higher depression; they were also more likely to use emotion-focused coping, which in turn, predicted lower depression. The results of moderation analysis demonstrated that a higher level of negative perceptions of aging significantly worsened the adverse effects of widowhood on depression.

Conclusion: Overall, our findings highlight the importance of a cognitive approach to targeting programs for widowed older adults in China, with a focus on strengthening their abilities to alter maladaptive copings styles and reauthor their life narratives.

Keywords:

• Widowhood
• depression
• coping styles
• perceptions of aging
• older adults

Additional information

Funding

This work is supported by the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission Research and Innovation Project (Grant No. E00026) and the Major Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 71490733).