婚姻状况与老年抑郁——收入的中介效应

Marital Status and Depression of the Aged Population:The Mediating Effect of Income

老年人的婚姻状况与其晚年身心健康和美好生活直接相关,而婚姻不仅是性的结合,也是经济的结合。文章将收入作为中介变量,利用2017年中国综合社会调查(CGSS)数据,采用OLS回归估计方法揭示婚姻对老年人抑郁程度的影响机制。分析发现:老年人婚姻状况对其抑郁程度和收入有显著影响,非在婚老年人抑郁程度不仅高于在婚老年人,而且收入也低于在婚老年人;收入不仅能够显著降低老年人的抑郁程度,而且收入在婚姻对抑郁的影响过程中发挥了中介效应。据此,老龄化社会要预防或降低老年人抑郁问题,不仅要关注老年人的婚姻状况,而且需要多方面保障老年人的经济供养。

The marital status of the elderly is directly linked to their physical and mental health and quality of life in later years.Notably,marriage encompasses not only a sexual union but also an economic partnership.This paper selects income as a mediating variable and uses data from the 2017 China General Social Survey(CGSS)by employing OLS regression estimation methods to reveal the influencing mechanism of marital status upon depression among the aged population.The analysis indicates that the marital status of the elderly significantly affects both their extent of depression and their income level.Notably,unmarried elderly individuals not only exhibit higher levels of depression than their married counterparts but also have lower incomes.Furthermore,income not only significantly reduces the level of depression among the elderly but also plays a mediating role in the impact of marriage on depression.Consequently,to prevent or mitigate depression among the elderly in an aging society,it is essential not only to pay attention to the marital status of the elderly but also to ensure their economic well-being from multiple perspectives.